Judging the Age of a Dog

[Patty1231]

I've always wondered about this but recent events with Perle have led me to bring this question here. Doing some research, I've found that the type of cancer she has normally doesn't strike until a dog is about 8 years of age. When I first called about her at the HS, they said she was 4-5. When I went to see her, they stated a firm 4. (I can see their logic here because of fear I wouldn't adopt her if I knew how old she was.) The vet was non-committal, saying her teeth were pretty worn for that age but could be a result of poor diet, not knowing her background. Honestly, I've always felt in my heart that she was older but was perfectly willing to accept a younger age thinking she would be with me longer. She just has an older dog appearance in the face, and not long after I got her, her whiskers started turning white. Are there any clear guides to better ballpark a dog's age?

And, had I known going in that Perle was much older, yes, I would have adopted her anyway - it was her face not her age that got me.!

[Judi W]

Greying is not a good indicator of age. The teeth and posture are much better guidelines.

[SABELLESMOM]

[quote=Patty1231 Are there any clear guides to better ballpark a dog's age?

And, had I known going in that Perle was much older, yes, I would have adopted her anyway - it was her face not her age that got me.! [/QUOTE]

Well, nothing I know of, would stand up in court regarding age. The teeth of racing Greyhounds, in particular often look like the teeth of dogs twice as old, because of their diet.

My 16 year old Rhodesian/Greyhound mix had just begun to get her gray hairs around age 12. By the time she was PTS she only had facial white. A close relative (breedwise) got hers at 8...she's 15 now and her whole body is practically white!

I suppose tooth "wear" might help a bit. But what if the dog has had a lot of bones to chew. The tartar might be non existant but the teeth would be worn, I would think.

Young dogs with HD, may exibit a gait similar to an older non-dysplasic but arthritic dog.

A vet might know more, than I.

I'm so sorry for Perle's troubles. It's always "too soon" when it's beloved. It was her face that got to you, and perhaps her heart that kept you hers.

[frontierrots]

older dogs are difficult and it is very hard to describe without showing you. Adult wear patterns can be greatly influenced by rock and tennis ball play. tarter is influenced by diet and how much the dog likes to chew. I've seen 3 year olds withteeth encased with tartar and 10 year olds with zero tartar

Under 1 year is very very easy and I have a whole description I made for rescue groups here.

Over 1 and less than 2 Are still sharp and pointy all over. Incisors, molars etc. Perhaps some minimal flattening of the incisors (teeth between the canines in front)

Over 2 and less than 4 molars are still sharp and pointy, incisors have some flattening but no wear marks

4-6 incisors are flattened some and have some light wear marks in the center tops (tan or light brown) molars may have some wear/flatteing but not tons

7-10 incisors flattened and much wear (light to dark brown) molars rounded or flattened some with some wear marks

10+ incisors quite flattened with lots of heavy wear (dark brown to dark grey) molars flattened and quite worn

As I said these are generalites and diet/ chewing and toy type play quite a role. Rocks and tennis balls produce quite a bit of wear and lots of heavy bone (beef legs etc) chewing also produce wear

[frontierrots]

My Xena was a verified 5 1/2 when her aggressive and very malignant mammary carcinoma first appeared and 6 when we removed it. 6 1/2 when the mammary carcinoma and the fibrosarcoma (that appeared just a week after her mammary surgery) took her life

[rotnhouse]

Originally Posted by frontierrots

10+ incisors quite flattened with lots of heavy wear (dark brown to dark grey) molars flattened and quite worn

My Katy was a verified 1-1/2 when I got her from a previous owner. She started to gray at age 5, and at 10-1/2 she is now a 'black and white' Rottie! Because she has been on a raw diet for these many years, her teeth have no tartar, but have begun to turn more ivory. I just looked, and her teeth don't seem to show significant wear. Is this due to RMB's?

[frontierrots]

Originally Posted by rotnhouse

My Katy was a verified 1-1/2 when I got her from a previous owner. She started to gray at age 5, and at 10-1/2 she is now a 'black and white' Rottie! Because she has been on a raw diet for these many years, her teeth have no tartar, but have begun to turn more ivory. I just looked, and her teeth don't seem to show significant wear. Is this due to RMB's?

The teeth themselves don't turn grey/brown, the wear bars do. The wear bars are on the tops of the teeth when you look down on them with the mouth open

My nearly 13 year old has no tartar either and yes it's the chewing. Yes the ivory color is age. Congrats on such a healthy mouth in an old dog!

[rotnhouse]

She keeps the rest of my crew in line!

[Brutus's Mom]

Originally Posted by frontierrots

older dogs are difficult and it is very hard to describe without showing you. Adult wear patterns can be greatly influenced by rock and tennis ball play. tarter is influenced by diet and how much the dog likes to chew. I've seen 3 year olds withteeth encased with tartar and 10 year olds with zero tartar

Under 1 year is very very easy and I have a whole description I made for rescue groups here.

Thank you for taking the time to put this information here, it will be a great help to me. I will definitely print this one out and save it for future use! May I ask, is this from your own experience or is it information that is given as a standard?

[frontierrots]

My own experience. I manage a large boarding kennel and decided to look at lots of known age dog's teeth in the last 9 years to make aging rescues and strays easier. With 1 exception (an old dogwith outstanding teeth that was not an abrasive chewer) I am usually within 1-3 years on old dogs and within on dogs 4-8

Puppies are the easiest because of the emerging teeth

Someday I'd like to do a photo aging booklet like they have for horses :)

[Brutus's Mom]

Originally Posted by frontierrots

My own experience.

Someday I'd like to do a photo aging booklet like they have for horses :)

Oh, I think that is a great idea, and would be very helpful to a large number of people, you should do it!!

[Patty1231]

Originally Posted by frontierrots

7-10 incisors flattened and much wear (light to dark brown) molars rounded or flattened some with some wear marks

These are what Perle's look like.

[Silvermarten]

It sure varies dog to dog and depending on their health history , nutrician and lifestyle .

My dobie started greying at 3yrs . As an aggressive chewer his teeth were very clean but significantly worn , matching the 7 to 10 yr description above when only 3 1/2 yrs .

Bruce was adopted thru a rotti rescue group who thought he was 2 yrs old . I knew he was much older when I met him and the vet confirmed him as 8 plus yrs . With an unknown history behind him we'll never know for sure . Though he's a senior I'd agree with other adopters that senior adoption is VERY rewarding for both the dog and new owner

I think a teeth wear aging guide is a great idea .
Would there need to be different ones for different breeds ? Those with more fur around there mouths typically have more dental disease and tooth loss at younger ages . ( unless there owners pay more attention to their dogs dental health ) Though maybe tooth wear is the same ??