How long do labs live

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Brown labs are more likely to contract other skin diseases, such as hot spots. This is a form of acute moist dermatitis and can cause your dog to constantly lick, bite, and scratch an inflamed area until it becomes a painful skin lesion. You may be wondering: What do labs usually die from? Obesity is, in fact, the number one cause of arthritis, diabetes, bloating, and flipped stomachs, which can then cause your lab to suffer needlessly.

The best way to keep them healthy on this front is to make sure they get plenty of age-appropriate exercise and control their diet. A lab has a predisposition for a condition known as hip dysplasia. This is a form of degenerative joint disease, which affects around 5. A lab is also more prone to arthritis — and additional weight will only create added pressure on the joints of a large canine.

Hip dysplasia is a rough diagnosis for a labrador. Yet, they need the exercise to keep the weight off, so it can be tricky managing this issue. At Snowy Pines, for example, our guarantees offer a full replacement against genetic defects in labrador puppies for five years. Though it does affect some of the oldest dogs, diabetes is still fairly common among a wide variety of breeds.

As in humans, diabetes in dogs comes down to the balance of insulin and glucose. Also known as gastric dilatation volvulus , this is a serious possibility for labradors in particular because they love their food. My dad passed in , and we have had him since.

My dad got him when my son was 3 years old, he is 27 now. George was a farm dog, and enjoyed everything. He had arthritis these last 5 years — and he was always a large dog weighed 80 lbs but was muscular, not fat. My choc lab has just turned 15 I thought that was good, 24 must be a world record. We have a nearly 14 yr old unspeyed pedigree choc lab.

She still acts , looks and behaves like a puppy. Pet health and nutrition website has great natural products for laryngeal paralysis. They have helped my 14 year old boy a lot! I currently have a lab named Katie that I got as a gift for my 15th birthday from my mother.

She was 5 weeks old exactly when i got her on August 5. She was the runt of the litter. She is by far the smartest dog I ever owned and seems to be able to adapt to any situation and prevail. She became an excellent bird retriever with minimal effort because it come natural to her like it does a lot of labs. But not all. I have seen a bunch of labs that will fetch but not retrieve birds and I swear on my life I personally never seen one that was as good as her that had not been trained by professionals.

I admit tho that professionally trained labs were more obedient than her but I trained her to the best of my knowledge and was still a kid and had no idea how to train a lab. She would even follow whatever direction I pointed at. But unlike a trained dog that will stop when u blow a whistle to see where u point, she would only turn around to get directions from me if there was not a bird or whatever she was searching for where she initially thought it would be.

But she did not come back without it. Which that proved to be problematic at times. So I would have to keep a training dummy with me to throw or I believe she would drown herself searching. But at 15 the thought of that never crossed my mind while trying to teach her. If it were up to Katie she would already be under the duck as it fell and catch it in mid air.

And she was very good at catching things and very very fast on land. In fact I had to stop throwing a heavy training dummy or sticks for her to fetch and swap strictly to light tennis balls because she was so fast that when I would throw as hard and far as I could it with her at my side, she would make it to the area the ball was going in time to turn around and catch it.

That was one of my favorite tricks to show people that she did. But when I stopped throwing the dummy was the day she figured out that she could do that and it almost hurt her.

It was way too heavy to catch in mid air and u could tell it hurt her jaw so I switched to balls. And she knew where every single one was. She somehow figured out that even when people wouldnt throw it anymore from her pouncing and slapping at their feet with both paws they woild, they would when she pinned a super slobbery soaking wet ball to their legs with her paw. And if u tried to just ignore all of that showmanship she was pulling and go on about your business, next thing u know u felt a super slobbery ball on your hand because she would walk up from behind u and try to stick the ball in your hand lol.

I love that old girl but her days of fetching and hunting have been over for several years now because shes 16 and in no shape to do any running but it aint by her choice. Her back hips give her problems now it seems. We have a girl lab, six years old yellow one, at our home in Japan. She was also born in Japan. She is doing very well now and very healthy. I have a six year old black Labrador dog named Ralph. He has been fine so far but of late he seems to be walking very slowly when we are returning back from our one hour walk.

I am worried that there might be some health issues with him. Do I need to contact my vet. Please any advise would be helpful.

