Researchers at the University of Washington in the US, studied the difference between diseases in large and small dogs. Although small dogs tend to live longer than large dogs, small vs large dogs do not differ in the amount of health conditions that they get, but they do differ in the types of health conditions.

The study compared 25,000 dogs of 238 different breeds. Although they did find trends, the researchers stressed that the study does not confirm any causal relationship between a dog’s size, age and disease.

They found that large dogs are more likely to develop cancer, bone-related disease, gastrointestinal problems, ear/nose/throat issues, neurological and endocrine conditions and infectious diseases. Smaller dogs were more likely to have ocular, cardiac, liver/pancreas and respiratory diseases. Both large and small breeds experienced kidney/urinary disease.

“For many types of conditions — including cancer, ocular, cardiac, orthopedic, and ear/nose/throat conditions — different dog sizes were associated with differing patterns of risk over the course of a dog’s lifespan.

The results held up even after the researchers statistically accounted for the dogs’ sex, where they lived, and whether they were purebred or mixed-breed.”

Journal Reference:

1. Yunbi Nam, Michelle White, Elinor K. Karlsson, Kate E. Creevy, Daniel E. L. Promislow, Robyn L. McClelland. Dog size and patterns of disease history across the canine age spectrum: Results from the Dog Aging Project. PLOS ONE, 2024; 19 (1): e0295840 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0295840

Cite This Page:

PLOS. “Big dogs versus small dogs: Which sizes face higher risks of which diseases?.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 17 January 2024. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240117141009.htm>.

Sue’s Note: This information can be used to help dog owners test their dogs for the diseases that they are most likely to get. Your veterinarian can help you keep abreast of potential diseases. This study did not track the illnesses/diseases that are predominant in specific breeds of dogs. It is important to know this information about your dog. For example, certain large breeds are more prone to develop hip dysplasia.