Labrador Retriever Lifespan – How Long Do Labs Live?
The average Labrador Retriever lifespan is 12 to 12.5 years. Although a recent study suggests chocolate Labs live shorter lives averaging 10.7 years, significantly less than black and yellow Labradors.
Factors influencing lifespan in Labs include diet, healthcare, management and inherited diseases. Changing these factors can enable you to help your dog live longer.
Contents
- Factors influencing Labrador lifespan
- Genetics, diseases and body shape
- Do pedigree Labs live longer?
- The coat color conundrum
Your Stories
There are over five hundred comments under this article, some are sad, some happy, all about much loved Labradors. Check them out at the bottom of this article, and have a tissue ready.
What Controls Labrador Retriever Lifespan?
Obviously ten isn’t a guaranteed Labrador lifespan for every dog. Some Labradors live a good deal longer than twelve. But some don’t make it to ten.
There are two key categories of factors that influence your Labrador’s life expectancy. And the lifespan of any dog.
- One is the genetic information your dog inherited from his parents.
- The other is the events that happen to your dog during the course of his life. Through puppyhood to old age. Things like accidents, injury and disease.
How Long Can A Labrador Live?
Life span statistics for dogs are often wildly inaccurate, based on outdated information. Luckily, we don’t need to guess. Accurate Labrador life span information comes from data from scientific studies.
Labrador Lifespan Surveys
Two surveys were carried out in 2004 and 2013. The earlier study showed the median age of death in over 500 Labradors was 12.25. The later study gave a median age at death in a group of over 400 dogs as 12.5 years.
A bigger and more recent study published in 2018 looked at over 30,000 Labradors. This one found a median longevity of 12 years in Labradors overall. So the average Labrador lifespan seems to work out at around 12 years.
Is Labrador Lifespan Getting Longer?
The good news is there is evidence that Labrador lifespan might be increasing. One recent study, although it only looked at 39 dogs, suggested the average could be getting closer to 14 years. So our original question “how long do Labradors live” is changing!
The longest confirmed lifespan for a Labrador was 19 years. There are plenty of reports in the comments section below of readers’ Labradors living over 15 years.
You can help your dog to reach these high numbers, but nothing is guaranteed. Let’s look at the genes controlling how your dog looks and behaves. These set broad limits to the lifespan of your Labrador.
Genes & Labrador Retriever Lifespan
Your purebred Labrador inherits a number of Labrador characteristics shared with all other pedigree Labradors.
These genes don’t just control his coat color, the shape of his ears, and the length of his tail. They control aspects of his temperament and susceptibility to disease.
Labrador Body Shape
To some extent Labradors are lucky. They inherit a basically sound conformation or body shape. They don’t have very long spines or short legs that can cause back problems. Their bodies are nicely proportioned and designed for athletic ability, running and jumping.
Labradors have not been bred with shortened faces that can cause breathing problems, or small skulls that can damage their brains. Nor do they have excessive skin or a massive amount of fur. This is great because a good body structure makes a dog naturally healthier than a dog with poor conformation.
Temperament and Labrador Lifespan
Genes control some aspects of your dog’s behavior. And his ability to carry out tasks like running and hunting, or fetching things. However, temperament, including tendency to fearfulness, is influenced by genes and the environment.
One study showed that fear and anxiety has a negative effect on lifespan in pet dogs. Some dogs are euthanized for aggression or behavior problems. So temperament is a factor in life span.
Some dogs inherit a number of genes that improve their chances of good health. Reduced risk of cancer for example. These genes are passed onto their puppies.
How Inherited Diseases Affect Labrador Retriever Life Span
Labradors are relatively healthy, but there are diseases in the breed that can influence how long your Labrador will live and how healthy your dog will be during their lifetime. Some of these diseases, hip dysplasia and CNM for example, we have tests that should be carried out before breeding adult dogs.
There are however no tests for diseases like cancer. A 2004 study showed 31% of Labradors die of cancer, slightly more than the average rate of cancer in dogs overall.
How Size Affects Longevity
Little dogs live longer than big dogs. A quirk of nature we don’t entirely understand. Of course, there are exceptions to the rule. But in general the longevity of dogs is strongly linked to body size.
This is the reverse of what we find when comparing species of mammals, like the long lived elephant and the short lived mouse.
Looking at individuals in the same species, in this case the domestic dog, being large is a disadvantage.
As a medium dog size is a limiting factor for your Labrador. The average Labrador won’t live as long as the toy poodle.
Labrador Lifespan and Inbreeding
Genetic diseases establish in pedigree dog breeds like that Labrador breed due to inbreeding dogs that are closely related. The average coefficient of inbreeding for Labradors is 6.5 %. We see adverse effects of inbreeding in dogs at over the 5% level.
Do Purebred Labs Live Longer?
Purebred Labradors outer limits on lifespan are set partially by their pedigree. Mongrels live on average 1.2 years longer than purebred dogs according to a study published in The Veterinary Journey in 2013. This doesn’t mean your Boxador will outlive your neighbors pedigree Lab however, it’s all about averages.
