Note: This article on the best dog longevity products is the sixth in our series on life extension for dogs. We’ve already covered dog dental health, dog diet, dog exercise, dog medical tests and procedures, and the best dog longevity supplements. Our final piece in the series is an overview guide to dog life extension.
Over the last few weeks we’ve covered many different strategies for keeping your dog healthy and hopefully extending their lifespan.
From caloric restriction and fasting, to long bouts of low impact exercise, to specific supplements and medicines, there’s a lot to keep in mind when it comes to canine life extension.
Luckily, you don’t have to do it all yourself, and there are many different tools and dog longevity products that can help you keep your pup healthy, happy, and fit.
Using the research from our previous articles on dog longevity, we’ve gone back and culled what we consider some of the best products to aid you in your dog longevity efforts.
While this isn’t a comprehensive list, we think it’s extensive enough to at least cover most of your bases and help your dog enjoy many healthy years as part of your family.
Affiliate Disclaimer: Longevity Advice is reader-supported. When you buy something using links on our site, we may earn a few bucks.
Table of Contents
The best dog longevity products
Every one of these dog longevity products was selected based on research done over the course of this series on dog longevity.
Each has scientific studies suggesting that it can increase either dog lifespan or healthspan, and these studies have been linked in the product descriptions below.
1. LeapYears dog longevity supplement
Price: $62.99
As LeapYears co-founder and CEO Nick Sinclair told me, “The number of dog supplement products out there that claim longevity is a lot. The number that can prove longevity is zero.”
That said, LeapYears certainly comes close, being the only dog NAD+ booster on the market that has a rigorous randomized controlled trial suggesting it may improve the healthspan and mental agility of older dogs.
While there are many more NAD+ booster products on the market for both dogs and cats, including products by DoNotAge, and Renue by Science, LeapYears is the only one so far to have funded a study into how their product actually impacts dog health.
While the study results are not a total slam dunk, as pointed out by SkepVet blog author Brennan Mckenzie, they do still seem to show the product can improve cognitive and physical health for older dogs.
2. EasyDNA DogCheck 4.0 (Canine) Genetic Disease Test
Price: $169
Dogs, like humans, can be afflicted by all kinds of genetic abnormalities and diseases which may impact their longevity.
Luckily with many of them, such as exercise induced collapse, being forewarned is forearmed, and you can take steps to mitigate these risks for your dog.
There are now several great dog DNA tests on the market. While many of them only look at breed and ancestry, a few also look at genetic health markers.
For instance, Embark, Wisdom Panel, and EasyDNA all have DNA kits which can test for different genetic diseases and risks in dogs. Of these, EasyDNA’s seems to have the most comprehensive test, with over 320 different genetic diseases tested.
This test needs a simple saliva swab which you do at home and then send into the company for analysis. No difficult or scary blood draw required.
3. Embark dog biological age test
Price: $159
Just as a dog DNA test can give you insight into potential future health issues for your dog, a dog biological age test can help you see the impact of your current and past dog longevity interventions.
By telling you if your dog is aging slower or faster than normal, a dog biological age test, like that offered by Embark, can be a useful tool to track if what you’re doing for your pup’s health is actually having a positive impact.
These tests, similar to the DNA tests above, usually just involve a simple saliva swab, so you don’t have to worry about any blood draws or more complicated collection of genetic material.
4. Dog car ramp
Price: $98.99
A somewhat unintuitive dog longevity product, a dog car ramp is especially important for large and giant breed dogs who disproportionately suffer from osteoarthritis and joint injuries as they age.
Studies suggest just jumping from the height of a car trunk puts up to four times the force on a dog’s joints as taking a normal step does. And joints that have been injured are more likely to develop osteoarthritis with age. Dogs with osteoarthritis not only experience more pain, they also have lower mobility, less ability to exercise, and often lower lifespans.
Especially when it is cold out, and when exiting a car onto hard surfaces like concrete, a dog car ramp can help spare your pup’s joints and give them a more pain-free old age.
5. Dog weight vest
Price: $144.99
While high-impact exercise like flyball competitions and even fetch can put stress on your dog’s joints and lead to injury, long amounts of low impact exercise, even at high intensity like running, doesn’t seem to cause injury and still gives your dog all the health benefits of daily exercise.
A 10 year study of dogs exercising “on a treadmill at 3 km/hr for 75 minutes 5 days a week for 527 weeks while carrying jackets weighing 130% of their body weight” found no development of osteoarthritis or joint injury in any of the dogs.
So if you want your dog to gain muscle and get great exercise, while minimizing the risk of injury and joint disease, a weighted vest seems like an ideal dog longevity product to take on daily walks and hikes.
6. Dog scale
Price: $299.98
Dogs that are overweight and obese live shorter, less healthy, less active lives than those that are a healthy weight.
While you can use visual cues and a dog weight chart, such as that provided by the Purina Institute, to estimate if your dog is an appropriate weight, most people incorrectly estimate their dog’s weight, so the most accurate measure is a scale.
Most dogs don’t fit on human-size bathroom scales (or won’t stay long enough for an accurate measurement) so a scale designed to accommodate their size and shape can be the best way to make sure they maintain a healthy weight.
7. Dog food measuring cup
Price: $9.99
The most scientifically-supported thing you can do for your dog’s longevity is to feed them less.
