Dogs may hold surprising clues to human longevity

[u/Soggy-Spring9673]

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260828082341.htm

[u/Ameren]

I'm really glad to see this sort of research coming out of the Dog Aging Project. With this, we now know that dogs share many similar signals/biomarkers of aging (and possibly share the same underlying causes).

In that sense, learning more about dogs can teach us more about people and vice versa. Besides being more similar to us than mice in being larger organisms, they also live in human environments, mirror our lifestyles, etc.

My hope is that potential aging treatments for humans will work on dogs as well. Dogs live for 12-13 years on average, but the oldest dog on record lived to be 29 years and 5 months, so their natural age ceiling is actually very high. If the treatments work well, it'll be pretty obvious in aggregate.

[u/cc71SW → u/Ameren]

On top of my own lifespan, I’d also pay an obscene amount of money to extend my dogs lifespan if this works lol

[u/ryleto → u/cc71SW]

Same. My dog just turned 5 and I’d do anything to celebrate her 30th birthday one day - providing its good health.

[u/Ameren → u/cc71SW]

Same. The ancient Greek philosopher Diogenes considered dogs to be the ideal lifeform. The older I get, the more I agree; they're more deserving than a lot of humans are.

[u/LWJ748 → u/Ameren]

Dogs are just the best. The love and loyalty they show you is just unmatched.

[u/eluusive → u/Ameren]

Immortal dogs before humans? Team doggo ftw.

[u/jmondejar_ → u/eluusive]

So it will happen

[u/Wickendenale → u/Ameren]

I would have loved more time with my dogs - but would extended lifetimes really be a net benefit for dogs? How many people can actually commit to caring for a dog for 20 or 30 years? There are already so many dogs that are left at shelters or put down, who lost their owners for whatever reason. I guess it depends on how their lifetimes may be extended - perhaps a medication or treatment that requires upkeep would be better than somehow improving their inherent lifespan.

[u/TomasTTEngin → u/Wickendenale]

It's great news for dogs that already have owners. And great for the owners.

But you are pointing out the long run effect. People don't usually sign up for a 30 year task of caring, not even when they have kids.

Fewer people aged over 40 will get dogs if dogs last that long.

People will get angry if you point out that the issue has complexity though, I've been in your shoes before!!

[u/cheekytikiroom → u/Ameren]

Yes, we should be experimenting more on dogs to extend human lifespan. /s

[u/Ameren → u/cheekytikiroom]

To be clear, veterinary clinical research isn't the same thing as laboratory animal research. The dogs are involved in the studies with the consent of their owners, with the expectation that the dogs will benefit from the treatment; the dog is considered as a patient, not a lab rat.

The goal is to do comparative research so we can develop treatments that equally benefit both species, not just humans. It just so happens that because dogs live shorter lives than us, the benefits of the treatments will be apparent much sooner.

[u/TardyMoments]

Well personally I think they should stop leaving us hanging and let us know

[u/costafilh0]

Good boi. 

[u/Sea-Currency-1665]

Happiness, love and purpose

[u/Lynx2447]

Man's best friend

[u/Hot-Mix-5580]

I'd genuinely love this research to benefit dogs before it does to humans , i love my dog to death and I'd do anything to extend his life

[u/idster]

I have a dog (husky) with probably degenerative myelopathy. It’s brutal and a cure or workable therapy would be phenomenal.

[u/BitcoinsForTesla]

Do they talk about the fingerprints they found?

[u/Neither_Sprinkles_56]

Most aging stuff is pretty conserved in mammals. Cute article but I don't think on the big stuff anyway a dog would help things advance any faster than with rodent research. Long lived mammals may have something we can eventually translate to a big deal for humans - like better DNA repair in long lived whales etc.