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Scientia agriculturae bohemica, 51, 2020 (1): 9–14 9
animal ScienceS
doi: 10.2478/sab-2020-0002
Received for publication on May 11, 2019
Accepted for publication on November 28, 2019
* Supported by. the Ministry of Agriculture, Project No. MZeRO0714, and by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, Project
No. MSM 6046070901.
INTRODUCTION
According to the International Canine Federation
(FCI), dog breeds with body weight over 40 kg are
considered to be giant breeds. In these individuals,
however, the weight in adulthood often surpasses the
average weight of a human (B a r a n y i o v a et al.,
2009). While each of dog breeds originated through
targeted selection for certain traits, unwanted selec-
tion of individuals and entire breeds prone to certain
hereditary diseases was still underway. Additionally,
the process of each breed formation involved a bottle-
neck effect. Consequently, the series of bottlenecks
left genetic footprints in the breeds that have been
manifested in a high prevalence of diseases in certain
breeds (L i n d b l a d - To h et al., 2005).
It has been shown that the lifespan of large dog
breeds is shorter and these causes are relatively well
documented in dogs (e.g., F a v i e r et al. 2001;
B a r t k e , 2017). One of the possible reason for the
‘aging’ effect is related with a higher level of the growth
hormone (GH) in correlation with plasma IGF-1 con-
centrations in comparison with the smaller breeds of
dogs (B a r t k e , 2017). Another problem of the giant
breeds is a small breeding base. Due to inbreeding,
genetic diseases are more prevalent (J a n i s , 2007).
Giant and large breed dogs with a deep chest are
more predisposed to the gastric dilatation and volvulus
(GDV) syndrome (U h r i k o v a et al., 2012), although
there is evidence of similar cases in small and miniature
breeds of dogs in the case studies (T h o m a s , 1982).
Examples of deep-chested breeds include Great Dane,
AVERAGE LIFE EXPECTANCY, THE MOST COMMON CAUSE
OF DEATH AND ILLNESS OF GIANT DOG BREEDS*
N. Fiala Šebková1, H. Chaloupková1, L. Zavadilová2
1Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural
Resources, Department of Ethology and Companion Animal Science, Prague, Czech
Republic
2Institute of Animal Science, Prague-Uhříněves, Czech Republic
The aim of this study was to analyze the most common diseases and genetic defects that occur during the lifetime of giant
dog breeds, to determine the average lifespan and the cause of death/euthanasia. Data were obtained through a survey and
concerned the health of 241 individuals of giant dog breeds held in the Czech Republic. Evaluated items involved an aver-
age lifespan, an average lifespan per gender, cause of death, reasons for euthanasia, cause of mortality (especially in selected
Mastiff type breeds), life expectancy per breed and incidence of diseases among giant breeds during the lifetime. The average
lifespan in giant breed dogs was found to be 7.60 years. A significant difference (P ˂ 0.05) was found between life expectan-
cies in males and females, with female dogs reaching 1.42 year higher age (8.10 years) than males (6.68 years). The most
common cause of spontaneous death among giant breeds was gastric dilatation and torsion (28% of dogs) and for euthanasia
osteosarcoma (38% of dogs). The cause of mortality especially in selected Mastiff type breeds of dogs was gastric dilatation
and torsion (30% of dogs). This is the first broad analytical study concerning this topic published in the Czech Republic.
Canis lupus familiaris, Molossian type, Irish Wolfhound, lifespan, cause of death, reason for euthanasia
10 Scientia agriculturae bohemica, 51, 2020 (1): 9–14
Greyhound and Setter dogs (G l i c k m a n , 2000). High
risk of mortality resulting from GDV threatens mainly
large and giant breeds (E v a n s , A d a m s , 2010). In
dogs weighing over 45 kg, the susceptibility to this
syndrome is 20% higher than in other breeds (B e c k et
al., 2006). The close inbreeding among individuals who
underwent the disease even increases the subsequent
risk of potential GDV syndrome (G l i c k m a n , 2000).
Giant breeds of dogs are 20 times more likely to
develop osteosarcoma than smaller breeds. In this
regard, breed-specific predisposition does not play
any major role; the size and weight of the individual
are much more important. R o s e n b e r g e r et al.