Caloric restriction by 25% is the intervention with the most proven impact on dog life extension. In a 14-year study of 48 labrador retrievers it was shown to extend average dog lifespan by 1.8 years.
That’s almost 14 in dog years!
And the best way to know you’re feeding your dog a calorically-restricted diet (our dog Kipling has been on one since we got him at 9 weeks old) is to measure each meal with a dog food measuring cup.
8. Fish oil
Price: $36.97
Fish oil for dogs is good not just for joints and coat health, but also longevity.
Fish oil, and the omega oil for dogs it provides, protects against osteoarthritis, cognitive decline, inflammation, heart disease, and can even extend the lives of dogs suffering from cancer.
And it’s safe to give dogs, with an NRC safe upper limit of 370 mg/kg of dog body weight.
We’ve gone with the Zesty Paws brand, which has a National Animal Supplement Council seal, for a quality fish oil for dogs.
9. Green-lipped mussel
Price: $31.54
This compound, along with fish oil, is one of the best joint supplements for dogs according to the research.
It’s been shown in multiple studies to lower joint pain, swelling, and improve mobility in dogs with osteoarthritis.
Adding some green-lipped mussel as a supplement to your dog’s food may help with their joints as they age.
10. Astaxanthin dog dental treats
Price: $51.29
Your dog’s teeth and oral health is an important element of their longevity. Periodontal disease has been shown to increase risk for cardiovascular disease, cognitive dysfunction, and morbidity in dogs, so it’s important you keep your dog’s pearly whites clean and clear.
And dog dental treats have been shown to reduce plaque formation: a crucial element in maintaining dental health.
Astaxanthin is a potential dog longevity supplement, though not as studied or proven as supplements like fish oil. So combining it into a canine dental treat product feels like killing two birds with one, tasty stone.
This is the dog dental treat product we use for Kipling, in addition to the occasional Greenies, and he absolutely loves it.
In fact, it’s his reward for letting me brush a few of his teeth each day. Which brings us to the next essential dog longevity product…
11. Dog toothbrush and toothpaste set
Price: $25.00
While dog dental treats can help a little with preventing plaque and gum disease, the real gold-standard for canine dental health is, like with humans, tooth brushing.
In fact, according to a 2019 study, it’s three times better at controlling plaque than dental chews or dental diets.
Make sure to brush daily (even if, like me, you have to bribe your dog to do it!) as this has been shown to work better compared to weekly brushing, and you want to brush upwards from the gums.
One of the best dog toothpastes for tartar and plaque control is Petsmile, which also happens to be the only canine toothpaste accepted by the Veterinary Oral Health Council.
12. Placebos for Pets?: The Truth About Alternative Medicine in Animals by Brennen McKenzie
Price: $16.99
This book, by SkepVet blog proprietor and dog longevity scientist (he works at dog life extension company Loyal now) Brennen McKenzie, is a useful evaluation tool for every pet owner to have in their mental arsenal.
In a comprehensive but readable 480+ pages McKenzie looks into the scientific claims of all kinds of pet health products, supplements, and procedures, and explains how to look at and evaluate the scientific evidence behind each one for yourself.
From cannabis to acupuncture, and probiotics to prolotherapy, his book gives you the mental and scientific tools you need to understand if a specific therapy could be good, bad, or ineffective for your dog.
13. OncoK9 multi-cancer early detection (MCED) test for dogs
Price: $400-$500 depending on provider
About half of all elderly dogs die of cancer, which makes dogs ten times more likely to be diagnosed each year with cancer than humans are. I lost a childhood dog to tongue cancer when she was only eight.
But detecting it early can help with treatments, like therapeutic diets with fish oil, which can extend your dog’s lifespan and survival.
The OncoK9 cancer detection test for dogs is a simple blood draw, similar to the Grail Galleri test for humans, that can detect multiple different cancers in one go. A clinical trial found it had an 85.4% detection rate for some of the most deadly dog cancers, including lymphoma, hemangiosarcoma, and osteosarcoma.
While it’s not available over the counter, you can get it with a prescription from your vet and, depending on breed, it may be worth starting at age 4-8.
14. Embrace pet insurance
Price: Average of $51 per month (depending on coverage)
Pet insurance is a low-risk way to make sure your decisions about your dog’s health are driven by their needs, and not by your wallet. A 2020 study of dogs with gastric dilation which required surgery found that dogs without pet insurance were seven times more likely to be euthanized compared to dogs with insurance. Even though the survival rate for the surgery was 86%, only “53% of non-insured animals survived to hospital discharge.”
As I mentioned in our article on cat longevity products, we use Embrace pet insurance for our dog Kipling and, with his beer-koozie and sock-eating habits necessitating several expensive surgeries, it’s been a life-saver (literally).
They don’t cover annual checkups, but the big surgeries and vet bills have been covered, and they’ve been really good about paying out after we submit claims.
Other top dog life extension products?
What good dog longevity products did we miss?
If you’re looking for more great options, be sure to check out our list of the top dog longevity supplements, as well as our deep-dive into the best dog food for longevity.
I’m the co-founder of Longevity Advice and have been passionate about radical life extension ever since I was a teenager. Formerly I was a content marketing director in the B2B software space. I’m also a sci-fi novelist, wargame rules writer, and enthusiast for cooking things in bacon fat. My sister once called me “King of the Nerds” and it’s a title I’ve been trying to live up to ever since.