Abstract

Like human populations, dogs’ lifespans have significantly increased during the past few decades. The domestic dog has been mentioned by a number of authors as an appropriate animal model for geropathology translational research. This study’s objective is to evaluate age-related morbidities and mortality in 269 senior dogs (130 males and 139 females) that underwent necropsy. The reproductive, cardiovascular, and urinary systems, as well as the mammary gland in females, were the organic systems showing the highest frequency of age-related morbidities. Males were much more likely to have cardiovascular and urinary disease than females, and breast lesions were only seen in females.Small breed dogs were more likely to have urinary disease, but larger breed dogs were much more likely to have peritoneum and male genital morbidities. These elderly dogs were commonly affected by hyperplastic and degenerative lesions. Neoplasia was the primary factor in over half of all deaths, making it the most common cause of death. Urinary and cardiovascular pathology have both become common causes of death. These results somewhat align with data collected for the human species, showing that cardiovascular pathology and cancer are the two main diseases and causes of death in the elderly. Our findings confirm the domestic dog’s potential for additional gerontology translational research that satisfies the One Health principle.