Fat dogs die early

If you can’t persuade your family to stop feeding your dog scraps from the dinner table, try this line of argument: They could be cutting short poor Fido’s life. Researchers looked at the life spans of 50,000 dogs taken to veterinarians in the U.S. between 1994 and 2015. The hounds were from 12 of the most popular family breeds, and included dachshunds, golden retrievers, and Labrador retrievers. Researchers found that being overweight was linked to a reduced life span in every one of the breeds: from five months shorter in German shepherds to two and a half years in Yorkshire terriers. The study didn’t explore why chubby dogs died earlier than svelte ones, but previous research has shown that overweight pooches are more likely to suffer from joint disease, breathing issues, and cancer, all of which can reduce longevity. Co-author Alex German, from the University of Liverpool, tells ScienceDaily.com: “Being careful about what you feed your dog could go a long way toward keeping them in good shape and enabling them to be around for many years to come.” ■

January 18, 2019 THE WEEK