(2007) calculated the statistics for various dog breeds
affected by osteosarcoma. In addition, they studied
age and gender as risk factors in three dog breeds in
which the incidence of osteosarcoma was the most
frequent. The greatest prevalence was found for Irish
Wolfhound (21/339 – 6.2%), Rottweiler (51/969 –
5.3%) and Great Dane (13/297 – 4.4%). E g e n v a l l
et al. (2007) report Irish Wolfhound, St. Bernard Dog
and Leonberger being the breeds of the greatest risk
of exposure. Gender was not identified as a risk factor
for osteosarcoma to develop; rather, the risk increased
with age in each of the breeds.
Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) forms another
common cause of death in large and giant breeds of
dogs. It results in heart failure with subsequent death
(M e u r s et al., 2012; W e s s et al., 2012). Breeds
such as Doberman, Newfoundland, Portuguese Water
Dog, Boxer, Great Dane, Cocker Spaniel, and Irish
Wolfhound show a higher prevalence of this disease
(B r o s c h k , D i s t l , 2005). Further, a very high preva-
lence of the disease is indicated for Irish Wolfhound
in the study by P h i l i p p et al. (2012).
The current study focuses on the analysis of the
most common diseases, the causes of death and the
life expectancy of giant breeds in the Czech Republic.
The Czech Republic ranks among a breeding ground
with a high number of dogs per capita, therefore initial
analysis of the state is crucial and may contribute to
improving the breeding of these breeds.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
Data were collected from 15 veterinary clin-
ics located in various cities of the Czech Republic,
a survey from databases of veterinary clinics, from
practicing veterinarians who were able to cooper-
ate in the research. Veterinary practitioners recorded
a summary of diagnosis of the disease as well as the
cause of death or the reason for euthanasia, where
appropriate, from an inserted list of individual code
numbers for each disease. Data were collected only
if they concerned pure breeds with FCI pedigree and
covered only animals that had died. Data were re-
trieved of 241 individuals of the breeds listed below:
English Mastiff, Dogue de Bordeaux, Fila Brasileiro,
Bullmastiff, Irish Wolfhound, Caucasian Shepherd
Dog, Komondor, Landseer, Leonberger, Great Dane,
Newfoundland Dog, Central Asian Shepherd Dog,
St. Bernard Dog, Tibetan Mastiff, and Spanish Mastiff.
All dogs were born after January 1, 1998. The survey
was asking for elementary data relating to the health
of the dogs – breed, gender, history of diagnosed
diseases, lifespan reached and cause of death, as well
as the information whether the dog had spontaneous
death or died via assisted euthanasia. The data were
collected in 2012–2015; all the owners lived in the
Czech Republic.
Statistical analysis
For the needs of later statistical processing, the
sourced data were transferred from words into a
numerical form with each character and its replace-
ment assigned a specific number. Data converted into
numbers were processed using Statistica version 9
(StatSoft, Czech.Republic s.r.o.). The statistical evalu-
ation was done using t-test, Scheffé’s test, Shapiro-
Wilk test using R program, non-parametric Wilcoxon
signed rank test (also known as Mann-Whitney
U test), ANOVA test and testing for P-value from
binomial distribution. Differences were considered
significant at P ˂ 0.05.
Table 1. Average lifespan of giant dog breeds
Breed nMale Female Average lifespan
English Mastiff113 5 8 7.81
Irish Wolfhound348 15 33 7.52
Leonberger220 218 9.50
Great Dane1107 38 69 7.05
Newfoundland Dog213 4 9 9.88
St. Bernard Dog216 7 9 7.13
Total 217 71 146
Weighted average lifespan 7.60
1group FCI 2.1., section: Molossian type, subsection: Mastiff type; 2group FCI 2.2., section: Molossian type, subsection: Mountain type; 3group
FCI 10. Sighthounds
Scientia agriculturae bohemica, 51, 2020 (1): 9–14 11
RESULTS
Average lifespan
The average lifespan in giant breed dogs (both
genders) was 7.60 years (n = 241, confidence interval
7.22–8.00) (Table 1).
