Pets are a fundamental pillar of any family. What’s more, according to some surveys, 9 out of 10 consider their four-legged friends a fundamental member of the family group.
When it comes to defining the “human” age of dogs, it was always believed that it was enough to take the dog’s age and multiply it by seven. However, it turns out to be a little more complicated than that. Recent research maintains that the aging of dogs varies depending on the breed, so the aforementioned mathematical model is no longer as valid.
A BBC investigation ensures that there are several factors that can affect the average lifespan of dogs. One of the main ones is weight: the more the animal weighs, the shorter its average lifespan will be. However, this may also depend on the quality of the food you eat, your diet, and hours of exercise.
This should not be confused with the size of the dogs, since if this logic is followed, a Labrador should live longer than a Poodle, and it happens completely the other way around. Small dogs live longer than large dogs, since they mature more quickly during their first 24 months of life.
In addition to weight, there are other indicators that can show approximately a dog’s age. From 6 or 7 years old, dogs may begin to show swollen gums or even tooth loss.
On the other hand, the coat is also affected as a dog ages. Gray hair begins to appear in the area of ??the muzzle and legs; In addition, the fur becomes thinner and loses thickness. Another factor is the muscles, which over time begin to decrease and lose strength and volume.
A British scientist prepared a new calculation to find out the age of dogs.
Although historically the human age of dogs was calculated by multiplying it by seven, a British scientist conducted a study testing a different calculation. According to Christian Yates, Senior Lecturer in Mathematical Biology at the University of Bath, a dog’s first year is equivalent to 31 human years.
From then on, every time the dog’s chronological age doubles, the number of equivalent human years increases by eleven. In this way, eight years represents three doublings, so the dog would have a human age of 64 years.
