Labs don’t live that long, they said.

Meanwhile, my dog was rearing to go at 12 years old.

They asked me, “What do you do differently?”

“I’ve never had a lab live that long,” they’d say.

There is no magic spell, but I do have a few tips about taking care of your pets, and many of this did help with the longevity of my labs life.

I am not a veterinarian and none of this information should be taken as medical advice for you or your pet. You should always consult a licensed professional prior to changing your animals diet or using any supplements or flea preventatives.

1. Don’t let them jump in and out of trucks.

Its normal to tell your dog to load up and watch them jump 4-6 feet into the bed of your pickup. However, its very hard on their joints. We all know labs have hip problems already, so lift them in and out of your vehicle instead of causing constant jarring on their joints from jumping in and out.

(Honestly, I don’t know if this one made a difference but I would like to think that it did.)

2. Feed a Proper Diet

A good diet is so incredibly important. You need to make sure you are feeding age appropriate food. There is no such thing as an “all ages” food. Just like humans, animals also need different nutrients during different stages of their life.

Find food that is labeled as puppy for the first year of your dogs life. From years 1–6 you should be feeding adult dog food and from year 7 on, find a senior diet or supplement their food with joint supplements as directed by your veterinarian. I personally used Cosequin Supplements and then eventually switched to the Kirkland Senior Diet from Costco. (Kirkland food is actually very good in nutrition.)

Another big thing is to avoid soft food and small kibbles. Feeding a dry, regular size kibble helps clean their teeth, preventing from gum disease, infection, and tooth loss later in life. I used soft food as an every once in a while treat. If you decide to do this, only give them small amounts and avoid super rich foods later in their life (i.e. ones with gravy or Pedigree ones, especially.) Learn from my mistakes, I gave my dog a full can of Pedigree Gravy dinner at 11 years old and he ended up with Pancreatitis.

3. Exercise

Don’t just stop taking them places when they get older. That’s how they end up with stiff joints and have trouble getting up. During the summer time, I used to take my dog to the river and throw the ball in for him. Swimming is an excellent low impact exercise for animals and humans alike. (Note that rivers can have their own precautions. Consult your veterinarian about any concerns for your area.) Your dog doesn’t swim? Go for a hike together. Go to the park and play fetch. Go to the beach. You just need to get out and do something together.

4. Proper Veterinary Care

I know that veterinary care can be expensive, but it doesn’t always have to be. For example, vaccines are huge and most of them you can buy at your local feed store. Some veterinarians will even sell vaccines over the counter. Dogs are required to get rabies vaccines in nearly every state and those are usually the only ones that require a veterinarian to give.

For flea prevention, you should always consult your veterinarian on and preferably purchase directly from your vets office as well. There are very, very few flea preventatives that are sold over the counter that won’t harm your animals. Flea prevention can be costly, but in recent years they have developed more cost-effective methods such as the Seresto collar which lasts 9 months. The Seresto collar only costs $10 a month if you break it down which is cheaper than any of the oral or topical solutions on the market. Its also the only flea prevention I recommend that is sold over the counter.

Do NOT use any topical or oral flea medications you found at a retail store, especially not Hartz. Flea medications like Hartz or cheap store bought brands are not regulated by the FDA and are the number one cause of posioning in pets.

Spay/Neuter your pet. If you don’t listen to anything else I’ve said so far I wouldn’t mind as long as you listened to this one. Not only does getting your pet “fixed” reduce the number of unwanted animals in shelters but it has a ton of health benefits as well which can increase the longevity of your pet’s life.

5. Love

I loved my dog like he was my child. We went everywhere together. He only ever wanted to be by my side so he kept on keeping on to be with his mom. If we weren’t two peas in a pod like we were, then I might not have noticed when he didn’t feel well. I wouldn’t have known that he had stopped eating. But more importantly, I don’t think he would have stayed as long as he did if it wasn’t for the unconditional love that he had for me.

Rule of thumb when caring for your animal is don’t expect them to do something that you wouldn’t do. It could be something as simple as swimming in a gross lake, if you wouldn’t swim in it then don’t throw their toy in it. Use common sense and if you aren’t sure, just ask yourself if its something you would do. If the answer is no, then don’t ask your dog to do it.

Other than that, listen to your veterinarian. They actually do truly care about your pets and want them to live long and healthly lives. And don’t forget to follow your vets office on social media to receive notice of any precautions in your area that they share.

Go hug your dog for me. There is nothing I wouldn’t do to be able to take mine to the park one last time.

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