Wanted: 20,000 pups to lead research into improving Dogslife

Researchers are to chart the lifestyle of up to 20,000 puppies in an attempt to boost the health of dogs throughout the country.

The renowned Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies in Edinburgh and the Roslin Institute have 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 research team hope the results will inform them about how best to cut ill health among the dogs. Dylan Clements, from the vet 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 and is being run 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 1 July and is six months old or less when joining. 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, Bryony Singleton, 12, from Peebles, who has yet to welcome her puppy into her home.

She will pick up her pet from the breeder at the end of the month when the litter is eight weeks old. Bryony's mother Jean Singleton, 52, said: "I think the Dogslife project is a great idea as it will not only help these dogs but also other dogs in the future.

"People tend to feed dogs all different types of food and have different ideas about what you should and should not do, as well as different approaches to exercise. I would be quite interested to find out the statistics from the project and see what emerges at the end of the day."

Bryony said: "The puppies are too young to take home. We are waiting to see them when they are a bit older before choosing which to take.

"We've not decided on a name yet, so hopefully that will just jump out."