Vet Debunks Dog Years, Says Pooches Age Much Faster

A vet has debunked the popular notion of 'dog years', explaining the animals age much faster. Watch here:

It is commonly understood that dogs age seven years each year, meaning that after one year the dog is the equivalent age of a seven-year-old human.

But it turns out it's not that straightforward, and a dog's youth is far more short-lived.

In a TikTok video shared with his 1.5 million followers, vet Hunter Finn from Texas, USA, said: "OK so you know that one saying that one human year equals seven dog years? It's not true.

"A one-year-old dog equals a 31-year-old human, and a two-year-old dog is 49.

"You don't even wanna know what a seven-year-old dog is... 62.

"So we found out that ageing does slow down - an eight-year-old dog is 64."

If you're anything like me, your initial response to that might be something along the lines of 'don't talk s*** you're just saying lots of random numbers'.

However, the harsh reality is he's not just a man saying random numbers, he's a vet saying tough-to-accept dog-based facts.

Basically, the whole dog years thing was landed upon in a pretty simplistic way - humans live for about 77 years, dogs live for about 11, thus one year is seven dog years.

But in reality, dogs don't age at the same rate, they mature much faster. This is evidenced by the fact dogs reach sexual maturity between six and 12 months, at which point they'd only be three-and-a-half to seven, according to the dog years conversion.

Similarly, some dogs have lived beyond the age of 20, which would make them 140 - older than any human has ever managed.

As such, it doesn't really make sense to convert dog years in this way.

There's also the added complication that the life expectancy of a dog varies greatly from one species to another, with small dogs tending to live significantly longer than large ones.

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As well as keeping an eye out for your pooch becoming a grumpy middle-aged fart sooner then you might have expected, you should also take care to protect their paws on snow, ice and grit.

A recent viral Facebook post from a veterinary nurse featuring pics of sore paws has reminded us that such conditions can be dangerous for dogs.

A spokeswoman for the RSPCA subsequently commented: "We urge pet-owners to be cautious when grit is being spread on roads, as rock salt can be toxic to dogs and cats if they lick it from their paws or fur.

"This is because ingestion can cause a high blood sodium concentration which can cause thirst, vomiting and lethargy, and in severe cases kidney damage.

"The best thing to do is to thoroughly wipe your pet's feet, fur and tummy after they have been outside. If you believe your pet has ingested rock salt then contact your vet immediately."

Topics: Dog, Community, Animals, Dogs, tiktok

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey