About the Labrador Retriever
The Labrador Retriever descends from the St John's water dog of Newfoundland, brought to England in the early 1800s and developed there into a gundog. It has been the most registered breed in the United States for most of the past three decades, and it is the breed most often chosen as a guide dog, an assistance dog and a detection dog. That is not an accident of fashion: the temperament that makes a Labrador easy to live with is the same one that makes it trainable.
It is a large, powerful, food-motivated dog bred to work all day in cold water. Those traits set the shape of this page. Weight is the dominant health finding, joint disease follows from it, and the drop ears and love of swimming that suit the original job also explain why ear infections are the most common single complaint.
A measured median lifespan of 13.1 years is above the 12.5 years for dogs generally, which makes the Labrador one of the longer-lived large breeds. It also means more years of food, more years of routine care, and a higher lifetime total than a shorter-lived dog of the same size.
How long Labrador Retrievers actually live
The measured median age at death is 13.1 years, from 43,428 dogs of this breed. Breed standards usually quote 11 to 13 years, which describes the standard rather than what was recorded. 12
Every cost figure on this page is calculated across 13.1 years, so lifespan is the most load-bearing number here. It was measured in a UK population, and the American comparison sits below.
US life expectancy at birth for large purebred dogs was 11.51 years, from 13.3 million dogs at Banfield hospitals. That study grouped dogs by adult body size and states that differences between breeds within a size group were not captured, so this is not a US figure for labrador retrievers specifically. It is the American number for dogs of this size, set beside the British number for this breed.
13.1 years, measured
Not a breed-standard range. This is the median age at death recorded across 43,428 Labrador Retrievers in the largest study of canine longevity yet published.
Long enough that the routine costs, not the dramatic ones, make up most of what you will spend.
Overweight and obesity
8.8% of Labradors in UK primary-care records were recorded as overweight or obese, one of the highest figures of any breed in the VetCompass database. This is not a cosmetic problem in a breed already carrying elevated rates of joint disease: 8.3% had osteoarthritis and 6.9% cruciate ligament disease, both of which excess weight makes worse.1
What it costs in years. Weight is the single largest thing an owner controls that changes what a dog costs and how long it lives. It accelerates joint disease, raises anaesthetic risk, and in a 50,787-dog study across twelve breeds, overweight body condition was associated with a shorter lifespan.
What you can do. Weigh the dog rather than judging by eye, and learn to body-condition score. Neutered males were the highest-risk group in this study. Labradors also carry a POMC gene deletion associated with increased food motivation, so a Labrador that always seems hungry may genuinely be, which is a reason to measure meals rather than free feed.
Clinical records capture what a vet recorded during one year. Overweight dogs whose owners never raised it, or whose vet did not code it, do not appear, so 8.8% is a floor. Owner surveys and body-condition studies put the real figure far higher. Obesity itself is not a billable condition. Its cost shows up later in the joint disease and surgery already priced on this page.
How often owners report nothing wrong at all
22.59% of 1673 labrador retrievers in a US survey of 27,541 dogs had no medical condition reported by their owner at all. The purebred average was 22.3% and the mixed-breed average 20.7%. The range across the 25 breeds studied ran from 34.81% down to 8.81%.6
This is the mirror image of everything else on this page, and worth reading alongside it. Owner surveys miss things a vet would catch, so treat it as how often a problem was noticed rather than how often one existed.
Food, grooming and boarding are no longer typed in per breed. Food comes from the veterinary Resting Energy Requirement for a 55 to 80 pound dog, priced at 2026 US kibble rates with a 20% allowance for treats.16 Grooming assumes a short coat on a large dog at national average prices. Boarding assumes eight nights a year, which is the most assumption-heavy figure here and will be wrong for anyone who travels a lot or never travels at all.
Figures on this page were last checked against their sources on August 16, 2026. Every one carries its study and the population it was measured in. How we calculate.
Health problems and what they cost
Every price here is American. Health figures lead with a US study wherever one exists, with British research alongside it, because several of the largest disorder studies in veterinary medicine are UK work and no US equivalent has been published. Where both appear, the American figure comes first. Why American data is so scarce.
Each row shows the figure exactly as the study measured it. We do not convert one kind of measurement into another, because a screening result, an owner survey and a clinical record answer different questions.
- Clinical records One-year prevalence in veterinary records for this breed. The strongest evidence available.
