How do you know if a dog is old? Five telltale signs

THE dogs They are part of the family group of many people and are loyal followers from the first to the last day. Although their lifespan is shorter than that of humans, YESthey are indispensable pillars that can achieve live up to 20 yearsor more depending on some factors.

As with humans, old age in dogs He begins to be noticed through some physical aspects. However, some preliminary aspects must be taken into account before calculating the age.

The breed of the animal, its size and even its sex determine whether it is a pet with a long or short life: Small dogs mature more quickly in the first 24 months.

Some signs that indicate old age in dogs

Changes that could begin to show a pet’s old age may appear in their teeth. Generally, from six or seven years The gums begin to appear swollen or, worse, tooth loss.

Fur is also a sign of old age. As the years go by, it is normal to start seeing gray hair on the face and paws, as well as the fur becoming finer and losing thickness. Muscles also show deterioration over time; They begin to shrink, lose strength and volume.

The same thing happens with some diseases that are more frequent in old age or with the sporadic appearance of these conditions. Furthermore, it can also be viewed with changes of attitude of the pet: the bigger it is, the more common it is to see it loss of appetite, little desire to play or go out walking They also tend to start sleeping more hours than usual.

How to calculate the “human age” of dogs?

Although there has always been a collective belief that the age of dogs should be multiplied by seven each year to know your “human age”. However, over the years several specialists have come to the crossroads of this theory and stated that this was not the case.

What is certain is that the lifespan of dogs will depend on various factors and is not just a question of numbers. Among the most important aspects are breed, size, type of food consumed daily and sex, among other characteristics. For example, smaller dogs have a better lifespan than larger ones.

In this sense, the BBC published an investigation that produced a new formula for calculating the “human age” of dogs: equivalent human age = 16 x ln (chronological age of the dog) + 31. “Ln” is a function mathematics known as the natural logarithm.

“A useful shortcut may be to remember that the dog’s first year is equivalent to 31 human years. Then, every time chronological age of the dog doubles, the number of equivalent human years increases by 11. Eight years therefore represents three “doublings” (from one to two, from two to four, and then from four to eight) giving the dog an age equivalent to 64 (i.e. 31 + 3×11)”, explains the BBC study.