Small Dog Adoption Tip

If you're interested in adopting the longest living small dog type, you may want to pay close attention to the tips in the middle of this post.

Dog Aging Project

A number of University of Washington teachers enjoy their pet dogs as much as you do. So they created the Dog Aging Project to study how dogs age, so they can aim to both extend their lives and keep them much healthier longer.

They've currently started enrolling canines that are 6 years and older in a 10 week placebo controlled study, where some canines are provided a particular drug.

“Rapamycin is an FDA authorized drug that's used to prevent organ transplant rejection,” says Professor of Pathology, Matt Kaeberlein. “What has been gained from fundamental science studies in the lab is that treating animals with Rapamycin not just extends life expectancy, however seems to postpone a lot of the conditions and declines in function that had age. We understand from studies in the laboratory, in small animals like mice, that 10 weeks of treatment with Rapamycin in an old mouse can trigger that mouse's heart to operate more like a vibrant heart. We desire to assess whether simply 10 weeks of this treatment in dogs may be sufficient to improve heart function in middle aged canines.”.

“If we base it on what's seen in mice, a 25 to 30 % increase in life span is reasonable. Now, whether you would get that in canines or not, I have no idea. However that could be 3, four years depending on the type of canines. I believe the essential point is, we're talking quality years not simply increasing the older years when the pets are already dealing with chronic condition and disability.”.

Professor of Pathology and Biology, Daniel Promislow, began working in pet research study about eight years earlier.

“Mixed breed pets have the tendency to live about a year longer than pure-blooded dogs of the very same size,” Promislow says. “And we also found that pet dogs that have actually been spayed or neutered have the tendency to live about a year longer than intact pets, both males and females.”

Here's the Tip…

Seeking to adopt the longest living pet dog? Promislow says the sweet area is a 20 pound mutt.

The hope is that the research study they're doing with canines may eventually translate to humans.

“Dogs are genetically variable just like we are, they live in our environment. Actually, we can learn a lot about canines, however we can also find out a lot about home owner.”.

The researchers prepare for a quite fast turn-around.

“Certainly within three to 5 years we'll understand the impact that this drug is having,” states Kaeberlein. “Not just on cardiac function but on cancer rates and kidney function and cognitive function and ultimately death. So to me a three to five year timeline for possibly having an intervention that can considerably improve healthy longevity in pet dogs is definitely not an unreasonable timeline for a job like this.”.

They are gearing up for a big study where they'll be enrolling thousands of pet canines from around the nation, and strategy to follow some from birth to death. Click here to find out more, or to enroll your canine in the research.

We want to evaluate whether just 10 weeks of this treatment in pet dogs might be enough to improve cardiac function in middle aged pet dogs.”.

That might be three, four years depending on the type of pet dogs. I think the vital point is, we're talking quality years not just enhancing the older years when the pet dogs are already suffering from persistent condition and impairment.”.

“Dogs are genetically variable simply like we are, they live in our environment. To me a 3 to five year timeline for possibly having an intervention that can significantly improve healthy longevity in pet canines is definitely not an unreasonable timeline for a job like this.”.