- Owner reported Prevalence among living surveyed dogs at one point in time. Undercounts what owners do not notice, and is not lifetime risk.
- Lifetime, owner reported The share of owners who report the dog has ever had it. Counts everything across a life, so it runs higher than a one-year rate and is not comparable with one.
- Followed cohort A group of dogs enrolled young and followed for life, with diagnoses confirmed by a vet. Cumulative and still accruing, so surviving dogs remain at risk and the figure is a floor.
- Screened dogs The share of dogs submitted to the OFA registry that evaluated abnormal. Submission is voluntary and skewed toward good stock, and a radiographic finding is not the same as needing treatment.
- All dogs Measured across the whole dog population, not this breed. Context only.
Health data from 9 peer-reviewed sources. Prices from 2 US sources. Full list below.
Organ-system context. These are broad categories that already contain the specific conditions below. They are shown for scale and added to no total, because that would count the same disease twice.
- Dental disease76%
- Skin disease36%
- Digestive disease30%
- Musculoskeletal disease15%
Degenerative joint disease
Third most recorded.
Overweight and obesity
Recorded as a diagnosis. In males it was strongly associated with neutering: 4.1% of entire dogs against 11.4% of neutered.
Pyometra
28% of intact female Labrador Retrievers were diagnosed with pyometra by ten years of age, from 1,116 cases among 12,525 insured dogs. This affects females only, and spaying prevents pyometra entirely. No treatment-cost source matches this condition, so it is not priced.
Ear infection (otitis externa)
Significantly more likely than other purebreds. Chocolate Labradors fare worst of all.
Periodontal disease
Not measured in this breed. 11.9% of US dogs in the large size category, which is where a Labrador Retriever falls at about 31 kg, were diagnosed over five years. Size is the strongest predictor in this study: dogs under 6.5 kg were up to five times more likely to be diagnosed than dogs over 25 kg. No treatment-cost source matches this condition, so it is not priced.
Mammary tumor
11% of intact female Labrador Retrievers were diagnosed with mammary tumors by ten years of age, from 462 cases among 12,525 insured dogs. This affects females only, and spaying substantially reduces mammary tumor risk. No treatment-cost source matches this condition, so it is not priced.
Dog bite
No treatment-cost source matches this condition, so it is not priced.
Osteoarthritis
Significantly more likely than other purebreds. No treatment-cost source matches this condition, so it is not priced.
Giardia
No treatment-cost source matches this condition, so it is not priced.
Seasonal allergies
No treatment-cost source matches this condition, so it is not priced.
Dental calculus
No treatment-cost source matches this condition, so it is not priced.
Fractured teeth
No treatment-cost source matches this condition, so it is not priced.
Anal sac impaction
Third most common. Cheap per visit, frequent enough to add up over a lifetime.
Cruciate ligament disease
The strongest predisposition found in this breed, and an expensive one. No treatment-cost source matches this condition, so it is not priced.
Lipoma
Reported in 6.2% of Labrador Retrievers in a survey of 43,005 UK dogs across 192 breeds (95% CI 5.65 to 6.79%). Owner-reported, so it understates conditions owners do not recognize. No treatment-cost source matches this condition. Rather than price it using an unrelated procedure, we leave it unpriced.
Extracted teeth
No treatment-cost source matches this condition, so it is not priced.
Bordetella and/or parainfluenza
No treatment-cost source matches this condition, so it is not priced.
Arthritis
Reported in 3.79% of Labrador Retrievers in a survey of 43,005 UK dogs across 192 breeds (95% CI 3.37 to 4.27%). Owner-reported, so it understates conditions owners do not recognize.
Elbow dysplasia
Reported in 3.46% of Labrador Retrievers in a survey of 43,005 UK dogs across 192 breeds (95% CI 3.05 to 3.92%). Owner-reported, so it understates conditions owners do not recognize. Arthroscopic treatment of elbow dysplasia. Often bilateral, which roughly doubles it.
Allergic skin disease
Reported in 2.8% of Labrador Retrievers in a survey of 43,005 UK dogs across 192 breeds (95% CI 2.43 to 3.21%). Owner-reported, so it understates conditions owners do not recognize.
Hip dysplasia
Reported in 2.22% of Labrador Retrievers in a survey of 43,005 UK dogs across 192 breeds (95% CI 1.9 to 2.59%). Owner-reported, so it understates conditions owners do not recognize. Priced as a total hip replacement, the usual choice for a dog this size. Total hip replacement with a prosthesis. Usual choice for larger dogs, and roughly double an FHO. Referral hospitals price higher. Not every dysplastic dog needs surgery, and both hips roughly doubles it.
