BY: SAMANTHA BARTLETT, DVM

A Study conducted by Dr. Dan O’Neill, associate professor of companion animal epidemiology at the Royal Veterinary College. published in Scientific Reports analyzed the records of all dogs under veterinary care in the Vet Compass Programme in 2016. This report broke down dogs by sex and purebred or crossbred. Breeds were broken down into Kennel Club breed groups (Gundog, Hound, Pastoral, Toy, Terrier, Utility and Working).  

The EPRs were scanned for evidence of death whether euthanized or unassisted between 2016 and 2020. Records without information about sex were not included. The analysis ultimately included 30,563 confirmed deceased dogs. There were 18 breeds in the analysis, which accounted for 50% of the total subjects. The rest were cross-bred dogs. 

Female dogs had a longer life expectancy than male dogs (11.41 vs. 11.07). Neutered pets had a substantially higher life expectancy than intact pets. Jack Russell (12.7 yrs.) and Yorkshire terriers (12.5 yrs.) had the longest life expectancy among the breeds analyzed. French Bulldogs had the shortest life expectancy (4.5yr).

This study represents one of the first life tables developed for companion animals in the UK and sets the basis for expansion and further understanding of factors affecting life expectancy. The researchers view this study as a proof of concept for undertaking more in-depth analyses.