What's the lifespan for a purebred lab?

Sunflower7777

I hate asking this question, but I am curious. 

We have a purebred lab who is 10 and over the past 6 months, she's slowed down quite a bit. She has arthritis (which we give her cosequin for) and it's harder for her to jump into the back of the car, or up on our bed, where she sleeps. She still can do it, but I'm thinking about getting some sort of ramp/steps, because I think it's painful for her when she does it.

If you've had a purebred lab, how long did they live? Any suggestions for how to make life easier on her as she ages?  

SallySparrow

I think the average lifespan is around 12 years for a lab, but every dog is different. DH's mom had a lab that lived to 16. It just depends on a lot of different things.

 Has the vet said anything? Is she healthy, other than the arthritis? 

I think the meds for arthritis and the steps are both a good step. Still take her for walks, but just be mindful of her limitations, you know?

It sucks when they get older.  

Temp752290812504671

Mine(chocolate english) is 13. He has arthritis, he is currently on rimadyl but we are going to be changing/adding that as soon as we get his week of diarrhea under control( we had to do a sudden food change). We have been told by multiple vets that the fact we kept him thinner definitely helped later in his life. 

 Now,he doesn't do stairs any longer and is slow but we are mindful of his limitations. 

 

MrsD2006

We had to put our last lab down when she was 11 due to bone cancer I would definitely get her some steps to get on and off the bed.

jeepsareforgirls

Our black lab had to be put to sleep when he was about 9 due to an unfix-able heart condition. Our yellow lab passed at about 11 years old due to age. They were both English labs.

DH's labs growing up were American labs and both lived to be about 12. They both suffered from arthritis and were each on prednisone towards the end. 

I would talk to your vet about what you can do to help make things comfortable, and definitely recommend the stairs that a pp suggested. We used them for our yellow lab and we also had a ramp for him to use getting in and out of the car. 

dexteroni

I don't know the answer to your question, but arthritis doesn't mean her life is about to come to an end, not by a long shot.  Dexter isn't a lab, but he's had arthritis for some time, and he's fine otherwise, just a bit stiff.  We take him for acupuncture and it has been unbelievably helpful.  If you have a veterinary acupuncturist in your area, I highly recommend checking it out. 

smange10.10

My two labs that I had as a kid lived until they were 12.  it is not uncommon for them to develop arthritis - just be mindful of their activity level and see if the vet can give you anything for it.

Amavelle

Controlling weight and arthritis medicines can really make a difference. My parent's lab made it to 13 with good quality of life. 

He also really loved this heating pad I found that warmed up when he laid on it, but was designed to not get too hot for him. It was big enough for him to stretch out and he didn't have to be really accurate to lay his whole body down on it. 

msmerymac

The yellow lab we had when I was a child lived to be 13. The larger the breed, generally, the shorter the lifespan, although every dog is different, of course.