Table 3.
Differences in life span between dogs in normal and overweight body condition
| Male dogs | Female dogs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breed | Size class | Normal1 | Overweight2 | Normal1 | Overweight2 |
| Chihuahua | I | 16.0 (15.6, 16.4) | 13.9 (13.5, 14.2) | 16.1 (15.7, 16.7) | 14.0 (13.6, 14.3) |
| Pomeranian | I | 15.5 (15.2, 16.3) | 13.7 (13.3, 14.1) | 15.5 (15.0, 15.9) | 13.6 (13.2, 14.0) |
| Yorkshire Terrier | I | 16.2 (15.7, 16.5) | 13.7 (13.3, 14.2) | 15.5 (15.3, 15.7) | 13.5 (13.2, 14.0) |
| Shih Tzu | II | 14.5 (14.5, 15.3) | 13.8 (13.6, 14.3) | 14.5 (14.5, 15.4) | 13.9 (13.6, 14.3) |
| American Cocker Spaniel | III | 14.9 (14.4, 15.6) | 13.4 (13.2, 13.6) | 14.8 (14.3, 15.4) | 13.3 (13.0, 13.4) |
| Beagle | III | 15.2 (14.5, 16.1) | 13.2 (13.0, 13.5) | 15.3 (14.6, 16.2) | 13.3 (13.1, 13.6) |
| Dachshund | III | 16.4 (15.8, 16.8) | 14.1 (13.8, 14.4) | 16.4 (15.9, 16.8) | 14.1 (13.8, 14.4) |
| Boxer | IV | 12.4 (12.2, 12.6) | 11.8 (11.5, 12.0) | 12.3 (12.1, 12.6) | 11.7 (11.4, 11.9) |
| Pit Bull | IV | 13.8 (13.3, 14.5) | 13.0 (12.5, 13.5) | 13.8 (13.3, 14.3) | 12.9 (12.6, 13.4) |
| German Shepherd dog | V | 12.5 (12.2, 12.9) | 12.1 (11.8, 12.4) | 13.1 (12.7, 13.5) | 12.5 (12.3, 12.8) |
| Golden Retriever | V | 13.3 (13.0, 13.6) | 12.5 (12.4, 12.7) | 13.5 (13.1, 13.8) | 12.7 (12.6, 12.9) |
| Labrador Retriever | V | 13.3 (12.8, 13.6) | 12.7 (12.6, 12.8) | 13.6 (13.2, 14.0) | 13.0 (12.9, 13.2) |
Data reported are median (99.79% confidence interval) life span for male and female dogs of the 12 breeds in the study.1 Dogs were classified as ‘normal’ when their body condition was recorded as “normal” between 5.5 and 9.5 years and if they were never recorded as “thin” or “heavy” at any age2; dogs were classified as “overweight” when their body condition was recorded as “heavy” at every visit between 5.5 and 9.5 years.