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Dog Longevity Survey: How Important Is Disease and Injury Prevention for Longevity?

An ounce of prevention is worth of a pound of cure.



I know I already used that in this series but what better place to reiterate that than here?

You'd think everybody would agree on that but, amazingly, it did not get a full vote. One comment was that the person didn't understand what preventing disease and injury means.


Here is how you voted:

Extremely important74.42%
Important18.60%
Somewhat important  2.33%
Not important  2.33%
I don't know  0.00%
Other  2.33%

Why are disease and injury prevention important to longevity?


To understand that, let's ask the important question of what are the common causes of death in dogs. And the answer is clear - disease or injury. Dogs die of infections, poisoning, heart disease, kidney failure, liver failure, or cancer. Some dogs are still euthanized because of debilitating pain related to arthritis and other musculoskeletal issues. Some dogs die unnecessarily from the craziest things such as suffocating in a snack bag.

Preventing any of these things for as long as possible is the answer to longevity.

How can one prevent disease or injury?


Preventing, or at least delaying, disease or injury is at the core of longevity. It summarizes all the things we discussed through this series.

It begins with responsible breeding.


I don't want to get too much into this topic but let's get real and look at what modern breeding has done to our dogs. Some breeds seem gone beyond the point of no return. Breeding for visual characteristics has put wellbeing and health aside and resulted in breeds plagued with a laundry list of medical issues. Look at the poor Bulldogs, German Shepherds, Dachshunds, Cavalier Springer Spaniels, Basset Hounds ... the list could go on.

I absolutely adore Basset Hounds but I could never ever get one of them. Having a dog with virtually no legs and body completely out of proportion would just break my heart. I couldn't do it. Almost every breed comes with the fallout of our breeding practices.

Responsible breeders try to make sure they're breeding for health.


For example, while I never met her because Cookie was adopted, I consider her breeder a responsible one. Cookie is relatively small for her breed with healthy proportions. She has an amazingly good nature and fairly good hips. Cookie's medical challenges stem from what happened to her later in life, such as a likely untreated pelvic injury, being spayed too young and so on.

Today, there is also a way to screen for most common inheritable disease in almost every breed.

Longevity starts with a dog that is not too big, not too small, not too long, with a face not too smushed ... at least within reason for each respective breed.

After that, it comes to decisions made about their vaccinations, diet, exercise, environment and other aspects of daily care.


It does include good decisions about parasite prevention, preventing toxins, not skimping on wellness exams ...

Not all injuries can be always prevented but some can. No dog needs to suffocate in a chip bag. No dog needs to die from xylitol or antifreeze poisoning, no dog needs to be run over by a car. Weight management, regular exercise, smart timing for spay and neuter, avoiding your dog becoming a "weekend warrior," and many other measures can be taken to prevent injuries.

Any measures you can take to keep your dog healthy will also allow them to live longer and happier lives.


As a final note, I'd like my dog(s) to live a long, long time. But what is even most important to me is that they'd live a happy life.

Related articles:
Dog Longevity Survey Part I
Dog Longevity Survey Part II
Dog Longevity Survey Part I Results
How Important Is Weight Management for Longevity?

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