Is one year in a dog’s life equivalent to 7 years in a human’s life? Truth or myth?
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Forget the 7:1 Rule: New scientific research has found that the “popular belief” may be wrong, and your dog’s age can be much higher than you think.
“A nine-month-old dog can have puppies, so we already know that the 1:7 ratio was not an exact measurement,” noted Professor Trey Ideker in the study from the University of California School of Medicine in San Diego. Analyzing the genome of humans and animals, researchers found that the aging rates of pets and their owners are very different throughout life.
To reach this conclusion, the study analyzed blood samples from 105 Labradors with the goal of accurately determining how quickly the breed ages. Researchers found that puppies age rapidly compared to humans when they are young. They also observed that this process slows down over the years.
One year in a dog’s life is approximately equivalent to 30 years in a human’s life. Even a four-year-old dog can be compared to a 52-year-old person. The aging rate of the animal decreases when it reaches 7 years. Thus, a 12-year-old dog is similar to a 70-year-old human.
Researchers say that this new comparison between the aging of dogs and humans can be useful for veterinarians, allowing professionals to determine whether the diseases of animals are related to age or not.
Professor Trey Ideker is considering expanding the study to other breeds. The epigenetic clock model may also be useful for humans in the study of anti-aging treatments.