When our black Lab Stetson was around the same age he too started to slow down. You should definitely consult your vet before giving any supplements. My ole girl Divey shirt for Godiva is 16 years 4 months. She eats Kirkland mature food at night with salmon oil. That has really made a difference for her dry skin. We adopted her from the veterinary school research lab when she was 4.

We joke they gave her some good stuff there. Duke a black lab with white spot on chest and hind feet now going on 21 started greying around mouth still the fastest dog on the property and catches the odd rabbit once in a while love him to bits. Wasnt neutered until he was 6 or 7 when he and the other Male started fighting when my dad brought a puppy home. He had twisted kneecaps on both hind legs that kept him from running fast or jumping in anyway. My Chocolate Lab Buddy will be 14 in December.

He has been an outside dog. This past winter something happened to him with his breathing and he has a gagging cough. He has a bad habit of covering up his food with straw and I believe he ingested some of it. Brought him back home expecting to lose him and started handfeeding cooked chicken breast and scooping water in our hands for him to drink.

He recovered but breathing is a problem. Yesterday was just 84 here in Ky and little humid. Husband found him foaming and purple tongue so we think he suffered a heat stroke because of poor breathing. So, now he is in his huge winter kennel in home with us with central air and fan blowing on him.

Breathing much better. His back hips are starting to go and has trouble getting up and walking. Love our Buddy! We got our girl Princess from Lab Rescue never changed her name ; just before her 5th birthday. She will be 16 on the 4th of July this year. She is extremely healthy to this day. Only issues are an arthritic lower back that has weakened her back legs, cataracts, and some hearing loss.

She has been through a lot—mostly brought on by relentless counter surfing. She once ate an entire bag of raw potatoes, she has eaten loaves of bread in the plastic, even coffee grounds. Several times she broke into the trash and ate chicken carcasses. She has never been sick other than one UTI, and never had surgery, other than being spade. We were told she had birthed a litter of puppies before we got her.

She has never lost her veracious appetite, and as I type this, she is breathing hot breath on my leg asking for her dinner. Our pure chocolate lab Katie is turning 15 in 6 weeks. She walks every day, although the walks are getting shorter.

We do not feed her table food. Just dry food and have added some canned food for dinner. I was looking through the comments and was so surpsied to see the long life many of these labs have lived!!!

We are hoping Katie feels heathy and well enough to make it many more years!! I have not had any health issue since when my first male was put down for hip dysplasia. The oldest female I had passed it I currently have a 17 year old a two year old and one year old. My 17 year old still runs and plays just like she did at 7. My yellow lab friend is 12 years old and till about weeks ago he still went on a 30 minutes walk twice per day or more and he was a bit running too.

He was not like a year before but still moving around, fetching a ball … and then suddenly about 2 or 3 weeks ago he started to stopping on walks after 20 meters… last days he is stopping on 5 meters maybe he goes 10 and then he lays down.

The vet gave him some pain killers and glucosamine. At night he sleeps in my bed, but I was thinking that through the day he might be happy to lay on an ortopedic bed if I buy one? Does anybody have this for their lab? I have small stairs 4 stairs and I made him a rampe… Do you maybe have some other recommendations or suggestions?

I will be very happy! Thank you for every comment i'll receive! My dogs also started to slow down around 12 years old. The Glucosamine really seemed to help my dogs when they got older. Something else you might consider is getting him something to help him walk on slick surfaces. There are dog booties and toe nail grippers that can be helpful. Hopefully that helps. Thank you very much for the advise! I will talk about it with my vet. Thank you :. My girl Nellie was 16 in May she had both knees replaced 5 years ago, she is strong as an ox and sets the pace when we walk.

I credit it to healthy diet, excercise, regular vet visits and a loving home. She survived two bouts of cancer Mast cell and is doing great except for arthritis in her hind quarters, loss of almost all hearing, and minor loss of sight. We feed her Natural Balance dry food and table scraps such as leftover meats. I always cook extra vegetables so that she can have a serving or two with her dinner. She is always happy.

We started her on Galliprant this week, to see if will help with her arthritis. The 1st, Korbel, was a beautiful yellow lab, very smart.. About a year before he died Korbel was retired but we still had him. He was retired when my husband who was blind became too sick to use a guide dog. I give him 2 cups of food daily. She was diagnosed with Lung Cancer with a 3m mass and really made breathing difficult along with a dry cough. Her excessive panting prevented her from sleeping as the final week was difficult.