Hypothyroidism
Cheap to treat, lifelong. Daily medication plus periodic bloodwork. 2.2% of 1,453 evaluated Labrador Retrievers were graded abnormal. Dogs are submitted voluntarily, mostly by breeders screening good stock, so the true rate in the breed is higher.
Skin tumor or cancer
Reported in 1.54% of Labrador Retrievers in a survey of 43,005 UK dogs across 192 breeds (95% CI 1.28 to 1.86%). Owner-reported, so it understates conditions owners do not recognize.
Patellar luxation
Kneecap slips out of its groove. Mild grades are managed; severe grades are surgical. 1.1% of 4,767 evaluated Labrador Retrievers were graded abnormal. Dogs are submitted voluntarily, mostly by breeders screening good stock, so the true rate in the breed is higher. Per knee. A grade I in a small dog can be under $2,000; a grade IV in a large breed with both knees affected can exceed $6,000.
Congenital heart disease
Screening for heart defects present from birth. 0.2% of 12,754 evaluated Labrador Retrievers were graded abnormal. Dogs are submitted voluntarily, mostly by breeders screening good stock, so the true rate in the breed is higher.
Hip and elbow dysplasia
Needs OFA statistics with the screened-population caveat.
Cancer, any type
Needs a cohort source.
Also recorded in this breed, with a measured rate but no matching treatment-cost source.
- Skin cyst 2% Live UK Kennel Club registered dogs, owner reported
- Degenerative myelopathy 2% Dogs voluntarily submitted to the OFA registry, predominantly breeding stock
What you will actually pay
$41,265Across 13.1 years. About $2,792 a year after the first, which carries the purchase price and setup.
79% of that comes from measured prices. The rest is the puppy and retail assumptions you can adjust.
Where the money goes
The cost of owning the dog, year by year. Health spending is not included here: it is uncertain by nature and is set out separately above.
What makes up the total
- Puppy and setup$3,224
- Routine care$38,041
What to ask the breeder
Ask this breeder for certificates on hip dysplasia (11% of screened dogs abnormal), elbow dysplasia (10% of screened dogs abnormal). Those are the screenings where Labrador Retrievers score worst in the OFA registry, so they are the ones worth seeing paperwork for. A breeder who has done the testing will produce it without being pushed; one who has not will talk about how healthy their line is instead.
Where you live changes the number
Veterinary prices vary by more than half across the country. Everything above is a national average. Pick your state to see what it means for you.
What a Labrador Retriever costs where you live
Average dog vet visit, $57 in West Virginia to $127 in Hawaii. Tap a state.
See all 51 in a table
| State | Avg visit | vs national | Lifetime here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $127 | +81% | $56,873 |
| Massachusetts | $99 | +41% | $49,185 |
| District of Columbia | $97 | +38% | $48,636 |
| California | $94 | +34% | $47,812 |
| Alaska | $84 | +20% | $45,066 |
| New York | $83 | +18% | $44,792 |
| Maryland | $79 | +13% | $43,693 |
| Vermont | $78 | +11% | $43,419 |
| New Jersey | $77 | +10% | $43,144 |
| Washington | $77 | +10% | $43,144 |
| Connecticut | $76 | +8% | $42,870 |
| New Hampshire | $76 | +8% | $42,870 |
| Rhode Island | $76 | +8% | $42,870 |
| Oregon | $75 | +7% | $42,595 |
| Maine | $74 | +5% | $42,321 |
| Arizona | $73 | +4% | $42,046 |
| Colorado | $72 | +3% | $41,771 |
| Florida | $70 | 0% | $41,222 |
| Montana | $70 | 0% | $41,222 |
| Utah | $70 | 0% | $41,222 |
| Delaware | $69 | -2% | $40,948 |
| Idaho | $69 | -2% | $40,948 |
| Nevada | $69 | -2% | $40,948 |
| Virginia | $69 | -2% | $40,948 |
| North Carolina | $66 | -6% | $40,124 |
| South Carolina | $66 | -6% | $40,124 |
| Wisconsin | $66 | -6% | $40,124 |
| Wyoming | $65 | -7% | $39,849 |
| Illinois | $64 | -9% | $39,575 |
| Minnesota | $64 | -9% | $39,575 |
| Nebraska | $64 | -9% | $39,575 |
| Ohio | $64 | -9% | $39,575 |
| Pennsylvania | $64 | -9% | $39,575 |
| Kentucky | $63 | -10% | $39,300 |
| Louisiana | $63 | -10% | $39,300 |