Comparing Pedigree Dogs
When we consider pedigree dogs as a whole, there are differences in longevity between the breeds. Not just in terms of size, though this is important.
There are also differences between different breeds of a similar size. Sometime shorter life spans are linked to poor conformation. Many very tiny dogs have hormone problems, brain problems through skull compression, and a range of other health issues. In comparison, Labrador conformation is pretty healthy.
Let’s take a look now at that topic we mentioned at the beginning of the article. The recent discovery that Chocolate Labs live shorter lives than their cousins.
Color vs Lifespan
For a long time it was believed that coat color had no influence on Labrador life expectancy. With the exception of color dilution alopecia in silver Labradors, it was thought that inherited diseases were not linked to any particular color or type of Labrador.
A recent study of over thirty three thousand dogs has thrown that assumption into doubt. It shows us that black Lab life expectancy and yellow Lab life expectancy is around 12.1 years. While chocolate Lab life expectancy is quite a bit shorter at 10.7 years.
The Chocolates in that study were more prone to ear and skin problems. This included self-inflicted “hot-spots” as a reaction to irritants like fleas. And we don’t know if the two main Labrador ‘types’ differ. So we can’t tell you if English Lab life expectancy differs from American Labs.
The study was a very big sample of dogs. So it is likely that the results represent the wider Lab population as a whole.
How Long Will My Lab Live?
Apart from your ability to be selective over the parents of your puppy, genetic factors are largely outside your control. But as your Labrador grows and matures, there will be life events that happen to him which may influence his life expectancy. Some of these are events that you can control. Let’s take a look at those now.
Accidents & Roaming Impact Labrador Lifespan
Hundreds of dogs die each year in avoidable accidents when unsupervised outdoors. Secure fencing around your backyard and a good recall training command will help you keep your dog from becoming a part of that statistic.
Neutering
It was believed neutering increased life expectancy. Older studies showed a higher death rate for unneutered dogs because they were uncontrolled. They had the urge to roam, the ability to leave the backyard, and therefore got into accidents.
Recents studies link neutering to health issues including joint disease and cancer, both leading causes of illness and death in Labs.
The neutering issue isn’t clear cut, but the principles of training and control will help keep your dog safe.
Vaccination
In parts of the world there are serious diseases that kill unvaccinated dogs and puppies. Vaccination enables your pet to avoid the infections that have the potential to kill them
Overfeeding Decreases Labrador Lifespan?
The biggest influence you can control regarding your dog’s longevity and enjoyment of life is his bodyweight. Obesity is increasingly common in dogs, and Labradors in particular. The direct result of over feeding.
Labradors are greedy dogs good at persuading people to hand over treats and refill the food bowl. Some Labrador parents struggle to judge quantities of food fairly in the face of puppy dog eyes.
Don’t slavishly follow feeding guidelines on packets, but feed according to how your dog looks and feels.
What Do Studies Say?
Studies show reducing calories intake in dogs increases life expectancy a significant amount due to the health impact of obesity. Labradors are all capable of maintaining a consistent lean body mass through their lives, according to a 2003 study. Dog owners just need to be vigilant.
Hungry Labrador Eyes!
Your Labrador does not have a tendency to get fat from their breed. Only to eat a lot and be good at persuading their family to provide food. You have the keys to the larder, and you can resist your dog’s charms.
Slim dogs live a longer, more comfortable life. They defer the onset and impact of conditions like arthritis in older dogs, when they retain a youthful waistline. Be firm about the amount of food your dog eats to ensure the benefits of his company for longer.
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Is Longevity In Dogs Inherited?
To a certain extent longevity is inherited. Some dogs have an inherently higher potential for long life than others. But this isn’t the whole story.
Line breeding and size go against your dog in terms of life expectancy. But being fit, friendly and well proportioned go in their favor. So the average Labrador has a medium range life expectancy compared with other dog breeds.
You Can Help Your Labrador Live Longer
There are some dog breeds that are longer lived than our beloved Labs. And quite a few that are much shorter lived.
You can help to influence your dog’s longevity to a certain extent. If you are choosing a puppy, choose his parents wisely. Make sure that they are health tested and bred by a responsible breeder. Look for a co-efficient of inbreeding that is below 5%. Consider choosing a black or yellow Lab. And make sure the parents have great temperaments, and have been well cared for.
Socialize your puppy thoroughly when you get him home. So that he is confident and views the world as a happy, friendly place. Above all, keep your dog slim. Really slim. When you look into those pleading eyes, make sure you don’t give in to your dog’s request for second helpings.
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My baby passed away at 15 years old. Didn’t have any problems. A very happy dog, friendly, loving and amazing dog. He was the best! I have a basset hound and another lab which I love to pieces, but they don’t substitute Chester. He will always be missed… A part of my heart died when he passed away…
K I’m sorry for your loss I just lost my black lab Spencer on the, 25 he would of been 11 in July, I also have a Bassett hound and a mixed golden retriever, but they don’t feel Spencer’s void my heart is broken
My Molly was with me until January of this year. She was just shy of 14. She was the longest lived of my labs. Also probably the healthiest. I learned with maturity that a heathly lab is happy! I watched her weight especially. I will miss her always. She was smart, loveable, funny and irreplaceable. What I learned from her I share with my younger family members , hopefully they can enjoy their pups as long as I did Molly.
