Labrador Health by Age: Puppy, Adult and Senior Care

Labradors live eleven to thirteen years, and the good ones are very good. The things that go wrong tend to arrive on a schedule. Know the schedule and most of them are manageable, or avoidable. Our usual honest line: we are not vets. This is what to watch and when to ask.

Puppy: the first year

Insurance before the first vet visit. Anything noted after that becomes pre-existing, and Labradors are a breed that meets the vet.

Growth. A large-breed puppy food, measured, and a lean puppy. Fast, fat growth is the enemy of hips and elbows. Five minutes of walking per month of age, twice a day, until the growth plates close at twelve to eighteen months.

Neutering timing. There is good evidence that neutering Labradors before a year raises the risk of joint disease and some cancers. Many vets now suggest waiting until at least twelve to eighteen months. Have the conversation rather than ticking the box at six months.

Watch for: a persistent limp, bunny-hopping, an odd sit, and a puppy who can't keep up. Early dysplasia caught young has more options.

Adult: one to seven

The weight and joint years. A yearly check with an honest body-condition score, a look at the teeth and ears, and a mention of any limp. Allergies usually declare themselves by three: itchy paws, ear infections, hot spots, worse in spring and summer; get a plan, not a bottle of steroids. Ears dried after every swim. Cruciate ligament injuries peak in this window, usually after a skid or a jump. And the odd swallowed sock. Keep the exercise varied, the ball-throwing sane, and the waist visible.

Senior: seven and up

What is not 'just age':

• Stiffness after rest, slowing on walks, reluctance to jump in the car. Arthritis. Very treatable now; weight, exercise, supplements, medication.
• Noisy breathing, a changed bark, tiring easily, gagging on food. Laryngeal paralysis, common in older Labradors. Worth a vet visit, and dangerous in heat.
• Drinking and peeing more. Kidneys, diabetes, Cushing's. A cheap blood and urine test.
• Lumps that grow, change or bother the dog. Most Labrador lumps are fatty and harmless; the ones that change need a needle test. Measure and date them.
• Weight gain with no change in food, a thinning coat, lethargy. Hypothyroidism, common in the breed and easily treated.
• Bad breath, dropping food. Teeth. A senior dental is usually safer than leaving it.
• Night pacing, staring at walls, forgetting the routine. Cognitive decline. There are diets and treatments that help, and earlier is better.

Move to two vet visits a year with bloods from about seven, an arthritis plan at the first stiffness, and a ramp for the car. Shorter walks, more often, swimming where you can. A senior Labrador with managed joints and a lean waist is the best dog you will ever walk.

The whole life, one rule

Lean, sensibly exercised, ears dry, and looked at closely once a week. That rule protects a Labrador at one, at seven and at twelve. Add measured meals, and you have most of the breed's health in a sentence. For the day-to-day version, from the fit check to the senior comfort list, the handbook below puts it in order.