Lifespan by gender
The average lifespan was 6.68 years for male dogs
(n = 85, confidence interval 6.01–7.36) and 8.11 years
for female dogs (n = 156, confidence interval 7.65–
8.57). There was a significant difference (P ˂ 0.05)
in life expectancy between male and female dogs.
The results are summarized in Figs. 1 and 2.
Cause of death
Spontaneous death for various reasons occurred in
62% of dogs (149 animals), while assisted euthanasia
was carried out in 38% of dogs (92 animals). The
most common cause of spontaneous death was gastric
dilatation and torsion (28% of all the dogs that died
without applying assisted euthanasia, i.e. 41 out of
149 animals), while death from unknown causes was
the second most frequent cause when 17% of dogs
died of natural decrepitude (25 animals). Circulatory
diseases formed the third leading cause with 10% of
dogs dying of the condition (15 animals). As regards as-
sisted euthanasia, osteosarcoma was the most common
cause with 38% of animals so treated, i.e. 35 dogs out
of the 92 cases of euthanasia applied. Musculoskeletal
disorders formed the second most common reason
for euthanasia, which was applied in 18% of dogs
(17 animals), while gastric dilatation and torsion was
the third most frequent cause with euthanasia applied
in 12% of dogs (11 animals).
Also in young dogs up to 4 years of age
(n = 25), as in the whole sample, dilatation and gas-
tric torsion were the most common cause of death
(n = 8). In the second and third place were diseases
of the circulatory system (n = 3) and poisoning and
injuries (n = 3).
Only breeds ranked by group FCI II – as section
2 Molossian type, subsection 2.1 Mastiff type were
selected for the sample, i.e. English Mastiff, Dogue
de Bordeaux, Fila Brasileiro, Bullmastiff and Great
Dane. In this group, gastric dilatation and torsion
formed the most common cause of death. Out of the
total of 127 animals of Molossian type, subsection 2.1
Mastiff type dogs, 48% of dogs died as a result of the
syndrome (38 animals).
Life expectancy per breed
The computation was limited to breeds with at
least 10 representatives to ensure that the results are
statistically significant. After testing at the P = 0.05
significance level, one can definitely conclude that there
is a statistically significant breed-specific variation as
regards the average lifespan. More attention was sub-
sequently given to testing the statistical significance.
To this end, Scheffé’s test was employed where life
expectancy per breed was the variable. The detailed
assessment based on Scheffé’s test shows that there
is a statistically significant difference only between
Great Dane and Leonberger breeds.
Table 1 makes it evident that the highest lifespan is
reached by Newfoundland Dog (9.88 years) followed
by Leonberger (9.50), while the shortest lifespan is
that of Great Dane (7.05 years).
Prevalence of diseases during the lifetime as per giant
dog breed
The R program tested increased/decreased levels
of representation of diseases per breed (applied only
to breeds represented by more than 10 individuals)
(Table 2).
Figure 2: Life expectancy histogram for female dogsFigure 1: Life expectancy histogram for male dogs
[n]
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9 10 11 12 13 14
Years
[n]
30
28
26
24
22
20
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
1
2
3
4
5
6
7 8 9
Years
10
11 12 13 14 15
12 Scientia agriculturae bohemica, 51, 2020 (1): 9–14
A significant difference (P ˂ 0.05) for an increased
rate of disease representation was demonstrated in the
following breeds:
● English Mastiff; specifically for osteoarthritis and
hip dysplasia (level C to level E),
● Leonberger; specifically for osteosarcoma,
● Great Dane; specifically for gastric dilatation and
torsion,
● Newfoundland Dog; specifically for osteoarthritis,
hip dysplasia (level C to level E), and inflammation
of the uterus (pyometra),
● St. Bernard Dog; specifically for osteosarcoma and
ear infection.
A significant difference (P ˂ 0.05) for a reduced
level of disease representation was demonstrated in
the breeds listed below:
● Irish Wolfhound; specifically for hip dysplasia (level
C to level E),
● Great Dane; specifically for hip dysplasia (level C
to level E), cancer (osteosarcoma) and inflammation
of the uterus (pyometra).
Percentage of disease per breed during the lifetime
Osteoarthritis was most often diagnosed for English
Mastiff (38.46%) and Newfoundland Dog (30.77%).