My Black Lab Bob turns 15 in June and he still thinks he is 5! He Fetches his ball to play.. And then wobbles off slowly to get it as he has arthritis. He can’t go upstairs anymore and needs help getting into the sofa. I hope he’s got a few more years in him yet.. I wonder what the oldest Labrodor has lived to?
My Charlie Brown had to be put down last night. He was only 7yrs 2months and 3 days. My heart is breaking. I was told yesterday afternoon that he had leukaemia.
I miss my baby boy so much
Hi Nicole, I am so sorry to hear about your loss 🙁 Best wishes, Lucy
Very sorry to hear that Nicole
On 15 Jan I posted about my Lab girls aged 14y 9m and 7y 2m and my choc lad who died last year at 14y 8m. I’ve just lost my old girl, four days short of her 15th birthday. She was a wonderful dog and I miss her dreadfully. She succumbed to a kidney infection related to an accidental oversose of Metacam. Our new rescue dog managed, in my absence, to pull her 180ml plastic bottle of meds onto the floor, bite off the bottom and share the contents with my girls. Five days’energency inpatient care for all three dogs followed but my eldergirl never fully recovered. Her previously well-functioning kidneys were severely damaged. NSAIDS like Metacam can clearly be deadly when not stored and administered properly. She had a good long healthy life but would still be trogging around the Kent countryside if I’d taken more care .. the guilt is just awful.
Oh Eve, I am so sorry for you. Very sad, but try not to be too hard on yourself. It was a human mistake and we all make them.
Lexi is my Yellow Lab. She is 11 years old. Her hips are not working like they use too. Her balance is off, and her left side kind of pokes out now. She has those little tumors on her in many areas now. She has even slipped and fallen several times now. I have wood floors in my house which isn’t making it very easy for her. I have bought her several ortho beds and placed them through out the house. She also has constant yeast infections in her ears that I battle all constantly now. She also has n unpleasant smell to her at times. I know she is getting near the end of her life span. before my mother died, she gave my son Lexi weeks old. We all love Lexi so much, however making such a decision is hard too because my mom gave my son that dog before she died. It breaks my heart to see Lexi down like this. I don’t want her to suffer or be in pain, but my husband will have to be the one to take her to the Vet. I just cannot be there when she gets that shot.
Hi Kim
My chocolate Hugo sounds like your Lexi. 11 years old and starting to show it. He has been my constant companion and best mate since he was 10 weeks old. Your post made me feel really sad, I can hardly bear the thought of Hughie not being around any more, but the way I look at it, that final trip to the vet will be the last thing we can do for these gorgeous creatures. And even though it’s going to be unbelievably difficult, we are the ones they will want by their sides when the time comes. Give Lexi a wee hug from Hughie and I, please.
We said goodbye to our beloved Sydney and Jersey (Yellow Lab litter mates) four weeks apart earlier this spring. Jersey was 15-years, 3-months and 4-days and Sydney was 15-years, 4-months and 2-days. They were amazing friends their entire lives, wonderful companions for our family and even helped my wife and me transition to an empty nest.
We are looking forward to bringing home Murphy and Roxy (Black Lab litter mates) in two more weeks.
I have a beautiful 12 yr old named Georgia. She is the first dog I have ever owned & has taught me so much, I hope she won’t be the last.
She now has a swollen & mis-shaped front foot, which the vet says is due to arthritis & also has a numer of ‘jelly’ lumps, which the vet says is down to age & not harmful. She has short walks now, longer than about 15 minutes leaves her limping for the remainder of the day.
My absolute fear is that I will not know how to tell when she has had enough & I dread sitting with her in her last moments, although I will certainly do so. My fears are compounded because unfortunately my husband is in pretty much the same situation & I am so worried about taking my eye off the wrong ball at the wrong tme!
What I do know is that Georgia is my best friend in all the things I face & I am glad I discovered what lifelong dog owners everywhere have known for years.
My 13 year old Black Lab Gus was put to sleep yesterday, April 3, 2016. He had been having some breathing difficulties for the past couple of months and after yesterday’s walk he had a severe episode and could not breathe. The emergency room vet said his larynx was paralyzed. What a great friend he was and a total blessing to our family. He is the second Lab that I have raised from a pup to old age. RIP G-Man!
Sorry for the loss of your friend Bill.
Very sorry to hear that.
My Coco was put to sleep on April 2nd, 2016. Chocolate Lab, female. She was 11 years old and strong to the last second. She had a lump on her mamarian glands and was diagnosed with cancer on Aug 2015. Tumor kept growing to the size x2 of a baseball. Her cough kept getting worse, on April 2nd I notice she was drooling from her left side of her mouth and her left ear was flat, she started to loose her balance. She is gone and I can not deal with the pain. I miss her so much.
Halley, the sweetest pooch I have ever known, willbe 11 years old on the first of April. She has slowed down a lot in the last few year’s, but she can still get going if the occasion calls for it (just throw that ball!).
