As you and I both know, that is most certainly not the case. If one year in a dog’s life matched up with seven in a human’s, it would mean that a seven year old human would be able to reproduce at the age of 7. The simplest piece of evidence is this dogs reach sexual maturity at about a year old to two years old. Sorry to burst your bubble, folks, but at age three in human years, your dog hasn’t been a puppy for a while now. Most of us have gone our whole lives following the belief that one dog year is equivalent to seven human years, but studies now show that this is not, in fact, true. The twice-yearly screenings can ultimately save you money and, more importantly, can keep your pet happy way into its golden years!Ĭall CEDARCREST Animal Clinic at 54 to enroll your dog in our twice-yearly senior wellness program.Let’s say today is your dog’s birthday and they’re turning three so that means that in dog years, they’re 21 years old and officially a legal adult, right? Wrong. In order to allow your pet to live a healthier and happier lifestyle as it enters its senior years, remember to give your pet the gift of ‘health” by maintaining good nutrition, regular exercise and regular screenings for chronic age-related conditions. Obviously, not all chronic conditions fall into the ‘curable’ category, however, some non-curable conditions, like arthritis or certain heart issues can be managed quite successfully when detected early before there is too much damage to internal tissue. People in their 70’s/8 0’s/90’s usually seen a physician more frequently than every 7 or 8 years!!! The twice a year program for senior pets allows your veterinarian to assess a pet’s health status with a physical exam and also, if warranted, allows your pet to receive screening blood tests to detect those subtle internal conditions. Taking your pet in to see the vet for a physical exam twice a year has proven to be an excellent method to detect early and subtle problems that you may not have seen.īecause your older pet will “age” 7 – 8 times faster than you will as you age, the twice-yearly examination is the optimal way to prevent too much time from elapsing between detection efforts. Unfortunately, these conditions, at this point, are no longer in their ‘early’ stages and may be more difficult and certainly more expensive to treat. Many pet owners are likely to seek intervention only after the condition has progressed to the point where their pet may show them some symptoms of that condition. Heart disease, tumors, and other conditions can begin very slowly and subtly. The best way to keep them healthy is by being able to detect a disease or condition early so that intervention can occur earlier.
Obviously, the goal is to keep our dogs, no matter what breed, as healthy as possible as they enter their senior years.
Dogs are more prone to age-related diseases and conditions as they progress into their senior years. A very large breed could be looking at a lifespan of only 12 -14 years, whereas some smaller breeds if kept healthy, can have an additional few years in their “normal” lifespans.Īs an owner, this has practical consequences.
Though the exact rate varies by breed, and the individual animal, in broad terms it means a 7-year-old dog is comparable to a 50-year-old person. Larger breeds of dogs will have a rate of aging (in human years) faster than most smaller breeds. So, while the answer is never perfect, a dog’s biology is typically 7 to 8 times older than their chronological age. “How old is my dog, in people years?” This is not a dumb question! Dogs don’t just have shorter lives than humans, their bodies actually do age quicker.