Longevity For Dogs

Protecting Dogs from Environmental Toxins: What Every Dog Owner Should Know with Dr. Janice O'Brien

ABOUT THE GUEST Dr. Janice O’Brien is a postdoctoral researcher at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech. Janice is a veterinary epidemiologist and former US Army veterinarian. She has a degree in materials science engineering from MIT, and a veterinary degree from Purdue University. Dr. O'Brien joins us to discuss critical research on environmental toxins affecting dogs, from heavy metals in private well water to household chemicals detected through innovative silicone tag technology. Learn what contaminants are hiding in your home, how they may accelerate aging, and actionable steps to protect your dog's long-term health. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN 📌 [00:00] Introduction: Environmental Contaminants & Canine Health 🚰 [02:38] The Well Water Study: Heavy Metal Contamination in Drinking Water 💧 [04:20] Filtration Systems: What Works & What Doesn't 🏷️ [12:18] Silicone Tags: A Revolutionary Detection Method 🛋️ [13:28] Household Chemical Hotspots 🌍 [18:15] Regional Disease Patterns Across the United States ⏰ [20:26] Environmental Exposures & Aging Trajectories 💡 [23:08] Three Key Takeaways for Dog Owners 📊 [25:23] Municipal Water: What Dog Owners on City Water Should Know CITATIONS 📘 Matheson R, Sexton CL, Wise CF, O’Brien J, Keyser AJ, Kauffman M, Dunbar MD and DAP Consortium (2024) Silicone tags as an effective method of monitoring environmental contaminant exposures in a geographically diverse sample of dogs from the Dog Aging Project. Front. Vet. Sci. 11:1394061. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2024.1394061 📘 O'Brien, J. S., Grzywinski, M., Sexton, C. L., Dog Aging Project Consortium, Dunbar, M. D., & Ruple, A. (2025). Environmental exposures and health outcomes in dogs differ according to geographic region in the United States among Dog Aging Project participants. American Journal of Veterinary Research, 86(9), Article ajvr.25.04.0121, ajvr.25.04.0121. Retrieved Jul 23, 2026, from https://doi.org/10.2460/ajvr.25.04.0121 📘 Sexton CL, O’Brien J, Lytle J, Rodgers S, Keyser A, et al. (2025) Testing for heavy metals in drinking water collected from Dog Aging Project participants. PLOS Water 4(8): e0000296. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pwat.0000296

Multi-Morbidity in Dogs: How Multiple Health Conditions Drive Aging with Dr. Jessica Hoffman

Meet Dr. Jessica HoffmanDr. Hoffman is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science and Mathematics at Augusta University. Her research focuses on understanding the genetic, metabolic, and environmental factors that influence aging across species. She is directly involved in multiple projects looking at the epidemiological and molecular factors associated with health and longevity in dogs.What You'll Learn: 📌 [02:20] What is Multi-Morbidity? Defining the Condition Clusters🔍 [07:23] Sterilization Effects: Does Spaying/Neutering Increase Multi-Morbidity?💊 [10:01] TRIAD Analysis Group: Why Rapamycin Research Matters for Aging Dogs[13:25] Mortality Risk: Even One Condition Increases Death Risk by 67%🦴 [17:28] Osteoarthritis's Central Role: Why Joint Disease Dominates Aging🦷 [22:33] Oral Health & Dental Disease: Why Tooth Extraction Appears in High-Risk Combinations🧩 [27:12] The Cancer-Obesity-Osteoarthritis Triad: Why These Three Conditions Cluster🐕 [33:56] Investigating Diet, Exercise & Molecular Biomarkers of Multi-Morbidity🗝️ [36:02] Looking Ahead: Next Steps in Dog Aging Research📊 [38:25] Open Science Opportunity: Access Dog Aging Project DataCitations:📘 Foreman, E.R., Corlin, L., Creevy, K.E., Hoffman, J.M., et al. Multimorbidity as a predictor of mortality in companion dogs. GeroScience (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11357-026-02342-4 📘 Jin, K., Hoffman, J.M., Creevy, K.E., O’Neill, D.G., & Promislow, D.E.L. (2016). Multiple morbidities in companion dogs: a novel model for investigating age-related disease. Pathobiology of Aging & Age-Related Diseases, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.3402/pba.v6.33276

