Audrey Ruple collaborates with Dog Aging Project, a long-term study following 50,000 companion dogs across the United States.

The project aims to build a longitudinal dataset on canine health and aging by collecting information from dogs living in human homes, with enrollment beginning at the end of 2019 and current funding that started in 2018 backed by the National Institutes of Health.

The Dog Aging Project follows tens of thousands of companion dogs over time to identify how genes, diet, lifestyle, environment, and social factors influence aging and disease, creating the largest longitudinal dataset on canine health to date. The study includes dogs from all over the United States, including Hawaii and Alaska, and seeks to capture how animals experience shared environments with their owners. “The Dog Aging Project is a long-term, longitudinal project where we’re collecting information from our companion dogs that are owned all across the United States,” Ruple said, summarizing the study’s scope. How does the Dog Aging Project contribute to our understanding of pet aging?

Ruple holds multiple roles at Virginia Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine: Associate Professor of Quantitative Epidemiology, Metcalfe Professor of Veterinary Medical Informatics, and Program Director of the Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences Graduate Program. She described the rationale for large-scale monitoring in simple terms: “Dogs are good sentinels for human health hazards.” As the project reveals population-level trends in pet aging and health, it provides vital insights for both veterinary care and human health studies.

The project’s scale—tracking 50,000 animals—was designed to reveal population-level patterns that smaller studies cannot. Ruple said that the research team has already “learned a lot about dogs” through the datasets they are assembling and that the effort addresses gaps in veterinary care: “One of the specialties that does not yet exist for our dog companions is geriatrics.” With a substantial proportion of dogs in the U.S. now reaching senior status—often considered 8 years or older—this growing demographic significantly impacts the demand for specialized veterinary care.

Researchers are collecting data from companion dogs living in private homes rather than laboratory settings, aiming to record exposures and health outcomes that mirror human environments. Ruple noted that “Dogs end up having these huge exposures to our environment that are obviously really similar to the types of things that we’re exposed to.” In light of this, dog owners are encouraged to support their pets’ health by scheduling more frequent veterinary exams, maintaining a healthy weight with appropriate senior nutrition, and providing regular, low-impact exercise to preserve mobility and muscle mass.

Ruple discussed the project on a Virginia Tech podcast hosted by Travis Williams, who is listed as a podcast host affiliated with Virginia Tech. The interview was published by Virginia Tech News and outlines the project’s goals and the kinds of information the team hopes to gather from participants.

The Dog Aging Project operates with NIH funding that began in 2018 and moved into active enrollment at the end of 2019. Project leaders have emphasized the long-term nature of the study as central to identifying how genes, diet, lifestyle, and environment influence aging and disease in companion animals.

As the work continues, Ruple emphasized clinical context alongside research goals: “Well, there’s obviously some well-known veterinary care information that I’m going to speak to first because I am a veterinarian in addition to having a Ph.D.,” she said, noting the intersection of clinical practice and large-scale data collection. By addressing the intersection of human and canine health, this project aims to inform not only veterinary medicine but also comparative studies within human health.

The study’s nationwide reach, including U.S. states that are often underrepresented in large projects, is intended to make its findings broadly applicable to companion animals and to inform both veterinary medicine and comparative studies of human health.

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Original reporting: view the original article.