How do you give your dog a longer life?

Restrict their food. An article in the renowned journal JAVMA suggests that lifelong feeding at 75% of caloric requirement, means the dogs lived longer and delayed the onset of chronic disease.

Since most people give their dog too much food already on a practical level this probably means a reduction of 50% would be more accurate rather than the 25% suggested in the article.

Note that Nestle Purina paid for this study - I have never heard any of their ads saying to feed less food as this study suggests.

Here is the proof......

And the article if you want to look it up...

Abstract

Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association

May 1, 2002, Vol. 220, No. 9, Pages 1315-1320

doi: 10.2460/javma.2002.220.1315

Effects of diet restriction on life span and age-related changes in dogs

Richard D. Kealy, PhD Dennis F. Lawler, DVM Joan M. Ballam, MS Sandra L. Mantz, Darryl N. Biery, DVM, DACVR Elizabeth H. Greeley, PhD George Lust, PhD Mariangela Segre, DSc Gail K. Smith, DVM, PhD, DACVS Howard D. Stowe, DVM, PhD

Objective—To evaluate the effects of 25% diet restriction on life span of dogs and on markers of aging.

Design—Paired feeding study.

Animals—48 Labrador Retrievers.

Procedures—Dogs were paired, and 1 dog in each pair was fed 25% less food than its pair-mate from 8 weeks of age until death. Serum biochemical analyses were performed, body condition was scored, and body composition was measured annually until 12 years of age. Age at onset of chronic disease and median (age when 50% of the dogs were deceased) and maximum (age when 90% of the dogs were deceased) life spans were evaluated.

Results—Compared with control dogs, food-restricted dogs weighed less and had lower body fat content and lower serum triglycerides, triiodothyronine, insulin, and glucose concentrations. Median life span was significantly longer for dogs in which food was restricted. The onset of clinical signs of chronic disease generally was delayed for food-restricted dogs.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Results suggest that 25% restriction in food intake increased median life span and delayed the onset of signs of chronic disease in these dogs. (J Am Vet Med Assoc 2002;220:1315–1320)