The oldest love story: The human-canine bond with Dr. Courtney Sexton

🐾 Meet Dr. Courtney Sexton Courtney Sexton is a renowned scientist, researcher, and science communicator who combines her expertise in dog behavior with her passion for understanding the ancient bond between humans and dogs. She's written for the Smithsonian Magazine, was an AAAS Fellow, and leads groundbreaking research on dog domestication, behavioral communication, and longevity. Her unique approach bridges the gap between rigorous scientific investigation and accessible communication about what our furry companions are really thinking and feeling. 📌 What You'll Learn: 🐕 [00:57] How the 30,000-year human-dog bond began and why it's lasted longer than any human romance in literature 🧠 [17:48] The fascinating science behind dog head tilting—and what it reveals about how dogs process familiar words and warm tones 📊 [24:32] Why dogs adopted during the pandemic showed different trainability scores than pre-pandemic dogs—and what this tells us about dogs as "sentinels of human experience" 💔 [45:21] Groundbreaking research on grief in dogs and how loss affects canine brain health 🎯 [49:13] The biggest mistake people make when interpreting what their dogs are really telling them ❤️ [40:25] Simple daily practices backed by science that could transform your dog's longevity and health Citations: 📘 Sexton CL, Diogo R, Subiaul F, Bradley BJ. Raising an Eye at Facial Muscle Morphology in Canids. Biology. 2024; 13(5):290. https://doi.org/10.3390/biology13050290 📘 Sexton CL, Buckley C, Lieberfarb J, Subiaul F, Hecht EE, Bradley BJ. What Is Written on a Dog’s Face? Evaluating the Impact of Facial Phenotypes on Communication between Humans and Canines. Animals. 2023; 13(14):2385. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13142385 📘 Li Y, Sexton CL, DAP Consortium, Fitzpatrick A, Ruple A (2025) An analysis of behavioral characteristics and enrollment year variability in 47,444 dogs entering the Dog Aging Project from 2020 to 2023. PLOS ONE 20(9): e0330257. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0330257 📘 Buckley C, Sexton CL, Martvel G, Hecht EE, Bradley BJ, Zamansky A, Subiaul F. What Does That Head Tilt Mean? Brain Lateralization and Sex Differences in the Processing of Familiar Human Speech by Domestic Dogs. Animals. 2025; 15(21):3179. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15213179

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Epigenetic Clocks & Dog Aging: Why Larger Dogs Age Faster with Dr. Blaise Mariner

