Vets enlist owners of 20,000 pet dogs for health research

A veterinary school in Edinburgh has appealed for labrador retriever owners to take part in the study looking at what influence diet and exercise have on dogs' susceptibility to illness and disease.

Each month they will be asked to log details of their pet's daily life on a website.

Labrador retrievers are the most common breed in the UK and the team from the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and the Roslin Institute hope the results will reveal ways to cut ill-health among the dogs.

Dylan Clements, from the school, said: "The data from Dogslife will provide valuable information on how dogs are looked after by their owners across the UK.

"We hope that assessing the lifestyles and health of a large number of dogs will make it possible for us to identify factors contributing to common illnesses. Ultimately, this may enable us to provide owners with advice on managing their dogs and prevent them developing diseases in future."

The 100,000 project is funded by the Kennel Club Charitable Trust in collaboration with the Centre for Integrated Genomic Medical Research at the University of Manchester, the Faculty of Veterinary Science at the University of Liverpool and the Kennel Club.

Pet owners can volunteer to take part in the study over the next 12 months providing their puppy has been registered with the Kennel Club after July 1 and is six months old or less.

Caroline Kisko, of the Kennel Club, said: "Dogs are not able to talk to us and in veterinary consultations when owners describe their dog's lifestyle, it's not always possible to give the full picture.

"This study will look at how a dog's lifestyle and environmental factors affect the dog's health over time and through this we can ensure better treatment through education for owners on the best care for their pets."

The project already has one recruit, 12-year-old Bryony Singleton from Peebles.

She will pick up her puppy from the breeder at the end of the month when the litter is eight weeks old and has not decided on a name yet.