Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Life expectancy and death causes in Swiss Bernese mountain dogs
By Klopfenstein, Michael et al.·Published in BMC veterinary research·2016·Vetsuisse Faculty·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Life expectancy and causes of death in Bernese mountain dogs in Switzerland.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study of Bernese mountain dogs in Switzerland found that these dogs have a median life expectancy of just 8.4 years, with females living longer than males. The most common cause of death was cancer, affecting over half of the dogs studied, while other issues included joint disease and kidney problems. Unfortunately, many dogs had undiagnosed causes of death, and those with cancer had a shorter lifespan compared to dogs with other health issues. This highlights the need for better diagnostics and research to improve the health of this breed.
People also search for: Bernese mountain dog life expectancy · dog cancer symptoms · kidney problems in dogs · causes of death in Bernese mountain dogs · improving dog health with cancer
Abstract
BACKGROUND: New regulations by the Swiss Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office provide for the monitoring of breed health by Swiss breeding clubs. In collaboration with the Swiss Bernese Mountain Dog Club, the purpose of this study was to investigate the causes of death in purebred dogs registered by the club and born in 2001 and 2002. RESULTS: Of a total of 1290 Bernese mountain dogs (BMDs) born in 2001 and 2002 in Switzerland, data was collected from owners and veterinarians using a questionnaire designed for this study from 389 dogs (30.2 %). By the end of the study, 381/389 dogs (97.9 %) had died. The median life expectancy of all dogs was 8.4 years (IQR, 6.9-9.7). Female dogs had a significantly longer median survival (8.8 years; IQR, 7.1-10.3) than male dogs (7.7 years; IQR, 6.6-9.3) (P < 0.00). The cause of death was unknown in 89/381 dogs (23.4 %). For the remaining dogs, the most frequent causes of death were neoplasia (222/381, 58.3 %), degenerative joint disease (16/381, 4.2 %), spinal disorders (13/381, 3.4 %), renal injury (12/381, 3.1 %), and gastric or mesenteric volvulus (7/381, 1.8 %). However, large numbers of dogs were diagnosed with neoplasia without histopathologic or cytologic confirmation. Dogs with neoplasms had a shorter median survival than dogs with other disorders. The shortest median survival (6.8 years) was found for dogs with renal injury. CONCLUSIONS: Findings of this study confirm a high prevalence of neoplasia and associated low life expectancy in BMDs. The results underline a need for more widespread precise diagnostics and further research on malignant tumours in this breed to improve overall breed health.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27457701/