First-Ever Comorbidity Network for Companion Dogs Sheds Light on Aging and Disease
Researchers with the Dog Aging Project have developed the first comorbidity networks for companion dogs, providing new insights into how multiple health conditions develop and interact as dogs age. The findings not only promise to enhance veterinary care but may also inform human aging research, highlighting the unique role dogs play as a model species for complex health interactions.
Comorbidities—when two or more diseases occur together—are a central focus in geroscience, the study of aging. Dogs are particularly valuable in this area because they share many diseases, environmental exposures, and aging patterns with humans. By analyzing large-scale health data from companion dogs, researchers can observe patterns that may be relevant across species.
The study drew on data from 26,614 dogs enrolled in the Dog Aging Project, a U.S.-based cohort tracking canine health and longevity. Researchers focused on 160 common health conditions, reported in at least 60 dogs each, to construct an undirected comorbidity network that accounted for age, sex, sterilization status, breed background, and weight. A directed network was also developed to explore the sequence in which conditions tend to appear over time.
The networks revealed both well-documented and previously underexplored comorbidities. Expected associations, such as diabetes with cataracts and blindness and hypertension with chronic kidney disease, appeared clearly. The analysis also highlighted less-studied links, including proteinuria with anemia. Temporal patterns suggested that certain conditions often precede others: diabetes often comes before cataracts, elbow or hip dysplasia precedes osteoarthritis, and keratoconjunctivitis sicca tends to occur before corneal ulcers.
Age proved to be a significant factor in comorbidity patterns. Networks became increasingly complex as dogs aged, with senior dogs showing the highest connectivity. In this oldest group, hypertension and chronic kidney disease were linked for the first time in the analysis, suggesting age-specific disease associations that might inform both veterinary care and broader aging research.
According to the study’s authors, these results demonstrate that companion dogs are powerful models for studying aging and comorbidity. Mapping disease relationships in dogs can improve clinical understanding, aid in disease prediction and prevention, and ultimately guide treatment strategies for both dogs and humans.
The findings demonstrate that dogs can serve as a powerful model for studying comorbidities and aging. This approach could lead to better disease prediction, prevention, and treatment strategies for both dogs and humans.
Full study: Constructing the first comorbidity networks in companion dogs in the Dog Aging Project, PLOS Computational Biology, 2025. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1012728