The process happens very quickly, she soiled her bed and went all over the floor, and I knew it was time. I have lost many people very close to me, and each hurt immensely but losing my best friend I would see everyday and a dog who let my son now 4 hang all over her with a wagging tail breaks my heart.

I miss her digging the beach or chasing ground squirrels or being so happy when my mom would cook, her perfect little round head and dark set eyes always had me kissing her. She was a bit heavy towards the end but wore it well. I am writing this hoping to help others know to cherish their time with the best breeds in my opinion as I know lying in my house will feel very empty.

I am having a hard time losing my best friend Riley. I had the vet put him down but I wonder if I should have not done more to help him feel better for a while longer with more treatment. I have just had to have my black lab Shaun put to sleep I took him on as a foster but no body wanted him ,so he became part of my life as I lost my wife and he became all I had he was constantly with me every move I made he followed me then his legs started to go weak as a result of his neglect when he was younger.

Then the other day could not get him up and he was by the door trying to get out to do his business but couldnt. I called the vet and they came for him and advised me that there was nothing they could do. I feel completely lost as I live on my own and he was my companion. I have black lab we get from shelter he have 2 years now is 14 year a lovely dog have some cancer but still in shape. We lost our beautiful black Lab Sasha in Mar 19 aged 15 and a half.

Broke our hearts and always will. However we now have Luna tic a nine month beauty. She loves life and is a water baby par excellence. Highly recommended. We just put our love Tyson down as he developed a rapid pneumonia and was in distress. He went from old age well to dying in a matter of hours. He was 16 years and 3 months. He was walking around the yard and my gardening buddy until the day before he died. He was diagnosed w heart failure in February but was well controlled with medicine.

He also had weakening of his hind legs and a herniated disc that caused stiffness but he refused to let it slow him down. Thus, their bodies are working harder than ours on everyday tasks, which leads to them deteriorating much more quickly. That said, not all dogs age at the same rate of speed. Smaller dogs are known for having longer lifespans than larger breed dogs, though this is not true for every breed or mix.

On average, however, there is a scale you should consider when it comes to canine lifespan, and especially when investigating how long do Labs live. According to a study conducted in , dogs of different weights had different average life expectancies.

Because the Labrador Retriever is a medium sized dog, he should be estimated to live around Well, experts point out that, like people, each dog is different. Certain breeds may also be more susceptible to particular illnesses, which can further lead to a reduced lifespan.

Still, it is possible for Labrador Retrievers to outlive their 12 year timestamp. In fact, the oldest Labrador Retriever on record was a black Lab called Adjutant. Adjutant lived a whopping 27 years and 3 months, landing her a spot in the Guinness World Records in Because they are large breed dogs, Labs age more quickly.

As large breed dogs, Labs do age a bit more quickly than their smaller canine counterparts. Purebred dogs are unique to mutts and mixed breeds because they have been so carefully bred and perfected over time. Labrador Retrievers, like other purebreds, share a number of traits. These traits include their weight, height, body shape, coat colors, coat texture, temperament, and potential health issues. This is where responsible breeding practices come into play when looking at how long do Labs live.

Because Labs can be prone to a variety of serious health issues that affect their lifespan, most reputable breeders work to reduce these common health issues by breeding the healthiest Labradors they can.

Of course, genetics are genetics and there is never any guarantee that your Labrador is going to be healthy and disease-free just because you got him from a reputable breeder. Unfortunately, these are also a few lifestyle factors that will sometimes be out of your control. Like all dogs, Labs can be prone to a variety of health issues. However, some can be more serious than others and have an impact on lifespan.

When compared to the average lifespan of canines in general, Labs are right on track. However, there are some serious illnesses they are susceptible to that can impact their lifespan and even shorten it greatly.

All of the above health issues can be serious and devastating for a Labrador Retriever, but there are some that are more dangerous than others. In fact, one study suggested that cancer is a leading cause of death Labradors, followed closely by musculoskeletal disorders. Labs were also found to suffer a high rate of obesity, skin and coat issues, ear issues and joint problems.

Hip and Elbow Dysplasia can be devastating for lager, athletic dog breeds like the Labrador. When you think of hip and elbow dysplasia, you may immediately think of large or giant breed dogs.

While it is true that these ailments are more common in dogs like Great Danes and Labrador Retrievers, they can also crop up in smaller dogs. Unfortunately, these conditions are very common in Labrador Retrievers , and this is something you should consider when considering how long do Labs live.