I love this dog. She has been my best friend since she was 8 weeks old.
My Labrador – “Riptide” is ten years old. My ex fiancee had broken his leg when he was young, so he has trouble now. We take shorter walks and he has trouble sitting, but I am thankful for having him this long. I am hoping I get to have him another year. I have started him on pain meds for his leg though, and I am not thinking he will make it to twelve.
hi i lost my old boy jet on march 15th 2016 he had a problem with his back leg when he was 8 years old and i had to reduce his excersise but stay positive he would have been 15 years old on june 2nd.
I have a 10 year old yellow lab. You can’t really tell his age though! He has no health problems other than a very rare limp from a deep laceration he had as a one year old. It only bothers him once or twice a year. He is still very active and loves fetch. He can still jump six feet in the air to catch his frisbee. He is a healthy weight and extremely well behaved. He never destroys anything and leaves people food alone unless it’s dropped on the floor. He doesn’t beg or jump on people or anything. He can’t smell as well as he used to, and his vision isn’t quite as sharp, but according to his vet we can expect several more years out of him based on his health.
Our Frankey is a slim but very large dog. He weighs 110 lbs. he is 12 years old and is a bit slower as of late. Arthritis in his hind legs and reduced hearing, but relatively healthy and the best dog I have ever known. He is gentle, sweet, kind, and very obedient. Yesterday he took off like a lightening bolt after a deer in our yard (he usually stays within our yard) and I was hearted to see some spry in him. He is without a doubt the best dog we will ever have. He never enters or leaves the house without invitation. We don’t feed him table scraps except extra peas or cooked carrots on occasion. I believe having him neutered and keeping him slim have been very beneficial to his longevity.
I had a choc. Lab that passed away last night he had a ruptured tumor in his stomach and cancer in his liver his liver shut down he wasn’t over weight. He was my best friend, he protected and loved me like I loved him he was my everything why he just turned 7 the 11th of jan. It’s not far
My “rescued” black lab is 16 going on 17. While I appreciate the info, please broaden the range to ADOPTED from a shelter- labs, not just bought ones. I rescued my girl at 8 months one day before she was to be killed ( sorry euthanized). At almost 17 she has made my life the best it could be, my constant companion, my loyal friend, my forever baby girl. The world is changing and compassion for strays, mutts and “abandoned at the shelter” dogs is growing… Thank you.
There is lots of information on adopting, fostering, and Labrador rescue, on the website Nadine, hope you find those links helpful 🙂
My labrador, the black one lived 16 years. She passed away on 13th of January ?
I have a black lab he was12 on the 14th of febuary werve got up the last three morning and he has left a mess ive tried taking him out longer and just as were going to bed we work during the day and hes left in the house sometimes for longer and hes fine cant manage to vets until tomorow apart from this he is perfect any idea why
i have a 8 mo. old yellow lab that is suffering from OCD. we have had one surgery…and yet, he is still limping and is now holding that rear leg up, and hopping on 3 legs. in his short life, he has been restricted to no play,no jumping, no running…just laying ,healing and medicated. It breaks my heart to see a lack or quality of his life. We also have an 8 mo. old boxer…and she doesnt understand, any more then Ernie does, on why they can’t play. The surgery was 2 weeks ago, and i would of thought we would see some improvement. I will not be able to pay the large amt of $ for another surgery, that apparently isn’t guaranteed. I am at a loss on what to do. Ernie is so good at just going with the flow…but i don’t want a puppy in pain. If amputation is the only option…i am at a loss. I know he could survive with it..and deal with it….but my heart is torn. I want him to be a happy playful live life to the fullest puppy…and yet, no one knows how to give him that.
Our 6yr old yellow lab developed OCD in her rt front shoulder at only 3mo old from an injury when she got knocked down by two 80+lb adult dogs playing. We’ve been giving her “Nupro joint support supplement” since she was 10 weeks old. She was so sore for the first yr after it happened, we were very worried that she would need surgery. After that year we rarely ever see any evidence of lameness in that leg any longer.
Hello Stacy – So sorry to read about what you went through with Molly. Please don’t feel like you did the wrong thing!! You did the right thing. You followed the advice of the vets who know more about which dogs can recover and which dogs won’t be able to. When a person is injured, they know what they need to do to get better. But a dog doesn’t know that – that’s why they have to wear the shield so they don’t hurt themselves licking their stitches. Since a dog doesn’t know enough to do what’s good for it, sometimes they can’t recover from injuries a person would survive. You did the right thing for Molly. Please accept you did what you could, and don’t feel guilty!!
Our second Black Lab, Trajan, lived to be 14 1/2. He was our gentle giant, 100 pounds of pure sweetness and empathy who loved the ocean. If we’d let him, he would have swum till he dropped. My husband and I got him 3 months after we started dating, and he died a little over 5 years ago on his own terms here at home. He was there for all of our milestones, in all of our pictures – when we got engaged, when we got married, when we had our son, when we moved, when we had our daughter. He was the constant around which 4 other Labs came and went (and our first Black Lab was nearly 14 when he died). We miss him every day, even with our current pups, a Yellow Lab named Amy who’s almost 8, and a Lab-Pit mix named Angus who’s 5 today and a ball of complete insanity. Labradors are the best!
