#dogage

During the vet visit for Gucci's rabies shot, we saw the 'Aging in Dogs/Cats' poster in the waiting room at the animal hospital.  According to the chart shown below, our 11-years-old dog is in early-60's in terms of human years.

2013-09-14

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MYTH:  It is popularly believed that "1 human year equals 7 dog years" or the like.

This is inaccurate on two scores, since the first year or two years represent some 18–25 years, and the ratio varies with size and breed.

The aging profile of dogs varies according to their adult size (often determined by their breed): smaller dogs often live over 15–16 years, medium and large size dogs typically 10 to 13 years, and some giant dog breeds such as mastiffs, often only 7 to 8 years. The latter also mature slightly older than smaller breeds—giant breeds becoming adult around two years old compared to the norm of around 12–15 months for other breeds.

  Approximate dog and cat age versus human age:

Dog Years         Human Years                 Cat Years         Human Years

       1                          15                                   1                          15

       2                          24                                   2                          24

       4                          32                                   5                          36

       7                          45                                   7                          45

      10                         56                                  12                         64

      15                         76                                  15                         76

      20                         98                                  18                         88

                                                                         21                       100

  Further reading:  Aging in dogs from Wikipedia