How long and well can pets live?

Several studies in human aging in the past few years are challenging our concept of longevity and even the impact of interventions like exercise –for example, running appears to be the best, but studies suggest that every hour of running adds only about 7 hours to your lifespan (even so, I’ll still keep running with my dogs!). There’s plenty of information about human longevity but I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what role Mars Petcare can play in enabling more insight into pets’ longevity to understand how advancements in nutrition and health help them live healthier, happier lives.

I’m very passionate about the research we do at Mars Petcare. I firmly believe that science and data are key to delivering on our Purpose to make A Better World for Pets. With our thousands of scientific studies and innovations in the animal health and welfare space over the past four decades aiming to improve our pets’ lives, I am now challenging our scientists to quantify the impact of all of this work on the actual longevity of pets.

While there is some lifespan data available for companion animals, it is generally limited to one or two countries, making it difficult to draw global conclusions. So, we are planning to greatly expand the data through some truly innovative initiatives. From our investigations into biomarkers of aging in pets to better distinguish ‘chronological age’ from ‘biological age’ to the largest Pet Census combining owner survey data with the pet’s individual genetic data being conducted later this year, we are seeking new and better ways to measure the health and lifespan of pets.

Using these types of information, we can then better measure the impact of our many nutritional, diagnostic, and clinical innovations including the Pet Insight Project that is linking activity levels to behavioral and medical data to enable earlier diagnoses and interventions or RenalTech?, the world’s first AI-developed algorithm to predict the pending onset of kidney disease in cats. 

While all of this work is extremely exciting, there is a note of caution. In humans we have reached a tipping point where the children born today are predicted to have shorter lifespans than their parents or live longer but in poorer health. One of the major reasons for this is the obesity crisis. We have found a similar link between obesity and shorter lifespans in dogs. So for all the good that our health and nutrition innovations will do toward improving the welfare and extending the longevity of our pets, they may be countered by increases in pet obesity - unless we get this problem under control. 

That’s why I’m proud that we are taking action on this. One way we're taking action is through support of the British Veterinary Association (BVA) and Vet Record to host a roundtable debate on the topic, in London today. Joining the discussion will be experts in pet obesity, human obesity, pet nutrition, pet insurance, feline medicine, animal behavior and veterinary nursing - all of them ready to take a fresh look at this complex issue. I’m keen to hear the key points from the discussion and we’ll be sharing them over the coming weeks through video footage and further articles.

So, watch this space as we learn more in our endeavours, and I’d love to hear from folks who are thinking about this too – putting in place accurate, global data to help benchmark how innovation in health care and nutrition will benefit pets. Now, that’s a big ambition and one that is borne out of simple fact that I enjoy the unconditional love of my dogs Eddie and Twixie - so I want to know as much as possible about keeping them well, because they help keep me healthy and happy.