| New Mexico | $63 | -10% | $39,300 |
| South Dakota | $63 | -10% | $39,300 |
| Texas | $63 | -10% | $39,300 |
| Georgia | $62 | -12% | $39,026 |
| Indiana | $62 | -12% | $39,026 |
| North Dakota | $62 | -12% | $39,026 |
| Tennessee | $62 | -12% | $39,026 |
| Iowa | $61 | -13% | $38,751 |
| Michigan | $61 | -13% | $38,751 |
| Missouri | $60 | -14% | $38,476 |
| Alabama | $59 | -16% | $38,202 |
| Arkansas | $58 | -17% | $37,927 |
| Kansas | $58 | -17% | $37,927 |
| Oklahoma | $58 | -17% | $37,927 |
| Mississippi | $57 | -19% | $37,653 |
| West Virginia | $57 | -19% | $37,653 |
Source: 2025-2026 Synchrony Average Procedural Cost Study, ASQ360 Market Research, all 50 states and DC. We apply each state's index only to the veterinary share of the total. Food, grooming, boarding and the puppy price stay at the national figure, because a state's vet pricing says nothing about what a breeder or a bag of kibble costs there.
The number most owners get wrong
$598is what dog owners actually spend on veterinary care in a year, measured by the AVMA. Following the recommended schedule costs $1,301.
The gap is care that does not happen. Only 14% of dogs receive dental care at a vet's office, and 80% have periodontal disease by age three.
What veterinary care actually costs
Two measured figures that disagree, and the gap is the point.
The $703 gap is care that does not happen. We show the higher figure in the total for this breed, because it is what the recommended schedule costs. If you expect to spend closer to the average, the real total for a Labrador Retriever is nearer $30,590.
Where the gap comes from
This is not owners being careless. It is the single largest difference between what veterinary medicine recommends and what actually happens, and dental care is most of it.
- 14%of dogs receive dental care at a veterinary office, in an AVMA owner survey, against a guideline of a cleaning under anaesthesia every year for small breeds and every one to two years for larger ones.
- Two thirdsof pet owners do not provide the dental care their veterinarian recommends, according to the AAHA.
- 80%of dogs have some periodontal disease by age three. It is the most commonly diagnosed condition in adult dogs, and most of it sits below the gumline where an owner cannot see it.
- Roughly a quarterof dog owners reported skipping veterinary visits altogether in the year the AVMA last measured it.
This matters for budgeting in an uncomfortable way. The lower figure is what people spend, not what a dog needs. A dental cleaning deferred is often a set of extractions later, which costs several times more and is not preventive care any insurer will cover.
How much of the total is sourced
79% of the $41,265 figure comes from measured prices: veterinary care from a 50-state cost study, and the lifespan it is spread over from a study of 584,734 dogs. The remaining 21%, about $8,758, is an observed market range for the puppy plus retail assumptions for supplies, a training course and boarding. Those are the numbers to adjust if your situation differs: plenty of people never board a dog.
Dental and visit statistics from the AVMA and the AAHA, 2026. Recommended care priced from the 2025-2026 Synchrony/CareCredit procedural cost study. Actual spending from the AVMA 2025 Pet Ownership and Demographic Sourcebook, self-reported by owners.
Insurance for a Labrador Retriever
Coverage is protection against an uncommon large bill. It is not a way to save money on the care you already know is coming.
The bills it exists for
Documented conditions in this breed where a single episode runs into the thousands. We are not telling you how likely these are, because the prevalence evidence is not strong enough to carry that claim.
- Cancer, any type$3,415–$9,194
- Skin tumor or cancer$3,415–$9,194
- Hip dysplasiaPriced as a total hip replacement, the usual choice for a dog this size.$3,500–$7,000
- Hip and elbow dysplasia$2,291–$6,169
- Elbow dysplasiaArthroscopic treatment of elbow dysplasia.$3,000–$5,000
What the tiers actually buy
Average US premiums for a dog, for the year ended December 2025.
