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Remember the old 1 year of a dog is equal to 7 years of human life?
xx dog years = xx human years
6 mo. = 7.5 human years
1 year = 15 human years
2 years = 24 human years
3 = 28
4 = 32
5 = 36
6 = 40
7 = 44
8 = 48
9 = 52
10 = 56
11 = 60
12 = 64
13 = 68
14 = 72
15 = 76
16 = 80
17 = 84
There are a few sites that use a similar method. This seems to be the standard that vets use.if 1 year in a dogs life is like 7 people years than 6 months old would be about 3 and a half years on a human and 2 years would be 14 people, and so on and so forth. your math looks a little off to me
i wanted to say as well that i am not meaning to sound like a know it all or a witch either. : )
BeanSophiemom wrote:
"if 1 year in a dogs life is like 7 people years than 6 months old would be about 3 and a half years on a human and 2 years would be 14 people, and so on and so forth. your math looks a little off to me. i wanted to say as well that i am not meaning to sound like a know it all or a witch either. : )"
No, 1 year of a dog’s life does not equal 7 human years. That’s been established by vet schools as incorrect. You’re reading the table incorrectly. The 1 to 7 was the old established rule. You were reading the top as if it were a lead-in to the new table of dogs ages.How does this differ/fit when taking into account different breeds? I’m almost certain that heavy dogs like Mastiffs always have a shorter life expectancy that say a chihuahua – do vets vary this scale to take into account the strain on the heart from being a very heavy breed etc. ? Its very interesting….
Well you are correct in that smaller dogs live longer than large breeds (disease aside). Is this a condition of strain on the heart because of weight? Could be. Possibly it’s just genetics in that breeds have been forced to come about in such a small amount of time. Elephants, just to use a large animal in comparison, live well beyond 60 human years. This then doesn’t support the weight on the heart question.
Mastiffs have a life expectancy of 10-12 (60-64) years and Chihuahua at 15-16 years (76-80) plus. For some reason, there’s a discrepancy in pound to year ratio – a difference of 3-4 years with a weight difference of around 155 lbs between the two breeds. That doesn’t add up. This poses a lot of questions now.Yes….Great Danes, for instance….don’t they normally average about 7 years?
I’ve thought for a long time that the one year to seven year ratio was misleading because smaller dogs can have almost twice the life span of the largest breeds.
What I find interesting is that I know several people who have (or had) very large dogs that live past 15 years old are still doing well overall. I think how the dog is taken care of as they age can make a huge difference. There’s a family on my street that has a beagle that is 18 and he still gets around fine. You can tell "Gator" is still a very important part of the family.
I think dogs that live longer than normal were born with good genes, given proper medical attention, feed a superior diet, and most importantly knew that someone loved them. I have read some articles that have convinced me that over-vaccinating my dogs may shorten their lives.
I’ve been trying to find information about dogs that have had the longest life spans hoping it might give insight into why they did.I find these posts really interesting…
My Siberian Husky Duke died when he was 14 and my beagle died at 16 yrs old.
Duke was on seizure medicine for about 5 yrs before he died so I contribute his death to liver failure…..I know my Snoopy beagle died from kidney failure but he had an enlarged heart too…..Right now I have a Siberian Husky that is 15 yrs old but she has cancer but I feel fortunate she’s still alive….I have a collie Bear that is 12 yrs old……so I"m not sure about the big dog/little dog ratio but there has to be something to it………SuebeeLost my Norwegian Elkhound at 16 years… perfect health up to his last 5 weeks then his kidneys went. The breed is said to live 12-15 years on one site…. 13 years on another.
I just saw a site that says the average life expectancy for Great Danes is under 10 years, however some can live to be 12-13 years old.
i apologize i misunderstood what you were stating in your original post, i wonder why they use the method they use now. hmmmm.
In my first post I forgot to mention the importance of both physical exercise and mental stimulation to promote a longer life of a dog.
I enclosed a link to an interesting website that asks several questions and then gives you your dogs "actual age". I’m glad to know my 8 year old beagle is considered to be 33 which is 14 years younger than average.
I am doing everything I can to keep my 5 beagles as healthy as possible. I already see a remarkable difference with the diet they are on and the amount of exercise they get. I’m lucky my back yard is like a playground to them and that lizards and squirrels will keep them occupied for hours.
Noles, you are right about Great Danes. Some neighbors had 2 that they treated like kids. I once offered them a futon mattress for them and they told me their dogs slept in twin beds in their own bedroom. One just passed away and I think they said he was 13 at the time. It’s easy to see their dogs mean (meant) the world to them and again I think that’s part of why they live so long.
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