Mary Allen
How old is my dog in human years? So far, the answer was given quite quickly. Because the calculation was “a dog year is seven human years”. However, genetic analysis showed that dogs do not age at a constant rate as humans do, but rather in phases. A new formula for the dog years is needed!
It is a sad fact for every dog owner that our beloved fur noses unfortunately do not live as long as we do. Since the dog has become an important companion of humans and thus often a part of our family, there has been a desire to compare their life and aging with our lifespan. Within a fraction of our lifetime, dogs go through the puppy phase, grow up too quickly, and are already sprightly canine seniors by the time their children have just reached puberty. “Ten years of life” sounds young and fresh to us long-lived people. But dogs that even reach that age are already enjoying their twilight years. To get an idea of the phase of life our four-legged friends are currently in, you can convert it into so-called “human years”.
Until now, you could still convert dog years into human years in your head. Because the common rule of thumb “number of dog years x 7 = age in human years” has been in effect for some time. Of course, other factors also play a role in aging. For example, dogs age somewhat differently depending on their body weight and breed. For comparison: English bulldogs only have a life expectancy of about six to eight years, the little Chihuahua can live up to twenty (!) years if it is bred responsibly. Accordingly, the formula that seven human years correspond to one dog year is not the same for all furry friends.
Dust-Off the Calculator!
A study by the University of California San Diego has now published a new formula in the journal “Cell Systems” to more precisely match the aging process in dogs to human aging. As reported by the Kurier, Trey Ideker and his team at the California university examined the genomes of a total of 104 Labrador Retrievers, based on the analysis of DNA methylation patterns, which allow conclusions to be drawn about the current life stage.
The researchers found that the trajectory of canine aging looks significantly different than human aging: their prime years pass quickly, but the aging process slows down later. So, the accurate formula to convert to dog years is: “ human age = 16 x ln(dog age) + 31 ”. You multiply the natural logarithm of the dog years by 16 and then add 31 to this sum. The conversion no longer works without a calculator.
Best Dog Years Quickly Over
According to this new formula, a one-year-old dog is not seven human years old but comparable to a 31-year-old human. This is because young dog’s age very quickly in the first year of life is almost fully grown, and are already sexually mature. This rapid aging slows down later: according to the formula, a four-year-old dog would be about 53 human years old, a nine-year-old dog “only” 66 human years.
In a press release, Ideker stressed the need to better understand the aging process in dogs, as veterinarians often still use the 7-year rule for their treatments and diagnoses. However, further studies with representatives of other breeds would have to be carried out for broader applicability of the formula to other dog breeds – because the sample of this study consisted only of Labrador Retrievers. So the formula could vary depending on the life expectancy of the breed.