- Accident onlyInjuries, not illness. Cheap because it covers far less.$190 a year
- Accident and illnessThe standard policy and the one most figures refer to. Up 11.5% on last year.$836 a year
- With embedded wellnessAdds routine care. Compare it against what routine care actually costs before assuming it saves money.$1,414 a year
What actually decides whether a claim is paid
Not the breed, and usually not the premium. Carrier terms verified August 2026; they change, and they vary by state.
- Hereditary and congenital conditions are usually covered
- This is the most common misconception about pet insurance. Every major US carrier covers inherited and congenital conditions on a standard accident-and-illness policy, provided they are not pre-existing. Trupanion covers them with no payout limit. Embrace covers them with no per-condition or per-incident limit at no extra cost, and states that its policies fully cover breed-specific conditions. Healthy Paws covers them too. Nationwide makes hereditary and congenital a coverage option you select rather than an automatic inclusion. Cheaper and accident-only policies sometimes exclude them entirely, so it is worth confirming in writing.
- Most pre-existing conditions are excluded
- Anything your dog has shown signs of before coverage began, or during the waiting period, is normally excluded. This, not heredity, is what actually stops most claims being paid. The detail varies more than people expect: several carriers will cover a condition they classify as curable once the dog has been symptom-free and treatment-free for a set period, commonly twelve months, subject to state rules and the policy wording. It is also why enrolling a healthy puppy costs less and excludes less than insuring a dog that already has a history.
- Orthopedic waiting periods vary a lot
- The clearest example of why the carrier matters more than the breed. Healthy Paws applies a 12-month waiting period to anything related to hip dysplasia, and will not cover it at all if the dog was enrolled at six years or older. Trupanion applies its standard 30-day illness waiting period. Some carriers will waive an orthopedic wait after a vet exam. For any breed with joint risk, this single clause can matter more than the premium.
- Standard waiting periods
- Typically 2 to 30 days for illness and 2 to 5 days for accidents. Trupanion is 5 days for injury and 30 for illness. Embrace is 14 days for illness. Nothing that appears during the wait is covered.
- Bilateral condition rule
- If one side of a paired body part was affected before coverage, many carriers exclude the other side too. Relevant for hips, elbows, knees, eyes and ears.
- Age at enrollment
- Premiums rise with age, some carriers cap new enrollment, and some restrict specific conditions for older enrollees. Healthy Paws requires enrollment before the 14th birthday and drops hip dysplasia cover from age six.
Premium range from NAPHIA industry data. Coverage terms from published carrier policies and independent reviews, checked 16 August 2026. We are not an insurance agency, we do not sell policies, and we make no recommendation. Terms vary by carrier and policy, and the exclusions in your own policy govern.
First year breakdown
| Item | What it covers | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Puppy purchase | Observed market range, not an authoritative source | $1,850 |
| Vaccine series | Three rounds plus rabies | $235 |
| Spay or neuter | Includes anesthesia and monitoring | $471 |
| Supplies | Crate, harness, bedding, bowls | $420 |
| Food | About 3.8 cups daily at maturity, computed from body weight | $761 |
| Grooming | short coat, large dog | $250 |
| Boarding | Eight nights a year at an average rate | $480 |
| Preventatives | Flea, tick, heartworm | $708 |
| Training class | Six week group course | $200 |
| Microchip | One time | $48 |
| First year total | $6,016 | |
Worth knowing
Ask this breeder for certificates on hip dysplasia (11% of screened dogs abnormal), elbow dysplasia (10% of screened dogs abnormal). Those are the screenings where Labrador Retrievers score worst in the OFA registry, so they are the ones worth seeing paperwork for. A breeder who has done the testing will produce it without being pushed; one who has not will talk about how healthy their line is instead.
Feeding an adult
At 68 lb, roughly 1458 kcal a day, about 3.8 cups at 380 kcal per cup.
Coat color and health in this breed
This is one of the few breeds where coat color has been measured against health outcomes in a large population. The same VetCompass study behind the figures on this page separated 33,320 Labradors by color and found real differences.1
Why. The pigment is not doing this. Chocolate is recessive, so a puppy only gets it if both parents carry the gene. A breeder aiming for chocolate litters is therefore working from a narrower pool of dogs, and the study's authors suggest that pool carries a higher proportion of the genes behind ear and skin disease. The color is a marker for how the dog was bred, not a cause of anything.
