Dogs and humans share biomarkers of mortality

March 26, 2026 - 7 minutes read

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_message message_box_color=”violet” icon_fontawesome=”fa fa-paw”]Posts in our Scientific Results series introduce recent papers published in the scientific literature by members of the Dog Aging Project research team. Follow this series to learn more about the scientific questions we’re asking, the kinds of results we’re getting, and what it all means for you and your dog.[/vc_message][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Author

Benjamin R Harrison

Who worked on this research?

Benjamin R Harrison
Joshua M Akey
Noah Snyder-Mackler
Dan Raftery
Dog Aging Project Consortium
Kate E Creevy
Daniel E L Promislow

Where was it published?

The Journals of Gerontology: Series A

 What is this paper about?

Dog Aging Project researchers wanted to know if molecules measured in blood samples from pet dogs could be used to predict the risk of death as the dogs age. They focused on metabolites, which are small molecules in the blood that reflect how the body is working.  Not only was the answer a resounding ‘yes’, but when they sat down to compare these canine risk factors to those identified in long-term human studies, they found nearly perfect agreement. Put simply, dogs and humans share biomarkers of mortality.

They used data from the Dog Aging Project, a huge long‑term study of tens of thousands of companion dogs. In this analysis, they examined 937 dogs from the Precision Cohort and compared their blood metabolite patterns with those in humans.

What they discovered:

  • Dogs and humans share the same warning signs of aging. Certain tiny molecules within the blood that predict a higher chance of death in humans also predict death in dogs. This means dogs and humans have similar biological aging patterns.
  • Many of the strongest signs were related to kidney health. Some molecules increased as kidney function got worse. These same chemicals were linked to a higher risk of death in both dogs and humans.
  • Dogs show these signs much sooner than humans. In people, these patterns take 8 to 28 years to develop. Because dogs age more quickly, scientists observed the same patterns in just 2 to 3 years. This means dogs can help us understand human aging more quickly.
  • Dogs are a great model for studying human aging. They live with us, have many different genetic backgrounds, develop many of the same diseases, and age more quickly than people. As the Dog Aging Project learns about how dogs age, we continue to see that dogs are also an excellent species for learning how humans age.

What do these results mean for me and my dog?

This study shows that when you and your dog participate in the Dog Aging Project, you help scientists make new discoveries. By answering surveys and giving samples, you are making important research possible. Dogs, just like humans, live complex lives, and this study was only able to reach a highly impactful discovery because of the unique and diverse participants in the Dog Aging Project.

Lab-based studies of aging, such as those on lab mice, fruit flies, or even worms, have been used for decades to understand aging.  The path to translating those discoveries into meaningful interventions in canine or human aging has been modest. One major challenge is simply the complexity of life in the ‘real world’. Dogs offer a real chance for scientists to study and understand health and aging in the real-world.

Thanks to you and your dog, scientists were able to discover important clues in dogs’ blood that help predict aging and health. Your participation showed that dogs and people share many of the same biological markers of aging, and this knowledge will help researchers better understand how to help both pets and people stay healthier for longer.

Where can I learn more?

Harrison BR, Akey JM, Marye A, et al. Dogs and humans share biomarkers of mortality, The Journals of Gerontology: Series A, 2025; glaf279, https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glaf279

Abstract

There is growing interest in the use of molecular features as predictors of age, age-related disease risk and mortality. A major shortcoming of this field, however, is the lack of suitable translational research models to identify and understand the underlying mechanisms of these predictive biomarkers in human populations. In particular, we lack a system which, like humans, is genetically variable, lives in diverse environments, and experiences aging-related chronic conditions treated in the context of a sophisticated health care system. Here, we present results from our analysis of data from the Dog Aging Project (DAP), a long-term longitudinal study of aging in companion dogs. Using longitudinal survival models on data from 937 dogs of the deeply phenotyped Precision Cohort within the DAP, we present the striking finding of a strong, highly significant positive correlation between the effect of individual metabolites on all-cause mortality in humans, and the association of those same metabolites on all-cause mortality in dogs. We also find that across these independent human studies, the biomarkers identified are also highly correlated, strongly suggesting a general signature of mortality within the plasma metabolome across humans, and now in dogs as well. Given the many similarities between dogs and humans with respect to genetics, environment, disease, and disease treatment, and the fact that dogs are so much shorter lived than humans, we argue that dogs represent an extremely valuable translational model in our ongoing effort to understand the underlying molecular causes and consequences of age-related morbidity and mortality in humans.

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