Question for a Veterinarian or Some With a Long Experience on Labradors

[Dan in Pasadena]

How long do pure bred Labrador Retreivers generally live?

I have a male Lab that will be 5 years old on Labor Day. I HAD a male Lab/Dalmation mix that lived to be 14 before I put him down last summer but he was truly geriatric at that age. He was my all time dog friend and it broke my heart when he had to pass.

I am wondering how much longer my current Lab will likely live. If its pertinent, he is exceptionally large for his breed and neutered. He is NOT fat at all, he is walked an hour daily and still his weight fluctuates between about 98-102lbs. Yes, thats a lot but he stands a good 20% taller than all but one or two Labs I have ever seen. He towers over all the female ones.

[Rikao4]

Dan,
my SAM is just about 2 yrs old.
120 lbs..NOT FAT,
he is bigger than my Rotts.
good diet, 2 x walks daily /minimum 1hr
vet told me 10 to 15..depending on health issues as he gets older.
relaxs and enjoy the gang ,
Rika

[Dan in Pasadena]

Rika, Thanks. I am REALLY bonding with him now more than before when I had him and Dudley both. He's a great companion and it killed me thinking he might not go beyond 10 as many say about larger dogs.

[rhjames]

generally speaking, labs have the same lifespan as other large bread dogs.

between my father and I, we have 5 labs, 3 black-1 yellow-2 chocolate.

things to look for:

labs have seizures---they are infrequent, but they do happen. no real cause for this.

females will run between 50 to 90 pounds, depending upon diet and exersize.
males will go as high as 125, but that's pushing it.

be careful to not over feed them, as they will put on weight that they do not need----(as my vet says, they need to have a "figure')

they are very good natured dogs, and usually train easily.


hope his helps and yes, your lab should give you many years of wonderful companionship.

--Russ

[vash]

mine went to 15. it was hard at the end.

if i could do it all over again, i think i would have done the "raw" food diet. my good friends have a yellow lab. fat! she finally went on a raw diet and the weight melted off. i mean this thing would barely eat diet dog food, and still blow up like a toad. Bishop passed from cancer. it sucked. best duck dog ever.

have you read that book MARLEY AND ME? read it before the movie comes out. great read.

[mikester]

My mom has had a Golden for 13 years now, she is showing some age but I think she could make it to 15 or 16.

My Grandparents had a yellow lab for something like 17 years. Sam was a fantastic dog that I got to know over 10 of those (from my birth to his death).

[Dan in Pasadena]

Thanks guys.

Yeah, I am very aware Labs get fat easily. That's partly why I am walking him long EVERY day (and because it helps keep ME from getting fat!)

I have been feeding both my dogs Purina One. Initially I used Lamb and Rice and lately I've been using their Healthy Weight Control or some such subtitle. He's fine with it. But I have always wondered about the myriad of foods available at a place like Petsmart, etc but fdrankly I don't know what to rely on to tell me which is better for him that he would ACTUALLY eat!

[KFC911]

I had to put my 14 year yellow female down a few weeks ago, and as you guys know, that was a tough one. She gradually declined the last 18 months (hips, hearing, etc.) but was in great health all her life. I always stuck with Pro Plan (Purina) because that's what the top notch breeder I got her from used. At one time (maybe 5 or so) I let her get up to around 80 and my vet had to chide me to get her weight down and he kept telling me to slowly reduce the amount of food, as each dog's metabolism is different. As he used to tell me, "If a thimble full is all it takes, then that's the right amount". For Layla, I found (over time) that 2 cups/day was the proper amount to maintain her "desired" weight of 60 lbs for the second half of her life...I'm absolutely sure that keeping her weight down added a few good years on the end.

[mattdavis11]

A lab I took care of when its owners were out of town made it to 16. The first 7-8 years of his life he was a duck hunter in the winter and ran field trials throughout the rest of the year. He was retired when he he couldn't keep up with the younger dogs in the operation, at which point he became a lap dog that had a daily dummy work out. He was lucky to have made it as long as he did. One year while the owners were in Hawaii for two weeks, he got really sick on me. Ultimately I had to take him to the veterinarian hospital at Texas A&M, the #1 place in the nation for animal care.. He had a huge infection in his chest cavity that had restricted his lung capacity. He was on oxygen when we made the trek from Austin. Super long story shortened, he was a goner, but somehow to everyones amazement he made it. The student's had a damned good thesis I'm sure, as it was the first time an owner was willing to try to save a pet under similar conditions. They had him for 3 weeks.

I got an email yesterday to let me know that he was no longer with us. He will be missed.

The labs in my immediate family have all made it to 11, the oldest was 14. I have a female chocolate that's 5, and if she ages the way she acts, she'll make it to 30.

[Eric Coffey]

Originally Posted by Dan in Pasadena

...I don't know what to rely on to tell me which is better for him that he would ACTUALLY eat!

You might try Innova and/or Avo (AvoDerm). That's what my folks feed their labs, and they are active field trial/duck dogs. Both brands are all-natural, and seem to be pretty popular in those circles. If I remember right, they mix 2 parts Innova to 1 part Avo (both dry).

[MT930]

We have had labs for almost 20+ years multiple dogs. 12-15 years is pretty good. We have hand to put one down at 10 years. They are very hardy dogs. They seem to go strong right to the end. I wish they lasted longer, they are a very well rounded breed. They duck dogs have lasted longer than the house dogs.

[TerryH]

Originally Posted by Eric Coffey

You might try Innova and/or Avo (AvoDerm). That's what my folks feed their labs, and they are active field trial/duck dogs. Both brands are all-natural, and seem to be pretty popular in those circles. If I remember right, they mix 2 parts Innova to 1 part Avo (both dry).

Innova is highly rated. We feed ours Innova Evo dry and a little canned Evanger's 100% beef or chicken in the morning.

Our last pup died from the pet food fiasco, so I researched quite a while before deciding what's currently best for our newest family member.