When you bring a puppy home, you usually know their birthday and exact age. However, estimating the age of a dog rescued from a shelter can be difficult.
Why does knowing your dog鈥檚 age matter? 鈥淭he reason it鈥檚 important to estimate your dog鈥檚 age is that age influences so many aspects of your dog鈥檚 quality of life: for example, diet, exercise, and healthcare requirements,鈥� explains Dr. Jerry Klein, Chief Veterinary Officer for the AKC.
While you may not discover an actual birthdate, there are numerous observations you and your veterinarian can make that can help you estimate your dog鈥檚 age.
Physical Characteristics
Coat
Just like people, many dogs turn gray when they get older. Also, like people, this can vary greatly. However, a dog with a gray muzzle is almost always a mature adult. An older dog may also lose some hair and some elasticity or suppleness in their skin.
Teeth
Veterinarians will often examine a dog鈥檚 teeth to help approximate their age. By the time a dog is six months old, they should have their adult teeth. As the dog gets older, their teeth may become stained or accumulate tartar; your pet may also experience periodontal disease. The teeth will also show patterns of wearing down. If your dog鈥檚 breath is stinky, that can also be an indication of older dog teeth due to tartar buildup or disease.
Eyes
Senior dogs can have cloudy or bluish eyes. This change is caused by (also known as nuclear sclerosis), a normal change that occurs with aging in the lens of the dog鈥檚 eye. If your dog鈥檚 eyes appear white and opaque, they may also have cataracts. Half of dogs older than nine and almost all dogs older than 13 are estimated to experience one or both of these conditions.
Pads of Feet
You may have noticed that puppies have soft, pink pads on their feet. They haven鈥檛 yet put in miles of walking and running on various surfaces to condition the . Older dogs have hardened, darker pads that may become dry and cracked; however, this can occur in middle-aged dogs, too. Nails may also be brittle.
Muscle Tone
Healthy adult dogs are muscular, strong, and lean. Aging dogs often lose muscle tone and are more sway-backed, with a bonier look and prominent spine. Middle-aged dogs may develop fat pads over the lower back or lumbar area. Proper exercise for senior dogs can help them maintain a healthy weight, improve mobility, and minimize muscle loss.
Behavioral Characteristics
Energy Level
When you adopt an adult dog, it can take days or even weeks before they feel confident and comfortable enough in their new environment to display their true personality. However, if they maintain a continuing low level of energy and prefer to curl up and sleep away the day, it may be because they are older.
Movement
If a dog has trouble getting up from their nap or climbing the stairs, or they鈥檙e refusing to take long walks, they may be suffering from arthritis, which is most commonly seen in senior dogs. At least one in five dogs will develop arthritis.
If your dog seems stiff in the legs, hips, or back, ask your veterinarian for supplements that can help alleviate the pain. Consider making adjustments in your home to aid your dog鈥檚 mobility.
Appetite
Another indication that your dog is no spring chicken is a poor appetite. Because old dogs are often less active and digestion is more difficult, food can become unappetizing to them. Adding warm water or chicken broth or a couple of spoonfuls of canned food on top of their kibble can make dry food more appealing. Offering unseasoned cooked chicken and rice may also help.
Hearing
If your dog looks the wrong way when you call them or doesn鈥檛 bark when the doorbell rings, this may indicate a hearing impairment. Elderly dogs often suffer from degeneration in the nerves of the ear that cause hearing loss.
Cognitive Dysfunction
A dog that displays signs of disorientation and confusion about sleep cycles and may pace and whine at night, becomes anxious, or suddenly starts doing their business in the house may be suffering from cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS). , ranging from 28 percent in 11- to 12-year-old dogs to 68 percent in 15- to 16-year-old dogs.
DNA Tests
It is possible to estimate your dog鈥檚 genetic age with a blood test. A laboratory will examine the of your dog鈥檚 DNA and compare it to those of other dogs at the same genetic level. protect the ends of chromosomes; each time a cell divides, the telomeres become shorter until they are so short the cell dies.
Telomere length is used as a biomarker of human aging. Commercial producers of dog DNA testing kits believe that they can tell your dog鈥檚 age with a high level of accuracy.
Old Dogs, Sweet Souls
The age at which a dog is considered a senior will vary based on size and breed, and there are a variety of ways to calculate your dog鈥檚 age in human years. Veterinarians consider some dogs to be geriatric at age seven, while small dogs may not be seniors until eight or 10 years old and giant breeds may be seniors at five or six.
Welcoming a senior dog into your home can be vastly rewarding. A wise person once said, 鈥淚 love puppies, but there鈥檚 nothing like the sweet soul of an old dog.鈥�
This article is intended solely as general guidance, and does not constitute health or other professional advice. Individual situations and applicable laws vary by jurisdiction, and you are encouraged to obtain appropriate advice from qualified professionals in the applicable jurisdictions. We make no representations or warranties concerning any course of action taken by any person following or otherwise using the information offered or provided in this article, including any such information associated with and provided in connection with third-party products, and we will not be liable for any direct, indirect, consequential, special, exemplary or other damages that may result, including but not limited to economic loss, injury, illness or death.