Dear MEL Topic Readers,
How to calculate your dog’s real age
Many dog owners may wonder how old their loved
pet dogs are. Usually, age refers to the chronological age, the actual
amount of time a dog has been alive. It is widely thought that each year, a dog
gets seven years older. But some may know that dogs age 12 human years in each
of their first two years and four human years in every following year. For example,
a dog that was born five years ago is 36 human years old as calculated: 12 x 2
+ 4 x 3.
However, chronological age doesn’t take any
breed or individual factor into account. In fact, life expectancy varies widely
by breed. For example, while smaller dogs often live over 15–16 years, medium
and large size dogs usually live between 10 to 13 years. Also, there is a wide
gap in living conditions, nutrition, and biomarkers, such as gene expression and
immune cells, just like humans.
So, you can tell the approximate age of your
pet dog chronologically, but actual biological age is hard to calculate. But
perhaps, you also find their aging process by monitoring their daily activities
and individual behaviors, such as how much and fast it eats or runs, how
playful it is, or how quickly it moves and reacts.
Enjoy reading the article and learn how dogs
age chronologically and biologically.
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