Thanks Pippa…..I may go the titre route and the only compulsory vaccine here is the rabies every 2-3 years. I changed vets after Jake died and this new vet is more understanding of my quandary.
Our first Lab, Ginger made it to 16. She became diabetic at 12 but never went blind, and was in good physical health until about 15. She got a couple of insulin shots a day and occasional blood sticks but was very active, swimming and hiking until about 15. She could still get around but slowed down a lot the last year. She had several fatty tumors but they did not affect her much.
Our current older Lab Tilly is 10 and still going strong, although her hearing is not very good, and she gets stiff after a workout. We got our pup Cooper last Summer and she helps keep Tilly young. We thought we ought to get a new pup while Tilly was young enough to “defend herself”.
I am curious Pippa as to whether or not you believe in vaccination after the usual puppy shots. My last dog Jake was vaccinated every year for everything and he died at 8 of lymphoma. I now have two labs, a black named Jynx and a chocolate named Jazz. They are just over a year old and will be due for boosters in a few months. Not sure if I want to put more chemicals into their bodies?? They are so healthy and I want them to stay that way. They are slim and just get their food and carrots and apples…..no hand outs!! I am really in a quandary as to what to do.
Hi Barb, my thoughts on vaccination here – https://www.thelabradorsite.com/puppy-vaccinations-safety-and-side-effects/ Hope you find them helpful. 🙂
We have a handsome, sweet 11 year old chocolate boy, Dovey. He has LP & in searching for ways to make his breathing easier, I just finished reading “Dr. Becker’s Real Food for Healthy Dogs”, fourth edition. She is a holistic veterinarian & the book was full of ideas on keeping our dogs healthy. In her book, she talks about vaccinations & explains why they can be harmful & how to limit the harm from the unavoidable ones. For example, she recommends giving the 3 year rabies vaccine vs 1 year. She also talks about titles. Also, she recommends a specific dose of milk thistle for 1 week after Heartworm medication is given to help detoxify the liver.
Within 1 week of implementing some of her ideas, Dovey’s breathing improved, probably due to the anti-inflammatory effect of her protocols.
Another surprising theory she talks about is the decreased lifespan caused by desexing, which I had never heard before. But, she does a great job of explaining why.
Most of her book is about what to feed (& why) for best health, but it’s so much more than that. Good luck!
Totally agree we have a puddle and his never been vaccinated and he is 14 years old and very healthy
So far out of 4 Labs our Gwen, Yellow Lab, lived to 14 1/2. Our first Lab we put down a couple months before her 11th birthday. She had lymphosarcosa. Sadly the previous Spring her vet missed a spot between her lungs when we took her to have a weak bark checked. We were told it was laryngeal paralysis which is normal in older dogs. By summer she would fall on her knees when drinking or eating and was losing weight. When taken to an emergency room and checked by an internist the xray showed that spot had grown into a massive tumor that had also grown into her windpipe. Surgery was not viable and we tried chemo but to no avail. We then purchased two Labs, black male and yellow female (Gwen). Sadly Jake died in ’08 at the age of 8 1/2 also from lymphosarcosa. Six weeks later we bought home two six week old black Lab brothers and on 1/26 we lost our beloved Zeke from bone cancer. As of July 2015 he was in perfect health and within four months of being diagnosed in October we lost him. His brother Zeus is in great health and we are praying he will live long. We have always taken great care of our Labs from dog food, regular check-ups, etc. The only table food they have gotten is carrots, apples, bananas, blueberries, sweet potatoes, peppers, spinach, Greek Yogurt, etc. And a good holistic dog food. Some experts suggest neutering males before a year old or spaying a female before her first heat or litter increases their chances of cancer. Also larger breeds over 80 lbs are more prone to cancers. We have gotten our Labs from reputable breeders with good bloodlines but Labs fall in the range of larger dogs. We are hopelessly hooked on Labs and are trying our hand in a couple of weeks of fostering a 2 year-old yellow female Lab. Her owner works at night and sleeps during the day and has not had the time to train her properly plus give her attention. We are hoping she will be a good match for us and perk up our Zeus who misses his brother and playmate. He still has plenty of spunk in him and hopefully Lola will help. We treasure our Labs and our memories of each one. When I look at the four treasure boxes of ashes I am brought back to happier times. And they are enrolled in the Rainbow Bridge site. Hopefully future research will help find a cure for canine cancer or ways to prevent it or delay any onsets. In the meantime we will continue to fill our lives with the most wonderful breed on the planet!
