Royal Veterinary College study finds giant dog breeds have shorter lifespans

A study conducted by the VetCompass program at the Royal Veterinary College in the United Kingdom has found that giant dog breeds suffer from higher rates of disease and significantly shorter lifespans compared to the general dog population.

Researchers analyzed data from 2.25 million dogs treated in 2019, identifying 28,345 giant dogs across 29 breeds, including the Alaskan Malamute, Akita, and Dogue de Bordeaux. A detailed review of 4,316 large dogs revealed that 73.8 percent had at least one documented illness, a higher rate than the 65.8 percent found in previous studies of all dog sizes.

Common health issues among these large breeds included skin diseases (15.9 percent), musculoskeletal disorders (13.5 percent), and ear ailments (12.0 percent). Specific frequent diagnoses included ear infections, obesity, and aggression. The study noted a significantly reduced lifespan, with the average age of death for the sampled giant dogs being 8.94 years, notably lower than the 12-year average recorded for the general dog population in previous surveys.