How old is my dog in human years? Answered by Tuscawilla Animal Hospital in Winter Springs Florida.

How old is my dog in human years? Many of our pet owners like to ask us – “How old is my dog in human years?” – it is a very popular question actually. As your dog ages, their healthcare needs to become greater. Since pets age at a faster rate than humans, Tuscawilla Animal Hospital recommends an exam every six months after your pet reaches age 7 to help them be happy, healthy, and of course pain-free.

So how old is your dog?

How old is your dog in human years? The normal well-known answer is to take your dog’s age and times it by seven. However, this calculation isn’t so cut-and-dry. We did some research on the subject and wanted to share it with you now.

As we mentioned, the easy way to calculate a dog’s age is to take 1 dog year and multiple it by 7 years. The calculation is based on the widely accepted assumption that dogs live to about 10 and humans live to about 70, on average.

For example, a dog that is 3 years old is 21 “human years.” So it is safe to assume your dog has all the rights of any American citizen if they were human (i.e. drinking, smoking, joining the military, voting, and so on). This isn’t a bad way to get a good idea of your dog’s health perspective because it helps us humans realize that our dogs aren’t the same as our human children.

Caring your dog based on it’s age. | How old is my dog in human years?

As pets get older, they need extra care and attention. Small dogs are generally considered “senior” at seven years of age. Larger breeds are often senior when they are 5 to 6 years of age.

Good senior pet health care should be a discussion between you and your local Tuscawilla Animal Hospital veterinarian about:

• Diet and weight management
• Joint health
• Cancer screening
• Heart disease screening
• Dental care
• Diabetes screening
• The function of the thyroid, kidneys, and liver
• Eye and vision health
• Pain management

Regular Preventative Care Exams are Important for Senior Dogs. | How old is my dog in human years?

We recommend more regular exams for your dog as it gets older. Recently, I was speaking to my friend that has a dog in human years aged 103 years old. It is blind in one eye and losing some of its fur. But, the dog has a healthy appetite and likes to play ball with my friend. So yes, it is elderly but it gets regular checkups.

Therefore, bringing in your beloved dog to receive regular testing, these test results can allow us to determine what is normal for your pet. Knowing these results helps us detect any abnormalities or problems early on. When diagnosed early, many conditions can be successfully managed, leading to better outcomes for your pet and, often, reduced treatment costs.

Tuscawilla Animal Hospital has developed a comprehensive senior wellness program that meets the needs of your senior pets:

• Complete physical exam – evaluates the heart, lungs, eyes, ears, abdomen, joints, and skin
• Intestinal parasite exam – checks for worms
• Early Disease Detection Testing:
• Urinalysis – detects ph balance, crystals in the urine, abnormal cells, and urinary tract infection
• Blood tests – evaluates the liver, kidneys, thyroid levels, blood sugar levels, white & red blood cell count, and platelet count

*We may also recommend further diagnostics based on exam and test results.

More research on calculating your dog’s age. | How old is my dog in human years?

Believe or not, not all dogs age the same way! It is true, dogs do not age at a rate of 7 human years for each year in dog years. In a recent medical research case study by the American Veterinary Medical Association. It found that The first year of a medium-sized dog’s life is equal to approximately 15 years of a human’s life. Further, it also learned that the second year of a dog’s life equals about nine years for a human. And after that, every human year equals approximately four or five years for a dog.

So to explain this more plainly, your dog adds more human years quickly in its early years. This easily spotted based on the shortened ‘puppy-hood’ a dog has. Where human ‘child-hood’ takes 10 years for what a dog does in less than a single year.

To help your dog live a healthy and happy life, please be aware of arthritis and other related discomfort which could be caused by some unseen underlying condition. So if you see you dog acting irritable, having sight and hearing issues, weight increases, and/or any changes in behavior or activity which could indicate more serious issues.

In my life, I lost a dog to cancer and it was clear to see. His stomach became round and his energy was very low. It was sad to watch him go so quickly due to cancer and I made him as comfortable as possible for his final days. For this reason, Tuscawilla Animal Hospital recommends that you visit your vet (that is us) for exams regularly. We can help with any adjustments that may be needed to be made to give your pets a more comfortable, longer, healthier life.

Your Dog’s Size Matters in the aging progression. | How old is my dog in human years?

If you think that every dog ages the same you would be incorrect in that assumption. A dog ages differently based on its breed’s size. Bigger dogs actually age much quicker than little dogs do. , here’s how a dog’s age compares to a human’s age!

No matter what breed or age dog you own or maybe looking at adopting, check in with us (your vet) to make sure your best canine friend forever will be living a healthy life with you from day one. Again thanks for taking the time to read “How old is my dog in human years?” by the Tuscawilla Animal Hospital. Follow us on Facebook now!