Gastric dilatation and torsion was most often noted
for Great Dane (39.25%). Hip dysplasia (level C to
level E) was most frequently diagnosed in English
Mastiff (38.46%) and Newfoundland Dog (38.46%).
Dilation cardiomyopathy was diagnosed to the ex-
tent of 10% in the selected 10 breeds, only for Irish
Wolfhound, the prevalence was 10.42%. Osteosarcoma
was diagnosed to the increased extent in St. Bernard
Dog (50.00%) and Leonberger (40.00%). Inflammation
of the uterus was diagnosed mainly in Newfoundland
Dog, where the disease affected 55.56% of the nine
female dogs. Otitis externa infection became pre-
dominant for St. Bernard Dog where 43.75% suffered
from the illness.
DISCUSSION
The study of dog diseases and the length of their
life expectancy has recently become increasingly
important. Just as the dog offers a natural model for
human conditions and diseases, a simple observa-
tion leads to the conclusion that the canine aging
phenotype also mimics that of the human. Genotype
information, biochemical information pertaining to
the GH/IGF-1 pathway, and some limited longitu-
dinal investigations is the reason why the domestic
dog was first considered an animal model on aging
(B e r r y m a n et al., 2008).
In the world (mainly USA and Great Britain), studies
on the lifespan and disease of dogs have been published
(e.g., Michell, 1999; Glickman, 2000; Gagnon
et al., 2009; E v a n s , A d a m s , 2010). However, there
was no scientific study on the subject in the Czech
Republic, a country with a high concentration of the
dog population.
A recent study indicated the median lifespan in
dogs to be 12 years (O ’ N e i l l et al., 2013). The lower
threshold of the same in giant breeds as provided herein
(7.60 years) fully corresponds to the opinion that the
prolonged lifespan is associated with a small body
size in several species of mice, in dogs and in humans
(Patronek et al., 1997). Stourac, Labrousse
(2007) reported that giant breeds age relatively faster
Dog breed
Disease-> 1 2 5-7 17 18 21 23 26 29
p-value-> 0.0871 0.2863 0.0871 0.0830 0.0664 0.0913 0.2116 0.1369 0.1245
English Mastiff
*0.3846 0.3846 0.3846 0.3846 0.3846 0.3846 0.3846 0.3846 0.3846
** 0.0009 0.0009 0.0009 0.0009 0.0009 0.0009 0.0009 0.0009 0.0009
Irish Wolfhound
*0.0625 0.0625 0.0625 0.0625 0.0625 0.0625 0.0625 0.0625 0.0625
** 0.7796 0.7796 0.7796 0.7796 0.7796 0.7796 0.7796 0.7796 0.7796
Leonberger
*0.0000 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000
** 0.3239 0.3239 0.3239 0.3239 0.3239 0.3239 0.3239 0.3239 0.3239
Great Dane
*0.0467 0.0467 0.0467 0.0467 0.0467 0.0467 0.0467 0.0467 0.0467
** 0.1762 0.1762 0.1762 0.1762 0.1762 0.1762 0.1762 0.1762 0.1762
Newfoundland Dog
*0.3077 0.3077 0.3077 0.3077 0.3077 0.3077 0.3077 0.3077 0.3077
** 0.0071 0.0071 0.0071 0.0071 0.0071 0.0071 0.0071 0.0071 0.0071
St. Bernard Dog
*0.0625 0.0625 0.0625 0.0625 0.0625 0.0625 0.0625 0.0625 0.0625
** 0.8230 0.8230 0.8230 0.8230 0.8230 0.8230 0.8230 0.8230 0.8230
*P-value for the degree of disease representation, **P-value for the level of significance
Explanatory key for the table: 1 - Osteoarthritis; 2- Gastric dilatation and torsion; 5-7 - Hip dysplasia, level C to level E; 17 - Dilated cardiomyo-
pathy, negative finding; 18 - Dilated cardiomyopathy, positive finding; 21 - Other; 23 - Cancer (osteosarcoma; 26 - Inflammation of the uterus
(pyometra); 29 - Ear infection
Table 2. Statistical evaluation of the diseases prevalence
Scientia agriculturae bohemica, 51, 2020 (1): 9–14 13
than smaller breeds, their average lifespan being about
7 years; they provided a similar average lifespan as
we did in the present paper. Most of the data in the
studied sample came from Great Danes (107 amimals)
and Irish Wolfhounds (48 animals). Both of the breeds
gain much attraction among breeders in the Czech
Republic and their numbers considerably exceed those
of other giant dog breeds.