About Our Guest Blaise Mariner is a postdoctoral scientist at Arizona State University working with Dr. Noah Schneider Mackler on the groundbreaking Dog Aging Project. With a PhD from the University of New Mexico in molecular biology and biochemistry, Blaise specializes in epigenetics, DNA methylation, computational biology, and how these mechanisms influence aging rates across different dog breeds. His research bridges fundamental aging biology with practical applications for extending health span in companion animals. --------------------------------------------------- 🧬 DNA Methylation & Epigenetic Clocks — How chemical modifications to DNA can reveal a dog's true biological age, separate from chronological age 🐕 Body Size & Aging Rate — Why larger dog breeds show faster epigenetic aging slopes and what this tells us about lifespan differences 📊 Transposable Elements — The role of mobile DNA elements in aging and how they're dysregulated faster in bigger dogs 🎯 Mendelian Randomization — A statistical breakthrough for identifying causal links between methylation patterns and phenotypic outcomes like mobility 🧪 Consumer Epigenetic Tests — What dog owners should actually know about biological aging tests (and their limitations) 🚀 The TRIAD Rapamycin Study — How the Dog Aging Project will soon test whether an intervention can slow epigenetic aging in real dogs ----------------------------------------------------- 00:00 — Introduction to Blaise Mariner and his journey to dog aging research 05:30 — What is DNA methylation? Understanding epigenetics and epigenetic clocks 08:45 — Chronological age vs. biological age 12:20 — The body size effect: Why larger dogs show steeper epigenetic aging slopes 15:50 — Male vs. female dogs: Subtle differences in epigenetic aging rates 18:30 — What are transposable elements and why do we have them? 22:15 — Methylation drift: How older dogs lose control of mobile DNA elements 29:10 — Introduction to Mendelian randomization and its power for aging research 36:20 — What "causal" really means in epigenetics research 39:45 — Consumer epigenetic age tests for dogs: Promise and limitations 46:15 — The biggest opportunities ahead: Non-invasive biomarkers and longitudinal tracking ----------------------------------------------------- 🎯 Subscribe to stay updated on the latest discoveries in dog longevity research 💬 Leave a comment with your questions about epigenetics, dog aging, or the implications for your own pet 🔔 Turn on notifications so you don't miss upcoming episodes. ------------------------------------------------- Citations Blaise L. Mariner, Brianah M. McCoy, Ashlee Greenier, Layla Brassington, Elizabeth Slikas, Christine Adjangba, Abbey Marye, Benjamin R. Harrison, Tal Bamberger, Yadid Algavi, Efrat Muller, Adam Harris, Emily Rout, The Dog Aging Project Consortium, Anne Avery, Elhanan Borenstein, Daniel Promislow, Noah Snyder-Mackler. DNA methylation of transposons pattern aging differences across a diverse cohort of dogs from the Dog Aging Project. bioRxiv 2024.10.08.617286; doi.org/10.1101/2024.10.08.617286 Brianah M. McCoy, Blaise L. Mariner, Claire F. Cheng, Elizabeth Slikas, Christine Adjangba, Ashlee Greenier, Layla Brassington, Abbey Marye, Benjamin R. Harrison, Maria Partida-Aguilar, Tal Bamberger, Yadid Algavi, Efrat Muller, Adam Harris, Emily Rout, The Dog Aging Project Consortium, Anne Avery, Elhanan Borenstein, Daniel Promislow, Noah Snyder-Mackler. Aging at scale: Younger dogs and larger breeds from the Dog Aging Project show accelerated epigenetic aging. bioRxiv 2024.10.03.616519; doi.org/10.1101/2024.10.03.616519 Novototskaya-Vlasova KA, Neznanov NS, Molodtsov I, et al. Inflammatory response to retrotransposons drives tumor drug resistance that can be prevented by reverse transcriptase inhibitors. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2022;119(49):e2213146119. doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2213146119

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Feeding Frequency and the Canine Brain with Dr. Emily Bray

About Dr. Emily Bray 🧠 🎓 Assistant Professor, The University of Arizona 🐕 Director of the Behavioral Research Across Years (BRAY) Lab 🔬 PhD in Cognitive Psychology Emily Bray brings a unique perspective to canine science, bridging evolutionary anthropology, behavioral cognition, and real-world applications. Her work at Canine Companions and the University of Arizona explores how genetics, environment, feeding practices, and mental engagement impact your dog's healthspan and cognitive longevity. In This Episode 📺 We dive deep into the science of dog aging and cognition with one of the leading researchers in the field. Discover surprising findings about feeding frequency, learn how to spot cognitive decline in your senior dog, and explore the factors that genuinely affect your dog's brain health and longevity. Don't miss the groundbreaking research on feeding frequency that contradicts everything you thought you knew! ⏰ Timestamps [00:03:28] Work with Canine Companions Service Dogs [00:05:48] How Service Dogs are Bred, Raised & Trained [00:11:02] The Canine Companions Puppy Raising Program [00:13:25] Research Findings: College vs. Prison vs. Community Environments [00:15:24] Waiting Lists & Why This Research Matters [00:19:10] The Feeding Frequency Study: Major Finding on Cognitive Function [00:24:50] Cognitive Dysfunction in Senior Dogs [00:35:43] Active Service Dogs vs. Retired Dogs: New Research 📚 Citations & Resources Bray EE, Zheng Z, Tolbert MK, et al. Once-daily feeding is associated with better health in companion dogs: results from the Dog Aging Project. Geroscience. 2022;44(3):1779-1790. doi:10.1007/s11357-022-00575-7 Canine Companions for Independence. Service dog statistics and breeding program data. www.caninecompanions.org Dog Aging Project. University of Washington-led longitudinal study on canine aging and healthspan. www.dogagingproject.org Arizona Canine Cognition Center. University of Arizona research on dog behavior and cognition. College of Veterinary Medicine. Canine cognitive dysfunction scale (CCDS) referenced for identifying age-related behavioral changes in senior dogs. Subscribe for more conversations on pet longevity science, aging, and optimizing your dog's healthspan! 🐕💚 Learn more at dogaginginstitute.org Got questions about your dog's aging or behavior? Drop a comment below!

