Most of us will thought to calculate the age of the dog, we just need to multiply by 7. For example, a one-year-old dog, 1x 7 = 7 human years. However, according to a study in US, we probably miscalculate their age, the human years could be “older” than what we thought, reported by Oriental Daily.
According to the researchers, the findings, published in the journal Cell Systems, their work is based on a new concept in ageing research known as epigenetic clock, which analyses the chemical modifications to a person’s or a species’ DNA over a lifetime to determine their age.
To understand more about the ageing process in dogs, the researchers gathered blood samples from 105 Labrador retrievers. They sequenced the genomes, or the genetic material, of the Labradors with the aim to track a process known as DNA methylation, which many species undergo as they age.
Dr Trey Ideker, a professor at the University of California, author of the study said dogs are interesting to study because they live closely with humans, receive nearly the same levels of health care, and have similar environmental and chemical exposures.
They found the dog epigenetic clock to tick much faster than the human one, especially in the initial years.
The way to calculate your dog’s age in human years, say the researchers, is through this formula: age in human years = 16* ln(age in dog years) + 31, where ‘ln’ means the natural log.
Based on their calculations, the researchers say a one-year-old dog is similar to a 30-year-old human, while a four-year-old dog is equivalent to a 52-year-old human.
You also can check out the dog age calculator in the following link : Science Mag
Info via Science Focus