“Dog years” exist but not the way we’ve been told
Bottom Line: It’s natural to look at our pet’s lifespans and assume they’re like ours only accelerated. That’s true but only to a point. The pet curve doesn’t appear to resemble anything like what you’ve probably envisioned. If you’ve followed any of the recent research done on our pet’s lifespans, you’ve probably begun to see that the idea of every year of a cat or dog’s life equaling about seven of our years – just isn’t right. The University of California is the latest to produce study results not only exposing the myth but also providing insight into what’s really going on with the pooches. It’s like this...
Dogs mature rapidly and remain middle-aged for most of their lives before a short period of elderly conditions prior to passing. In fact, by the age of three the average lab is the equivalent of a 50-year-old person in terms of maturity, understanding and learning curve. That’s why by around age three, most of the whatever health predispositions a dog may have tend to surface.
The scientists studied DNA changes with dogs and compared them to humans to come up with these findings. So, here’s the new guidance based on the study...
- By age three dogs are like 50-year-old humans
- But by age ten they’ve only aged to about 68
- The average lab dies at the human equivalent of 70
I doubt any of us look at our three-year-old pets as 50-year old’s but that’sin essence what we appear to have. Rapid maturation, most of a pet’s life as middle-aged, and very little aging beyond that point. In fact, past the age of ten, the curve for pet aging may actually be slower than humans. Aging for them certainly doesn’t happen in a straight line or on a natural curve we’re accustomed to.