We’ll get the bad news out of the way initially: There’s no “guaranteed” method to tell how old your pet is without understanding at least her approximate birthday or birth year.
That’s according to Julie Tasch, the Dogtown group lead at Best Friends Animal Society sanctuary in Utah. If you rescued your puppy or took her in from the street, there are ideas to how old she may be. It’s worth pursuing those hints so you can target your pet dog’s food and care to the ideal age.
” It’s crucial to know your canine’s age, especially if they are under 6 months old. If they are this young, they must be on young puppy food and you’ll wish to make certain they’ve received all of their vaccinations,” Tasch states.
You’ll wish to know if your canine is approaching old age too. If your veterinarian estimates your dog to be senior, you might think about switching her to a senior food with fewer calories and added supplements to lower joint discomfort, Tasch says. Plus, older canines need more regular vet gos to.
Examine the Teeth
Tasch states the Best Friends staff will look at a pet dog’s teeth to get an idea of how old she is. It’s the very best way to get an estimate, so your veterinarian will likely do the exact same.
” The more tartar, staining, or damaged teeth, typically implies an older canine,” she states. “However, it’s still a guess. Poor nutrition at a young age or damaged teeth due to trauma, could be deceiving in aging a more youthful canine.”
The teeth method is best for thinking the age of puppies more youthful than 6 months. They’re still developing their chompers, so you can make a “respectable guess” based upon the phase of their teeth, Tasch states.
Genes can likewise make that harder, says vet Erin Chu, DVM. Smaller sized breeds can contract more oral diseases than their bigger good friends, and some dogs can simply have tidy, tartar-free teeth into their senior years.
Other Clues to Your Dog’s Age
Along with the teeth, Tasch says your pup’s graying face might show that she’s old, but that includes a caution, too. Much like humans, canines can see their hair gray prematurely.
Chu says that owners can likewise take a look at their canine’s eyes to examine if they’ve become hazy or contracted cataracts. Inspect your canine’s body, too, to see if there are fat pads on her lower back or whether her spinal column is more popular, other prospective signs of a senior canine.
Activity level is another indication of your pet dog’s age. Younger pet dogs are more active than their senior citizens, who may have problem with stares or sleep more than regular.
So if you do end up embracing that roaming you found roaming around the area, a guess is about as great as you’ll get. “By taking a look at teeth and the pet dog’s basic physical look, you can typically make a pretty good guess at positioning the dog into a category of either pup, young person, adult, or senior,” Tasch states. “But particular ages are almost impossible to figure out.”
Does a Dog DNA Test Tell Age?
Nope, sorry. According to Embark, which sells dog DNA tests, the test can help identify the genetic age of your pet dog, but they can’t figure out your canine’s calendar/biological age.
If you’re sad you can’t commemorate your canine’s real birthday, we suggest rather breaking out the party hats on her adoption day– a family pet gotcha day– and commemorating then.
