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'Dog Years' Just Don't Add Up

The '7-year' rule is too simplistic, veterinarians say

By Nick McMaster, Newser Staff

Posted Aug 29, 2008 4:20 PM CDT

(Newser) – A human year is 7 dog years, right? That ubiquitous formula has been driving veterinarians and dog enthusiasts nuts for decades. If it were accurate, some pooches would live to the equivalent of age 150 or so, Carl Bialik writes in the Wall Street Journal. For those who must convert, he suggests scrapping the one-size-fits-all approach in favor of a more nuanced formula.

The truth is that there is no hard and fast age equivalency: Veterinary researchers have found that dogs grow 20 times as fast as humans before age 1, then slow down. Dog lifespans also vary from breed to breed, and all dogs have benefited from improvements in veterinary care in recent decades. So is the end near for the 7:1 formula? Nope. "You can't really kill the 7-year rule," said one expert.

[Images (5)]

[Quotes (1)]

The Yorkshire Terrier, one of the breeds owned by John McCain, and the Poodle, voted "best breed for the Obamas" by dog lovers via the American Kennel Club's www.presidentialpup.com poll. (AP Photo)

In this handout photo provided by Best Friends Animal Society, a puppy is shown at the Whispering Oaks Kennels in Parkersburg, W.Va., on Aug. 23, 2008. (AP Photo/Best Friends Animal Society)

Nampa, Idaho veterinarian John Calhoun after helping his one-year-old Australian Shepherd named Dodger out of the water at the Pooch Pool Party, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2008 in Nampa, Idaho. (AP Photo)

Coal is a black Labrador retriever from Heartland Lab Rescue in Oklahoma City, Okla. His age is none of your business. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)

Jake, a black Labrador retriever search and resue dog, is seen in this 2003 photo. He helped search the rubble for victims in the 9/11 attacks. (AP Photo)

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My guess is it was a marketing ploy. A way to educate the public on how fast a dog ages compared to a human, predominantly from a health standpoint. - William Fortney, veterinarian

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'Dog Years' Just Don't Add Up