How can you tell how old a dog is? Dogs don’t often come with birth certificates and it’s likely they can’t tell you the exact date of their birth. So, we often just have to guess. Especially if you have a rescue dog with an unknown history. However, there are ways to at least be in the ballpark when determining their age. Here’s how:
As dogs age, how their weight is distributed changes. When you run your hand down on either side of her spine, you can see if there are fatty pads that have developed over her lower back and lumbar area. This is the sign of an older dog. Mild muscle wasting, which is a sign of age, will lead to a more prominent spine and sway-backed appearance.
Weight gain can also be a sign of advancing age in dogs.
Also, look for signs of arthritis as this is common in both older dogs and humans.
Look into her eyes. Do you see a bit of cloudiness there? That’s a sign of lenticular sclerosis which is an age-related condition that causes the lens to become fuzzy or opaque. It only minimally affects vision. Cataracts on the other hand do impair vision. Your dog’s eyes will appear milky white if she has this condition. Some breeds are more predisposed to this.
As she ages, there may also be some discharge coming from her eyes. This, along with cloudiness, usually develops around 6 to 8 years of age. However, cataracts can even develop at a young age due to congenital disease, diabetes or ocular trauma.
I’m sure we’ve all seen this – gray hair on dogs; especially around the eyes and muzzle area. Just as with humans, the hair grays or whitens with age. Keep in mind however, that many dogs are born with a lot of white in these areas, or they will become white at a young age. This is especially true for wire-haired breeds. Typically, the graying of the muzzle starts at around 5 years old but it can be younger in some dogs. Some believe that stress can also lead to premature graying (sound familiar?)
See how much dogs are like humans! If you’re an older person you may have noticed yourself asking people to repeat things. Well, it’s the same for dogs (although they likely won’t ask you to repeat things)! Dogs have a great sense of hearing but it may be on the decline when you notice they aren’t responding to your voice,
You’ll definitely notice when you dog starts to slow down, especially if she’s always been an energetic type. We all slow down as we age and this is just part of life. But hey, now both you and your dog can look forward to relaxing more!
However, do keep an eye out for conditions like osteoarthritis which is a progressive and long-term deterioration of the cartilage surrounding the joints. Older dogs are definitely more at risk for this condition. However, even younger dogs with congenital malformations like hip or elbow dysplasia or a history of trauma, may show signs of arthritis. You can read here about supplements that may help.
According to the Humane Society of the United States, the most reliable way to determine a dog’s age is by examining her teeth. Puppies up to 4 weeks old will likely have no teeth. At 4 to 8 weeks they will have needle-sharp temporary teeth. After 4 months of age, your dog’s permanent or adult incisors, canines and premolars should be coming in. By six months, the baby teeth should be gone. If there are still a few baby teeth, you can ascertain she’s younger than 6 months.
The permanent teeth will remain clean and bright until about 1 year old. After that, your dog’s teeth might start to show a bit of wear. Initially, you’ll see stains and plaque on the back teeth. At around 3 years, most dog’s teeth will have some yellow and visible plaque. By 5 years old, dogs tend to have lots of tartar and their teeth are less pointed or perhaps slightly worn down. Dogs older than 10 will often have cracked or missing teeth.
Of course, some of this depends on how well you’ve cared for her teeth. Please go to my post on how to clean a dog’s teeth.
Note that smaller dog’s tend to have more severe dental disease than their large relatives.
Using these factors, even experienced veterinarians can only approximate a dog’s age – perhaps to within 2 years. Of course, if you’ve always had your dog there’s no problem. However, bringing a rescue dog into the home is very common these days and the task is certainly more difficult, especially if there isn’t a lot of recorded history about them.
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