With their astonishing beauty and friendly nature, Labrador dogs are considered to be one of the most preferred family dogs in America today.
Being part of the Retriever family Labradors are widely popular for their gentle, outgoing, and easy-to-train nature. Today we are looking into the Labrador lifespan.
They are the type of dogs that are suited for children, primarily because their low aggression levels-which means they respond well to cuddling, petting, and the likes.
As you look to getting yourself a lab or you already own one it’s good for you to know how long a Labrador Live. The Labrador lifespan ranges from 10-14 years. Some will not make it to their maximum age due to common health issues among labs.
“A house where a Labrador Live is never a lonely house.”
Labradors are mostly common to joint problems (hip and elbow dysplasia), overeating and obesity, ear infections, skin infections, heart disease, and cancer.
Upon these conditions, the primary factors that affect Labrador’s live – lifespan may be due to inherited factors, environmental factors, or a combination of the two.
What is the average age for a Labrador to die?
According to a recent article from PetMD, the average lifespan of a Labrador ranges from 10 to 12 .5 years. However, not every Labrador lives to be12 years.
Some Labradors don’t make it to 10, but some live past to 14 years. From our recent research we found out the reason why most Labrador lifespan is short is that but not limited to;
1. Neutering
Neutering can contribute to lengthening a Labrador life. The prevalent reason behind this is because those dogs who are not neutered tend to find a mate-which can lead to accidents as they tend to roam away from home.
2. Vaccination
There are a lot of serious diseases and infections that can affect your unvaccinated Labrador dogs and puppies.
These can greatly affect the body weight, the longevity of the overall Labrador life, as well as the life enjoyment of your Labrador.
3. Overfeeding
Obesity is common among dogs and especially in Labradors. This is a prevalent result of overfeeding.
The primary reason for this is because most owners are usually unsure of how to judge whether their pet is overweight or not.
If you are not sure how much your lab weigh, you can take it to a vet or weigh it yourself using a home weigh machine that you can get on Amazon
What do Labradors usually die from?
What do labs usually die from is a common question asked by many dog lovers. We found out that the most common reason for a Labrador’s death falls into these 3 main categories:
- Joint complications
- Obesity-related problems
- Cancer
Upon these conditions, the primary cause may be due to inherited factors, environmental factors, or a combination of the two.
1. Labrador Joint Complications
Generally, Labradors are well constructed and are very healthy dogs with well proportioned bodies and strong built.
However, these dogs can be prone to these two major joint complications:
The two joint complications are usually due to genetic factors. However, the exact gene that causes these complications cannot be identified.
Furthermore, these complications are significantly influenced by the dog’s external environment-which all lead to the management by the owner.
It is important that the owner is aware that how they feed and exercise the dog can bring a huge difference.
TIP: Since these complications are genetically inherited, you can carry out a health testing on the parent dogs before the breeding process.
2. Labrador Obesity Related Problems
By simply keeping the weight of your Labrador in a healthy range, you can reduce or avoid a lot of major health issues as well as lengthen the overall Labrador lifespan.
Although it may seem very easy to just overfeed your pet, it is important to keep them at a healthy weight.
We use Digital Livestock to check our labrador weight at Home, which you can find it on amazon.
By keeping your Labrador slim, you can avoid:
- Arthritis
- Diabetes
- Old age diseases
85 Fruits and Vegetable Labradors can Eat or won’t Eat.
3. Labrador Cancer Problems
It is found that there is a significant number of Labradors that are affected by the disease during their old years. Tumors and cancer tend to be very common in Labradors.
But the good news is, there are a variety of different treatments for this alarming disease.
The origins of cancer in Labradors are usually complex. Some tend to be related to hormones, while some are genetically inherited.
Others may be caused by environmental factors or random accidents.
The same as with humans, the early detection of the disease is very important, in order for it to be curable.
Neutering helps in the prevention of mammary cancer. On the contrary, it is actually found to increase the chances of obtaining joint complications, as well as several other kinds of cancer.
TIP: If you are planning on neutering your Labrador, you should take a good look at its pros and cons first.
How can I keep my Labrador live healthily?
All around the world, Labradors are considered as one of the most popular breed, and the reason is quite obvious. These fluffy friends are usually sociable, mild-tempered, loyal, playful and easily trained.