Thank you all for sharing. I feel your pain. I lost my chocolate lab three years ago. He was 16 years and 11 months. He was mostly blind the last two years of his life, but learned his way around the house, yard, beach, etc. pretty well. His name was Mud and he was a dear friend. We put down our yellow lab, Rocko, in November 2015. He was 15yrs, 3 months. I loved he and Mud like children. The rear wheel drive on both of my dogs started going out when they turned about 13. At that point, we took them to a local vet for acupuncture. The results were amazing. I think it extended their lives a couple of years. The hardest thing I have ever done in my life was call the vet to euthanize my dogs. You don’t want to be too soon, but you don’t want to be too late. Because you love your dogs so much, you have an obligation to make that decision for them. I hope you have the strength. Since you love your dogs, do not second-guess yourself. While the pain of losing them is often unbearable, I have found that having another dog makes it easier. Share your love with another one and make both of your lives better. Hang in there people and smile when you think of your departed pets. 🙂
Our black lab shadow lived to be 15 years old. About 3 months before he passed away he started having seizures.. At 1st medicine controlled them but eventually the medicine stopped working and the seizures got worse. Finally one day he had a seizure that he did not come out of, the vet had to put him to sleep. He was a great dog, we miss him. Now we have a 7 month old yellow lab and he is our pride and joy! He has brought so much happiness to our family!
Our lab, Casey will be 11 in the spring. He is amazing. Just a few days ago his eating habit has changed. Today he didnt eat where he usually gobbles down asap. Hes had a growth on his abdomen for about a year now…smaller ones have developed. Drs say its only fat. He does not seem to be in any pain. Now he just sleeps. His nose is warm sometimes, and he just seems that old is creeping up on him. Ive never been closer to an animal than Casey. It will be terrible….
My Chocolate lab is going to be 12 this year! I love him so! He has been through thick and thin with me! He has arthritis in his hips and shoulders. He gets slower at night and had problems getting up sometimes. But other than that he is healthy and a good boy!
My black lab is 15 and 1/2 years. She sleeps a lot, I have her on troxcil that helps with the arthitis.other than her hearing has gone, still wags her tail, and loves her food. Her food is a mobility one.
I lost my Yellow Lab, Archie on the 19 Dec 2015 he was 12. He had a tumor of the spleen, he had a blood test. Urine test X-ray, Ultrasound, & the vet was going to remove his spleen,but then decided not to.The vet came to our house & put Arch to sleep.
We buried Archie in the Garden, over looking the wood that he played in,I miss him very much, but he had a great life walking around the Hills of Shropshire,& taking him to the Coast, he loved swimming in the sea.The house seem’s empty without him.?
Sorry for your loss Paul, its a tough time.
Just want to share my sympathy with you on the loss of your lovely dog. Searching this site as my lab approaches 11 and the loss of my leonberger in October aged 8.5 i will never feel ready for the enevitable. Take comfort in the lovely years you shared and the friendship you had with your dog. My thoughts are with you. God bless you and his journey over rainbow bridge x
So sorry about Archie. Bless you for the years of caring and love you gave him. I hope memories of a life shared will help comfort you.
Mine is 16 and 1/3rd
I have to put him on on Thursday ( 1-21-16)
It’s now 1-19-16
I’m his hind legs won’t support him when he sqwatts to poo
So he pretty much makes a bowl movement when he lays down and sometimes lays in it ‘
It’s breaking my heart
His bad eye is cloudy
His good eyes is now cloudy
His hearing is going
And his hind legs are really giving out
Sometimes he can’t stand up
I have to help him
Now I think it’s time
For the past week i have done nothing but cry not wanting to make the decision
But I think it’s not finally time
I’ve cried so much
I got him st 5.5 weeks old
A part of me is already missing !
My deepest sympathies. God bless.
I saw the changes that your lab was going through and I am going through the identical scenario.
My buddy is 14 1/2 yrs old and I realize that it is not fair to my dog to see him struggle to get up. I will be taking him to the vet tomorrow, but I can’t bear to say goodbye.
YESTERDAY, WE HAD TO PUT OUR DEAR DUDLEY DOWN. HE WAS A YELLOW LAB. WE GOT HIM AT 6 WEEKS,
HE WAS 14 APPROXIMATELY, LOST TRACK OF HIS PAPERS. HE DEVELOPED A GROWTH UNDER HIS CHIN THE SIZE OF A BASEBALL. IT WAS HARD RATHER THAN SOFT LIKE A CYST. GIVEN HIS AGE, WE DECIDED NOT TO PUT HIM THROUGH SURGERY. WE GAVE HIS REMAINS TO OSU VETERINARY TEACHING HOSPITAL. MAYBE THEY CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT THE GROWTH WAS AND HELP ANOTHER DOG. THEY SAID THEY WOULD ALSO LET US KNOW WHAT IT WAS. THEY DID A CLAY PAW FOR US WITH HIS NAME ON IT. THEY WERE SO WONDERFUL AND CARING ABOUT US AND OUR PET. I WILL MISS HIM, BUT I WAS ALLOWED TO STAY WITH HIM AND PET HIM TO SLEEP BEFORE THE INJECTION. HE WENT TO SLEEP PEACEFULLY WITH MY ARMS AROUND HIM PETTING HIM. THANKS TO GOD FOR CREATING THESE CREATURES TO BRING SUCH JOY TO OVER LIVES. RUBY
Very sorry for your loss Ruby
You are so right, Ruby. We are the ones lucky they entered our lives and have given us such joy. I am so sorry for your loss. I hope all the memories created in the years shared will bring you comfort and peace.
