How much can a Labrador Retriever live?
The labrador retriever breed is predisposed to certain diseases, such as hip dysplasia, but there is a lack of precise information on the prevalence related to the general population.
The objective of this study was to describe the demography, mortality and diseases commonly recorded in labrador retriever dogs under veterinary care in the United Kingdom.
Study methods
The VetCompass ™ program collects data from electronic patient records in dogs that attend veterinary primary care practices in the United Kingdom. The demographic analysis covered 33,320 labrador retriever dogs in the VetCompass ™ database with veterinary attention during 2013, while the data on disorders and mortality were extracted from a random sample of 2,074 specimens (6.2%) of these dogs.
Amazing results
Of the labrador retrievers with available information, 15,427 (46.4%) were females and 15,252 (53.6%) were males.
The females were more likely to be castrated than males (59.7% versus 54.8%, P <0.001).
The weight The average adult body mass was 33.0 kg (SD 6.1). The adult males were heavier (35.2 kg, SD 5.9 kg) than the adult females (30.4 kg, SD 5.2 kg) (P <0.001).
The longevity mean of the labrador retriever dogs was 12.0 years (RIC 9.9-13.8, range 0.0-16.0).
The colors The most common recorded were black (44.6%), yellow (27.8%) and liver / chocolate (reported here as chocolate) (23.8%).
The average longevity of dogs without chocolate color (n = 139, 12.1 years, IQR 10.2-13.9, range 0.0-16.0) was longer than in chocolate-colored animals (n = 34, 10.7 years, IQR 9.0-12.4, range 3.8-15.5 ) (P = 0.028).
The total number of dogs that died at any time during the study it was 176.
The most frequent diseases recorded were otitis externa (n = 215, prevalence 10.4%, 95% CI: 9.1-11.8), overweight / obesity (183, 8.8%, 95% CI: 7.6-10.1) and degenerative joint disease (115 , 5.5%, 95% CI: 4.6-6.6).
The overweight / obesity it was not statistically associated with the sterilization of the females (8.3% of the total versus 12.5% of the sterilized ones, P = 0.065), but it was associated with the castration of the males (4.1% of the total versus 11.4% of the castrated, P <0.001).
Otitis and dermatitis according to the color …?
The prevalence of otitis externa in black dogs was 12.8%, in yellow dogs of 17.0% but in chocolate dogs it increased to 23.4% (P <0.001). Similarly, the prevalence of pyro-traumatic dermatitis in black dogs was 1.1%, in yellow dogs of 1.6%, but in chocolate dogs it increased to 4m, 0% (P = 0.011).
Conclusions
The current study assists in the prioritization of health problems within the labrador retriever race.
The most common disorders They were overweight / obese, otitis externa and degenerative joint disease. The males were heavier than the females. These results can alert potential owners to possible health problems and inform specific welfare controls of the breed.
• More information: Canine Genetics and Epidemiology.
