Animal welfare

• We have life expectancy tables and research for humans that show how long we might be expected to live according to a range of factors.
• But there has been very little research into dog life expectancy that considered how different factors affect lifespan.
• The researchers then calculated median life expectancy for all breeds individually and then for the crossbreed group.
• Finally, they calculated life expectancy for each combination of sex, size and head shape.

How long do dogs live?

• This study from researchers at the Dogs Trust provides us with new information about the life expectancy of our canine companions.
• The researchers found that small, long-nosed female dogs tended to have the longest lifespans among pure breeds overall, with a median lifespan of 13.3 years.
• But breeds with flat-faces had a median lifespan of 11.2 years, and a 40% increased risk of shorter lives than dogs with medium-length snouts, such as spaniels.
• Pure breeds had a higher median life expectancy than crossbreeds (12.7 years compared to 12.0 years), while female dogs had a slightly higher median life expectancy than males (12.7 years compared to 12.4 years).

The ethics of ageing

• These dogs have become fashionable and highly prized as pets, but are prone to various health problems, including brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (Boas).
• This potentially life-threatening condition includes symptoms such as panting, overheating, exercise intolerance, retching, gastrointestinal signs and disturbed sleep patterns.
• So for some of these dogs, their life is potentially marked by suffering.
• This raises some questions about dog ownership and the ethics of breeding dogs likely to suffer from Boas.

Angus Nurse has previously received funding from the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs to investigate the issue of dangerous dogs and responsible dog ownership.

• And now a study just published in the British Journal of Nutrition has demonstrated good health outcomes in dogs fed vegan diets.
• Dr Sarah Dodd and other veterinary nutritional specialists from Canada's Ontario Veterinary College found that 31 dogs fed vegan diets for three months had health outcomes as good as 30 fed meat-based diets.
• This is the latest among 10 studies that have now confirmed good health outcomes in dogs fed vegan diets.
• In 2002 Prof. Knight and colleagues also studied health outcomes in 2,536 dogs and concluded that the healthiest and least hazardous diets for dogs were nutritionally sound vegan diets.

• Visitors to celebrate endangered right whales, beginning of calving season at annual event
  AMELIA ISLAND, Fla., Oct. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The annual Right Whale Festival will return to Amelia Island, Florida, and will be bigger than ever with more than 100 exhibitors and many new fun and educational events.
• This year's theme will be "Less Rope, More Hope" which calls out one of the main causes of right whale mortality – becoming entangled in fishing gear.
• North Atlantic right whales are one of the world's most endangered large whale species, with fewer than 350 individuals remaining in the population.
• Sponsors include the Amelia Island Tourist Development Council and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).

• The donation makes Munchkin the first company to lease 90,000 acres of endangered African territory that is imperative for elephant migration and survival.
• The company has also released its annual Sustainability Report in which its efforts to support and protect families – human and animal alike – are detailed.
• View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230808610371/en/
  “Safeguarding the world’s most vulnerable creatures is ingrained in Munchkin’s ethos.
• To package the products in the bamboo line, Munchkin used 100% paper-based packaging with nearly 70% recycled content.