Impact of nutrition and the environment on canine aging with Dr. Audrey Ruple

ABOUT THE GUESTDr. Audrey Ruple, DVM, MS, PhD, DipACVPM, MRCVS, FNAPDorothy A. and Richard G. Metcalf Professor of Veterinary Medical InformaticsVirginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine | Virginia TechAudrey is a veterinary epidemiologist and cancer biologist, known for her pioneering work in canine aging and health outcomes.--------------------------------------------------------------------This conversation dives into what actually helps dogs live longer, healthier lives, based on real data from tens of thousands of dogs across the United States.You’ll learn:💪 Why maintaining a healthy weight is one of the strongest predictors of canine longevity🥩 What the Dog Aging Project reveals about diet quality, nutritional completeness, and common feeding mistakes. 💊 Which supplements have real evidence behind them (including omega‑3s)🦮 How exercise, environment, and preventive veterinary care shape a dog’s aging trajectory🐶 Why social needs vary dramatically between dogs - and how to support your dog’s emotional well‑being🧩 How lifestyle factors cluster together to influence long‑term healthIf you want to understand the real science behind canine longevity — not myths, trends, or marketing — this episode is packed with practical, evidence‑based guidance.Key Topics Covered- Canine longevity research- Dog Aging Project insights- Nutrition & homemade diets- Joint supplements & omega‑3s- Exercise & weight management- Preventive veterinary care- Social environment & emotional health--------------------------------------------------------------------REFERENCES1. O'Brien, J. S., et al. "Findings from the Dog Aging Project: Home-Prepared Diets for Companion Dogs Feature Diverse Ingredients, and Few Are Nutritionally Complete." American Journal of Veterinary Research, vol. 86, no. 11, Aug. 2025, pp. ajvr.25.06.0216. PMID: 40865554.

Dog Brain Health & Dementia: What Science Shows About Canine Cognitive Aging with Dr. Evan MacLean

Visit us at dogaginginstitute.org to learn more or to support this work. Discover what happens to your dog's brain as they age. In this episode, we sit down with leading researcher Dr. Evan MacLean to explore canine cognition, cognitive decline, and senior dog behavior changes.What You'll Learn:🧠 How canine cognition develops and changes throughout a dog's lifetime🧠 Early warning signs of canine cognitive dysfunction (dog dementia)🧠 Behavioral shifts in aging dogs and what they mean🧠 Cutting-edge science on dog brain health and cognitive aging🧠 What you can do to support your senior dog's mental healthWhether you have a young pup or a beloved senior companion, understanding how your dog's brain works (and ages) is crucial to providing the best care possible. Dr. MacLean breaks down complex neuroscience into practical insights for dog owners.Guest: Dr. Evan MacLean | The University of Arizona, Canine Cognition Center Keywords: canine cognition, dog dementia, senior dogs, cognitive dysfunction, dog aging, pet health, dog brain health, animal behavior, neuroscience, the dog aging institute, dog aging project

Epigenetic impacts on canine aging with Dr. Noah Snyder-Mackler

What if we could accurately measure a dog's biological age - and even slow down aging itself? In this episode, we dive deep into canine aging research with Dr. Noah Snyder-Mackler, a professor and researcher within the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University. Noah shares groundbreaking insights into:✨ The canine epigenetic clock - A revolutionary tool that tracks aging at the molecular level🐕 Canine social behavior - How dogs' relationships affect their health and longevity🔬 Why dogs are the perfect research subjects - What studying our best friends reveals about aging across species💡 Practical implications for pet owners - What this science means for your dog's health and lifespanWhether you're a dog lover, a pet owner curious about extending your dog's years, or someone fascinated by the science of aging, this episode offers eye-opening discoveries that could change how we care for our canine companions. Learn more at dogaginginstitute.org

From the Beginning

Discover the science helping dogs live longer, healthier, happier lives. Tune in as our board members share the story of the Dog Aging Project, explain the goals of the TRIAD clinical trial, and describe how The Dog Aging Institute was founded to drive real-world change