It is a myth with a vivid reputation among dog lovers. According to a popular method of calculation, it would be possible to estimate the “real” age of dogs by multiplying it by seven.
Urban legend already discredited in November 2019 by a team of Californian researchers, who have developed a mathematical formula to compare the "genetic clocks" of dogs and humans, a new study supports this theory. Released this Thursday, July 2, this study by a team of researchers from the San Diego medical school assumes that dogs and humans just don't age at the same rate.
Thirty years in “human age” to… 1 year
According to a press release detailing the results, analysis of molecular changes in the DNA of labradors shows that dogs age at a much faster rate than humans early in their lives. It is only after reaching maturity that this rate slows down.
The study thus indicates that a dog of only one year is actually 30 years old in "human age", at four years it is estimated that it approaches 52 years, then that this rate of aging slows down after reaching seven years, reports CNN. "It makes sense when you think about it, after all a 9 month old dog can have puppies," said study author Trey Idecker in a statement. “We already knew that the 1x7 ratio was not an accurate way of measuring age. "
Even if a similar calculation method has already been applied, the researchers assure that this is the first study which can be transposed to all breeds of dog and that their observations could help veterinarians to make more informed decisions in terms of diagnosis and treatment.
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