Life expectancy and causes of death in Bernese mountain dogs

The aim of this study is to analyse life expectancy and causes of deaths as well as their relationships in a birth cohort of Bernese mountain dogs For the analysis data of 6971 dogs being alive, 2492 dead dogs and 1709 causes of deaths from 9453 animals have been used. The dogs were born between 1995 and 2008 and belonged to a German population of Bernese mountain dogs. The censored life expectancy was 8.25 years extending 1.25 years over the non-censored life expectancy estimated at 7 years. The most often causes of death were tumors registered in 61 % of all cases in this study. A renal failure was reported in 10 % of cases and this was more often than any other cause which did not exceed 3.5 %. Renal failures and infections had an influence on life expectancy even in two- to four-year-old dogs, whereas histiocytic sarkomas decreased life expectancy mainly in seven- to ten-year-old dogs. Renal failures and infections with borreliosis need particular consideration in Bernese mountain dogs because these diseases are often life threatening in young dogs. The increasing tendency of tumors should be recognized in Bernese mountain dogs of an age of over seven years. Registration of the causes of death and detailed pathological/histological examinations enable conclusions on diseases with a high relevance for a continued existence of a dog breed.