What it does not mean. UK dogs, and the authors note the same pattern may not appear elsewhere: a companion study in Australia was set up partly to test whether it does. They also looked for similar color effects in Pugs and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and found none, so this is not a general rule about coat color in dogs.
What to do with it. It is not a reason to avoid a chocolate Labrador. It is a reason to ask a breeder about the width of their lines rather than the color of the litter, and to expect ear checks to be part of routine care.
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Compare coverage for a Labrador Retriever
Premiums run $190 to $1,414 a year. Routine care of roughly $1,301 a year is not covered by any standard policy, so compare on what happens when something expensive and unexpected occurs.
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The price
This is one of the most registered breeds in America, and sustained demand keeps prices firm even though litters are normal size and whelping is usually straightforward. Expect $1,200 to $2,500 from a breeder who health tests. That figure is an observed market range rather than a sourced statistic, and it is the least reliable number on this page. Everything after the purchase is more predictable: about $2,792 a year in food, grooming, boarding, routine veterinary care, preventatives and dental.
The build
Size itself is a cost driver. Larger dogs live shorter lives, carry more weight through the same joints, need larger doses of every medication, and cost more for every procedure that is priced by body weight. On hips, 2% of Labrador Retrievers submitted to OFA were graded dysplastic. Those are dogs a breeder chose to submit, so the rate across the breed is higher, and a radiographic grade is not the same as a dog that will need surgery. Cardiac screening flags 0.2% of evaluated dogs as abnormal, which is why a cardiac certificate is worth asking for in this breed.
Common questions
How much does a Labrador Retriever cost?
A Labrador Retriever puppy costs $1,200 to $2,500. The first year totals about $6,016 including vaccines, neutering and supplies, then roughly $2,792 a year after that. Across a median lifespan of 13.1 years that is about $41,265 to own. Health costs sit outside that figure and are listed separately, because the evidence is not strong enough to reduce them to one number.
What health problems do Labrador Retrievers have?
The largest measured figure is ear infection (otitis externa): 14% of owners reported it at some point in the dog's life. We have no treatment-cost source for it yet. Each figure on the page states the population it was measured in, because these are different kinds of measurement and are not interchangeable.
Is pet insurance worth it for a Labrador Retriever?
A standard accident-and-illness policy averaged $836 a year in the latest published industry figures. Held flat, that is about $10,952 across 13.1 years, though real premiums rise with age and vary by carrier, state, deductible and reimbursement level, so treat it as a benchmark rather than a quote. Accident-only cover is cheaper at about $190 a year but pays nothing toward illness, and policies with a wellness rider reach $1,414 while mostly prepaying routine care you would buy anyway. Routine care of about $1,301 a year is not covered by any standard policy. Coverage is protection against an uncommon large bill, not a way to save money on predictable care. What decides whether a claim is paid is usually the policy mechanics rather than the breed: pre-existing conditions, waiting periods and bilateral rules.
Sources
Grade A is a peer-reviewed prevalence figure from a large primary-care population. Grade B needs a conversion or comes from a single market. Grade C and D are weaker and labeled wherever they appear.
- 1VetCompass Labrador 2018Grade AData 2013McGreevy PD, Wilson BJ, Mansfield CS, Church DB, Brodbelt DC, Dhand N, Soares Magalhaes RJ, O'Neill DG. Labrador retrievers under primary veterinary care in the UK: demography, mortality and disorders. Canine Genetics and Epidemiology. 2018;5:8.Random sample of 2,074 Labrador Retrievers from 33,320 under UK primary veterinary care during 2013View source
- 2Synchrony/CareCredit 2026Grade BData 2025-20262025-2026 Synchrony Average Procedural Cost Study for Veterinary Practices Across the United States, conducted by ASQ360 Market Research. Published by CareCredit.All 50 US states and the District of ColumbiaView source