Over the years I have had a lab cross samoy. He lived to nearly 15 passing after 2 strokes. He had no health issues throughout his life. We thought we would lose him from a broken heart after he lost his partner when he was 12 but he rallied and gave us nearly 3 more years of love.
We lost our next beautiful yellow lab while young from poisening.
We lost our big yellow pure boy lab 15 years ago at 11 years old. He was very active right up to the last months of his life. He had multiple tumours towards the end, and after 2 operations we decided no more. He was still happy and quite energetic although he was slowing and beginning to show his age. He passed in his sleep which was easier for us as facing putting him to sleep was hard.
We are now facing the same decision with our pure yellow girl lab. She is nearly 14 and has a large mass which is affecting her eating and toilet. We probably have only a few more days which is really hard to accept. Even though her senses have declined over the past few years and she sleeps more she has still been happy and fairly active. The decline has been rapid over a couple of weeks, so hard to to come to terms with.
Up till these events none of them had any health issues. No arthritis, weight issues, etc. Our big boy who was a garbage guts had eaten a plastic bag which entailed an operation to remove it but still was healthy and never overweight. Our girl was a fussy eater so had no weight issues and except for failing senses was healthy up to these last week or so.
We have been lucky to have had their wonderful love for the time we have but still dont want to let our girl go.
I share my life & home with two Lab girls aged 14y 9m and 7y 2m. Thankfully both are active and in very good health. My old girl, though she’s carrying considerably more weight than she should, is still inquisitive, playful, wet-nosed and glossy-furred. She quite slow & stiff now but can still enjoys our 800m walks on the beach once or twice a week. My vet says her blood screen scores are “fantastic for her age”. Is her longevity down to 75% raw food diet, her genes, low-stress country lifestyle or having constant canine companionship. I don’t know, but count myself very, very lucky to still have this beautiful, grizzled dowager dog with me. In June we lost her life partner, my entire choc lad who was the “love if my lfe”. He died peacefully and painlessly in his own bed with us all beside him after a paralysing seuzure. He was his irrepressible self til the very end, despite beginning to lose his back legs to DM He made it to 14y 8m …
Hope you have many more happy times to come with your lovely girls Eve 🙂
I had a wonderful black lab named Apollo who we just put to sleep two days ago. I’m so heartbroken. He was 13, had large masses on his chest and had raw spots on all his paws. He would lick and lick his paws all day and night due to itching, the last year of his life. We treated him with meds for the itch spots but after the meds, they came back and always bled and lost hair on them. Ohh I miss him so much but I’m glad he’s not in pain anymore.
Hi Amy, we too are going through the grieving process of having to say goodbye to our fur baby. Our boy- black lab was 13 years old and suddenly collapsed 3 days ago. We had to make the decision to let him go off to sleep as he had a mass tumour.
My thoughts go out to you as I share your pain. Our pets are our family and having to farewell them is one of the hardest times.
We have a yellow lab that just turned 13 at Christmas. He is slim (58 lbs) and is fairly active. He is on a senior dog food and does get a few table scraps, but not many. He really only has one problem and that is recent lipomas that have come up. One is quite large on his back leg, but the vet seems confident that it is benign. It doesn’t seem to affect his activities.
I had a yellow Labrador retriever which lived for 11 years 8 months and 10 days and I live in Mumbai, India. He was under regular checkup with the same Vet since he was 5 weks old. I observed his health started deteriorating after he turned 10. Initially, he had arthritis in right hind leg, later he developed hypertension, heart enlargement and prostrate enlargement. We were treating him for all the symptoms. In mid Nov 2015 his appetite reduced drastically and when we did the blood test, i was noticed that his Creatinine and Blood Urea Nitrogen had shot up alarmingly. He was sustained for 38 days by daily Intravenous fluid supplements hoping the fluid therapy would help. During the course he also became anemic and on the fateful day Dec 24th we did fresh blood transfusion. Unfortunately, he didn’t live to see Christmas of 2015. While for human beings we have well researched medical help, even simple dialysis is not available for our pets and most of the remedy suggested is on trial and error basis. As a pet parent we al should encourage facilities for better care for our pets in which ever pat of the world we live in.
Very sorry for your loss Rajesh
I agree with you, I lost my pet 3 days back due to the same reason.
In a city like mumbai we don’t have facility for dogs .
I agree with you rajesh, I lost my pet 3 days back due to the same reason.
In a city like mumbai we don’t have 24 hrs facility for dogs and lack of proper treatment
My black lab, Val, will be sixteen on February 14, 2016. Aging and slowing down considerably but still wagging her tail a lot!
Fantastic!
Thank you Pippa that’s good to know as we’ve also noticed that Nell is almost deaf so that may explain the barking. We’ve noticed a few lumps and bumps too but they don’t seem to be bothering her..?!