Out of the evaluated giant breeds, Great Danes had
the shortest lifespan (7.1 years). M i c h e l l (1999)
reports an estimate of life expectancy for Great Danes
to be 8.4 years, while A d a m s et al. (2010) give
8.5 years and O ’ N e i l l et al. (2013) provide the av-
erage lifespan of Great Danes to be a mere 6.0 years.
The value found in the present study is placed within
the range above.
The average lifespan of Irish Wolfhounds from the
studied sample was 7.52. This corresponds with data of
U r f e r et al. (2007) where the estimated life expectancy
was between 4.95 - 8.75 years in Irish Wolfhounds.
However, previous research has demonstrated that all
Irish Wolfhounds alive worldwide during the study
time can be traced back to one recent bottleneck in
the 1950’s. As recently as the 1990´s, the gene pool
was further limited by the use of several popular sires,
each of whom sires 30 to 40 litters (J a n i s , 2007).
Statistically, females were demonstrated to achieve
a significantly higher life expectancy than male dogs.
This fully corresponds with the results reported by
Miller, Austad (2005) as well as O’Neill et
al. (2013). Likewise, K e n g e r i et al. (2013) report a
longer exposure of the ovary in the body of Rottweiler
females as a prerequisite for successful longevity. A
higher life expectancy is provided in female mammals,
which applies even to humans (G a g n o n et al., 2009).
As regards mortality, gastric torsion or dilatation
formed the most common cause of death (natural
death and euthanasia) in giant breed dogs regardless
of gender (22%, i.e. 52 animals), followed by osteo-
sarcoma (20%; 47 animals). The number of dogs that
died naturally (62%) exceeded that of the dogs that
died by means of assisted euthanasia (38%) nearly
two times. According to available data, owners and
veterinarians in various countries make use of assisted
euthanasia in dogs to the varying degrees. According
to the study of O ’ N e i l l (2013) from England, the
rate of assisted euthanasia was 86.4%; for the UK,
52% was reported by M i c h e l l (1999). A study from
the USA (Gobar, 1998) reported 71%, P a t r o n e k
et al. (1997) showed 70.2% for purebred dogs and
68.5% for hybrids. Opting for euthanasia may also
pose a moral dilemma for the veterinarian (Ye a t e s ,
M a i n , 2011) and emotional turmoil for the dog owner
(M c C u t c h e o n , F l e m i n g , 2001). Instances of
reasons behind the lower rate of employing assisted
euthanasia in giant breeds that was found in the present
study may include the fact the gastric dilatation and
torsion forms the most common cause of death. This
disease arises in healthy animals suddenly, progressing
very fast. It usually occurs after the evening feeding
with the owner finding a dead dog outside the house
in the morning. The most common cause for assisted
euthanasia found in the present study was osteosar-
coma. In this diagnosis, dog owners were opting for
euthanasia in 74.4% of cases (35 events of assisted
euthanasia out of 47 diagnosed cases of osteosarcoma).
Such a high number reflects holder opinions preferring
the quality of life to longevity.
CONCLUSION
In general, among the investigated giant breeds of
dogs, the most common cause of spontaneous death
was gastric dilatation and torsion, followed by osteo-
sarcoma with applied euthanasia. The females had
a longer lifespan than males; however, the average
lifespan was 7.6 years. Among the investigated breeds,
the most frequently repeated health problem was hip
dysplasia. This initial analysis may be useful for a
subsequent breed selective recovery program.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The authors wish to thank A. Köhlerová for help
with data collection.
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Corresponding Author:
Dr. Ing. Naděžda F i a la Š e bk o v á, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources,
Department of Ethology and Companion Animal Science, 165 00 Prague 6-Suchdol, Czech Republic, phone: +420 224 383 045,
e-mail: sebkova@af.czu.cz