And not to mention, Labradors does not require a lot of attention and care compared to other high-maintenance dog breeds out there. However, Labradors are quite common to certain health conditions.
As mentioned earlier, Labradors are mostly common to joint problems (hip and elbow dysplasia), overeating and obesity, ear infections, skin infections, heart disease, and cancer.
But the rising question is how do we prevent these dreadful diseases from happening?
Low-Impact Exercises
Incorporating low-impact exercises to your dog’s exercise and training will massively help as you maintain a healthy weight to your Labrador.
A great example of a low-impact exercise would be swimming or catch using training grass and bites
Vitamins and Supplements
Upon the approval of your vet, you can also incorporate vitamins and supplements that are appropriate to your dog.
You can check some of the best vitamins on Amazon and check-in your lab in your nearest vet.
Monitor Eating Habits
Monitor your dog’s daily eating habits. It is important that your Labrador doesn’t eat too little or too many meals and snacks throughout the day.
Create a nice eating routine for your lab.
Avoid Over hydrating
Just like in humans, dogs experience bloating too. However, their condition of bloating is far more serious since it is due to a twisted or swollen stomach.
While the primary cause of this is still a mystery, most vets warn Labrador owners to avoid overhydrating to somehow lessen the dog’s chances of having the condition.
Groom your Lab well
Ensure that your Labradors are clean and dry at all times. Aside from their outer coating, it is important to make sure that their eyes, nose, mouth and ears are clean as well.
For instance, there can be times where excess hairs may grow in their ear, in cases like this, it is best to ask help from a groomer to remove the excess hair for you.
Or find a grooming kit on Amazon for home use. The bottom line is to help your Labrador Live longer and healthier by taking care of it.
Different Health Tests & Programs for Labrador:
The Labrador Retriever is generally considered as a popular dog breed in a lot of countries all around the world.
The most prevalent cause of death for Labrador retriever are cancer and musculoskeletal complications.
Along with these, obesity or overweight, skin disease, joint problems, and ear conditions are also considered as a primary factor for most Labrador retriever’s death.
Some health problems that are experienced by most Labrador Retrievers are passed down by their dog parents. Genetically inherited problems are usually inevitable.
But fortunately, you can detect them ahead of time by conducting health screening programs to the parent dogs before breeding.
Through this testing and programs, you can see if the parent dogs are showing any signs of disease that can be passed down to their puppies.
- EIC DNA Test
- Hip Evaluation
- Elbow Evaluation
- Ophthalmologist Evaluation
Our fluffy friends are faced with a myriad of genetically and environmentally caused health problems that affect a Labrador lifespan.
While there is no direct way to avoid these health problems from emerging, we can stay proactive in order to lessen or avoid these complications from harming our dogs.
By practicing these preventive measures, you can greatly help your Labrador live a long and happy life.
How do I extend my Labrador lifespan: Simple Tips
A Labrador Retriever should do well with the supervision and approval of your veterinarian on high-quality dog food, whether it is commercially manufactured or home-prepared.
Each diet should fit the dog’s age (puppy, adult, or senior). Most Labrador Retriever is susceptible to obesity, so it is important to watch over the daily calorie intake and weight of your dog. Give them fruits and vegetables to balance the diet.
The Labrador Retriever breed is an exuberant, highly energetic breed of dogs that need lots of daily exercises.
According to a study, Labrador Retrievers who do not engage in enough exercise are more likely to show destructive or hyperactive behavior as a way to release those pent-up energy.
Activities such as hunting trips, retrieving and swimming are considered to be their favorite activities.
One fact that is especially important to take note is that Labradors tend to retain their weight if given too many treats or if is in a sedentary lifestyle.
Early socialization and pup-training classes are vital to the overall physical strength and growth of your Labrador Retriever.
By gently exposing your Labrador Retriever puppy (within 7 weeks to 4 months of age) to different people, situations, and places, it will greatly help your puppy to grow into a well-mannered and well-adjusted adult dog.
Summary: Labrador Lifespan
With the reality of Labrador lifespan of averagely 12 years, Is it really possible to extend your Lab life expectancy?
The answer is yes. The better you take care of your lad the healthy it becomes and the longer it will live.
This article was to help you understand your labrador lifespan to help you take care of your dog better.
I would like to hear from you how are you taking care of your Labrador? Is there something I have missed on this list?
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