My chocolate lab, Nell, is going to be 15 this year. She’s doing ok and still as greedy as ever! She’s definitely slowed down and sleeps a lot more, her back legs are stiff when she first gets up. Otherwise she’s still going strong and always happy to see us! On a footnote… I have noticed that she barks more for absolutely no reason- that’s a bit bizarre!
Sometimes barking can be related to failing hearing, but it’s great that your dog is still healthy and happy at 15, long may it last 🙂
Great article! I am glad you mentioned about obesity. Some studies show it can reduce lifespan by about 2 years. The suggested amounts on some of the dog food bags is about 25% too much for most dogs.
Thanks Donna, I agree, it’s never a good idea to rely on the quantities recommended on bags of kibble. 🙂
My lab will be 16 in three weeks and she still acts like a puppy
How lovely 🙂
Our lovely black lab Rua is 12 in March and we have had him since he was 8 weeks old. Still healthy although have noticed him slowing down in the last few months. Visitors to the winery are surprised to hear his age as he still gets excited when people arrive. He is carrying a little bit of weight now which I am working on to try and keep down. Hope we have him for a lot longer yet.
I had a Lab that was 16 years! What a lovely dog! Now I have one who is already turning 11! What a pleasure!
My Lab Hanna was 14 when she was put to sleep. It devastated us as we had her since she 6 weeks old. We now have a black boy called Hamish who is so different to all my gold ones we had.
My yellow lab Daisy is 15.5 years old.
My chocolate lab is 12 years young!
I had a large pure black lab that lived to be 19 1/2. He was healthy and fully mobile until about 3 months before we euthanized him. He had 3 spells where his back legs appeared to be numb. The first lasted several hours. the second happened about a month later a lasted about the same amount of time. We thought perhaps it was a pinched nerve given he seemed to have no residual effect from the spell and walked and ran just fine afterward. However, when it happened the third time, it lasted through the night. He would not eat and would only drink water when his legs went numb which I suspect was because he felt he wouldn’t be able to poop. He could stand if lifted but when he tried to walk his back feet would turn under so we would hold his back end and let him walk out to the yard on his front legs and then let him stand to pee. We took him to the vet the third time and he suspected he had some bone degeneration or something like that in his lower spine. Because of his age we didn’t feel surgery would be the right thing to do, so we sadly said goodbye. Never had a dog live that long but every one of my dogs has lived 17+ years and most have been labs.
Wow, what did you do to keep him so long? What kind of food did you feed him? Our last one lived to be 14. We have a 1 year old now and we pick up our 10 week old puppy next week.
My 13.5 year old black female just had her first paralysis episode. She’s been a healthy dog and this came on suddenly last night. She climbed the stairs to go to bed with no difficulty and woke up unable to stand. At vet overnight, but when called for update at 5 pm, she had walked unassisted so the antiinflammatory drugs worked. Xray shows she does have three fused vertebrae mid thoracic area which most likely caused the issue. Will be picking her up in morning if she continues to improve thru night. Curious on how much time passed between the spells your dog encountered? My previous lab lived to be just shy of 16 before I put her down and was healthy right down to last few weeks of her life. Just trying to get an idea of what I may be looking at here in possible time left with my Maya
I had beat dog molly she was a black labrador n I loved her so.much I had her since she was 8 weeks old n I Ave an illness which she knew abt n when I needed her she come up 2 me n put her nose under my arm n help me.up n get me up.as I Ave a mental illness so she sensed all.this n Ifor i felt lonely I culd hug her n stroke her soft ears abt 5 weeks ago my dog got ran over n she was badly injured she went 2 emergency vets they did temporary splint n put 1 of these Shields rund her face she shook.it off even knocked a xmas tree down she wanted 2 b herself she even tried 2 get up.stairs.with temp.splint but she culdnt I ended up.laying with on the floor nxt mornin took her 2 my vets they sedated her n did a lot of xarays on her n found few badays injuries they said they culd put steel.rods in her leg tht was broken but culd.get infected in 6 mths or amputate but labroders dnt normally survive long with 3 legs n also the teeth she broken 2 wuld b along op 4 her so they rang me.in the afternoon tell.me how she was n kept goin through my head Wat the vet said I just culdnt c molly bein.my dog she was n with rods in her leg teeth missing n the long op she b in so.I decided 2 Ave her put her 2 sleep.I now I think I did the wrong.thing n I feel so bad n miss her so much it’s like losing a.part of my family like a child. N I dnt knw.who.2 talk 2 abt it I feelove. So stupid being like this I’m. Sorry shuldnt of wrote but I didn’t knw who else 2 talk 2 abt it n I dnt knw how 2 deal.with it in culdnt even say good bye
So sorry for your loss,you did the right thing because you loved your dog and different to see it suffer any more
Big hugs to you ,just remember all the good times
God bless
Stacey:
I can see how you loved your Molly. Just reading your post puts a lump in my throat. It sounds like you did the tough, but compassionate thing. Sadly, most pet owners Will be faced with making that same tough decision. Hopefully, they will think first of their Pet. I have suffered because I lost my pet…but was willing to go through that pain to prevent my dog from suffering. You did the right thing. Molly is at peace. Now go find another dog to love. It won’t be your Molly, but you will find a new love.