Scientific Results: Dog Models of Aging

October 18, 2024 - 4 minutes read

Posts in our Scientific Results – The Science We Stand On series introduce past papers published in the scientific literature by members of the Dog Aging Project research team. This is the science that led to the Dog Aging Project. Follow this series to learn more about the scientific questions we asked at the beginning of the Dog Aging Project.

This month, we are featuring our team studying all the environmental factors in dogs’ lives. Dr. Audrey Ruple leads this team at the Department of Population Health Sciences, VA-MD College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech. This team has innovative ways to look at environmental factors, which they consider to be everything outside of the dogs. That includes diet and exercise, as well as the built environment, chemical environment, natural environment, and drinking water.

You can read more about this team of researchers here. 

Who worked on this research?

Audrey Ruple
Evan MacLean
Noah Snyder-Mackler
Kate E. Creevy
Daniel Promislow

 

  • Ruple
  • MacLean-Evan
  • Snyder-Mackler-Noah
  • Creevy-Kate
  • 27_Daniel Promislow

 

Where was it published?

Annual Review of Animal Bioscience

 

 What is this paper about?

This article explores how studying aging in dogs using the approach we have taken with the Dog Aging Project can help us understand healthy aging in both dogs and humans. We discussed how dogs age, the diseases and health conditions they get as they grow older, and the genetic and environmental factors that affect their health. The paper also describes the similarities between dog aging and human aging, showing that lessons learned from studying dogs can also improve human health.

What do these results mean for me and my dog?

For dog owners, this research shows that how we feed and care for our dogs can make a big difference in their quality of life as they age. By understanding the factors that contribute to aging and age-related diseases in dogs, veterinarians can develop more effective treatments and preventive measures. The findings can also help to guide dog owners in making better choices for their pets’ nutrition and overall care. This could lead to longer, healthier lives for dogs.

Where can I learn more?

Ruple A, MacLean E, Snyder-Mackler N, Creevy KE, Promislow D. Dog Models of Aging. Annu Rev Anim Biosci. 2022 Feb 15;10:419-439. doi: 10.1146/annurev-animal-051021-080937. Epub 2021 Oct 26. PMID: 34699257; PMCID: PMC8962603.

Abstract

As the most phenotypically diverse mammalian species that shares human environments and access to sophisticated healthcare, domestic dogs have unique potential to inform our understanding of the determinants of aging. Here we outline key concepts in the study of aging and illustrate the value of research with dogs, which can improve dog health and support translational discoveries. We consider similarities and differences in aging and age-related diseases in dogs and humans and summarize key advances in our understanding of genetic and environmental risk factors for morbidity and mortality in dogs. We address health outcomes ranging from cancer to cognitive function and highlight emerging research opportunities from large-scale cohort studies in companion dogs. We conclude that studying aging in dogs could overcome many limitations of laboratory models, most notably, the ability to assess how aging-associated pathways influence aging in real-world environments similar to those experienced by humans.

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