- 3Banfield 2023Grade BData 2013-2019Banfield Pet Hospital, State of Pet Dental Health, 2024 release covering 2023 patient data.US primary-care, millions of patientsView source
- 4VetCompass 2014Grade AData 2013O'Neill DG, Church DB, McGreevy PD, Thomson PC, Brodbelt DC. Prevalence of disorders recorded in dogs attending primary-care veterinary practices in England. PLOS ONE. 2014;9(3):e90501.148,741 dogs across 93 UK clinics; 3,884 records reviewed in detailView source
- 5Agria pyometra and mammary tumorsGrade BData 1995-2006Jitpean S, Hagman R, Strom Holst B, Hoglund OV, Pettersson A, Egenvall A. Breed variations in the incidence of pyometra and mammary tumours in Swedish dogs. Reproduction in Domestic Animals 2012;47(Suppl 6):347-350, Table 1.Over 260,000 female dogs insured with Agria in Sweden 1995 to 2006, 110 breeds, followed to 10 years of ageCollected more than 15 years ago. Kept because no newer study of this exists, not because it is current.View source
- 6Dog Aging Project breeds 2023Grade BData 2019-2022Forsyth KK, McCoy BM, Schmid SM, Promislow DEL, Snyder-Mackler N, the DAP Consortium. Lifetime prevalence of owner-reported medical conditions in the 25 most common dog breeds in the Dog Aging Project pack. Frontiers in Veterinary Science. 2023;10:1140417.27,541 US companion dogs enrolled in the Dog Aging Project, owner reportedView source
- 7Wallis 2021 by dog sizeGrade BData 2016-2021Wallis C, Saito EK, Salt C, Holcombe LJ, Desforges NG. Association of periodontal disease with breed size, breed, weight, and age in pure-bred client-owned dogs in the United States. The Veterinary Journal 2021;275:105717, Table 6.2,841,038 US dogs at Banfield hospitals over five years, grouped by breed sizeView source
- 8OFAGrade CData 1974-2026Orthopedic Foundation for Animals, Disease Statistics by Breed. Cumulative evaluations submitted to the OFA registry.US. Voluntarily submitted screening evaluations, not a random population sampleView source
- 9VetCompass 2021Grade AData 2016O'Neill DG, James H, Brodbelt DC, Church DB, Pegram C. Prevalence of commonly diagnosed disorders in UK dogs under primary veterinary care: results and applications. BMC Veterinary Research. 2021;17:69.Random sample of 22,333 UK dogs from 784 clinics during 2016View source
- 10KC survey 2017Grade CData 2014Wiles BM, Llewellyn-Zaidi AM, Evans KM, O'Neill DG, Lewis TW. Large-scale survey to estimate the prevalence of disorders for 192 Kennel Club registered breeds. Canine Genetics and Epidemiology. 2017;4:8.43,005 UK dogs across 192 Kennel Club breeds, owner-reportedView source
- 11Orthopedic price guides 2026Grade CData 2026Published US veterinary price guides and specialist clinic fee pages for hip, elbow and patellar surgery, cross-checked across MetLife Pet Insurance, Lemonade, Vety, PetPlanWise, SustainableVet and SurgiPet. Retrieved 16 August 2026.US, general and referral practiceView source
- 12McMillan 2024Grade AData 2016-2020McMillan KM, Bielby J, Williams CL, Upjohn MM, Casey RA, Christley RM. Longevity of companion dog breeds: those at risk from early death. Scientific Reports. 2024;14:531.584,734 UK dogs including 284,734 deceased, across 155 breedsView source
- 13Dog Aging Project HLESGrade BData 2019-2025Dog Aging Project. Curated Data Summary Tables, Health and Life Experience Survey, 2025 release. Retrieved 17 August 2026.52,599 US dogs enrolled in the Dog Aging Project, owner reportedView source
- 14Banfield US life expectancyGrade AData 2013-2019Montoya M, Morrison JA, Arrignon F, Spofford N, Charles H, Hours M-A, Biourge V. Life expectancy tables for dogs and cats derived from clinical data. Frontiers in Veterinary Science. 2023;10:1082102.13,292,929 unique dogs at 1,152 Banfield hospitals across the USAView source
- 15AKC 2025 registrationsGrade AData 2025American Kennel Club. Most Popular Dog Breeds of 2025, from AKC registration statistics covering 202 recognized breeds.AKC registration statistics for the 2025 calendar yearView source
- 16Care cost model 2026Grade CData 2026The Breed Report care cost model. Food is computed from the veterinary Resting Energy Requirement, RER = 70 x (kg^0.75), times a 1.6 maintenance factor for a neutered adult, divided by kibble caloric density, priced at 2026 US retail. Grooming and boarding are computed from 2026 US national average prices by body size and coat type. Inputs and assumptions are published in full.Computed per breed from measured weight and coat typeView source
Each figure is shown as the study measured it, with the population beside it. We do not convert one kind of measurement into another. See the full method. Not veterinary advice.