Wednesday, April 7, 2010

How to calculate your dog's age in years???



A popular misconception is that for every year of a dog's life, it is equal to seven human years. Therefore if your dog is one years old, he would be 7 years old in human years.

In reality, depending on the size of the dog, all dogs age differently according to the chart above. Dog's grow rapidly, not just in size, but in overall development during the first two years of their life. After the first 2 years the ratio settles down to 5 to 1 for small and medium breeds. For large breeds the rate is 6 to 1, and for giant breeds the rate is 7 to 1. Thus, at 10 years of age a Great Dane would be 80 years old while a pug would only be 64.

How to Tell a Dog's Age

The Teeth: Dogs usually have a set of permanent teeth by their seventh month, so if you've come across a dog with clean pearly whites, he is likely a year old or thereabouts. Yellowing on a dog's back teeth may put the dog between one and two years of age, while tartar build-up at a minimal level could mean you have a dog between 3 and 5. Missing teeth or severe wear usually means the dog is a senior and could use some special dental care.

Muscle Tone: Younger dogs are more likely to have some muscle definition from their higher activity level. Older dogs are usually either a tad bonier or a little fatter from decreased activity... although in some cases this may be hard to gage from due to obesity in dogs.

The Coat: A younger dog usually has a soft, fine coat, whereas an older dog tends to have thicker, coarser (and sometimes oilier) fur. Although it is hard to determine the dog's age solely based on the coat, it can be used as an indicator. Dog food has a lot to do with the health of the coat, and in many cases young adult dogs have very brittle fur due to poor nutrition.

A senior dog may display grays or patches of white, particularly around the snout.

The Eyes: Bright, clear eyes without tearing or discharge are common in younger dogs. Cloudy or opaque eyes may mean an older dog, of course if the dog has no underlying medical issues or allergies.

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