FEEDING FOR A LONGER LIFE
*M R Kelly-Nestle Purina PetCare Research

The Purina Lifespan study evaluated the effects of 25% diet restriction on aging and longevity of a group of 48 Labrador Retrievers. At 8 weeks old, puppies were paired by gender and weight and randomly assigned to either the control or restricted food groups. These dogs were followed out for their entire lives with yearly radiographs and other measurements of their level of health. In all, 100,000 data points were collected for the 48 dogs.

What did they learn? LESS IS MORE! Even slightly obese dogs have an increased incidence and severity of musculoskeletal disease. The median lifespan for the diet restricted group (who were described as slightly to moderately overweight based on their body condition score) was 1.8 years greater than that of the overweight group. By age 5, 70% of the overweight dogs had arthritis of the hips and shoulders as opposed to 10% of the restricted diet dogs. .

Obesity is the number ONE health problem in dogs. Diet restriction is the only nutritional intervention shown to extend lifespan in all species. Not surprisingly, based on the Body Condition Score (BCS), 70% of owners called their dogs "Ideal", but greater than 70% of the experts called them overweight. A BCS score of 5 is considered ideal with the ribs easily palpable, waist behind ribs observable from above and an evident abdominal tuck up. In the lifespan study, a BCS of 4.5 (on the thin side of ideal) as opposed to a BCS of 6 (a little excess fat on the ribs, not much of a waist) extended the dog's lifespan by nearly 2 years.