The needs of our pets vary at each stage of their lives. And so does our relationship with them. Time passes for everyone, not just for people, and understanding how it affects our ARISTODOGS and ARISTOCATS is crucial to being able to rise to the occasion and help them have a full and satisfying life, at all stages.
Because the crazy, restless, and inexhaustible puppy has little in common with the senior dog he eventually becomes. His physique changes. His mood does too. Although it's clear that when he looks at us, we know it's the same dog... it's important to adapt to his stage of life.
In this sense, determining a pet's real age helps veterinarians do their job well at all times. Both in terms of feeding and medical treatments, if necessary.
It has always been said that one year of a dog or cat is equivalent to seven human years. While this belief has some logic, based on observation by owners (in the absence of more scientific methods), the truth is that the age of dogs and cats is very different from each other. Just as it is among members of the same species, since size and breed significantly influence the life expectancy of pets.
Generally, larger animals tend to have a shorter lifespan than smaller ones. In the case of cats, it may be less evident, as most felines operate within very similar parameters (Maine Coons would be exceptional cases, of course). Whereas for dogs, there is a rather large spectrum of sizes. One only has to think of all the sizes between a Chihuahua and a Great Dane.
With this in mind, the American Animal Hospital Association has created a guide to canine life stages, which divides dogs into six categories: puppy, junior, adult, mature, senior, and geriatric. According to veterinarians, this classification is more useful, accurate, and descriptive than the number of years itself.
1. Thus, a puppy is from 0 to six months old. This is the stage of birth and lactation.
2. The junior stage comprises from six months to nine months, and it is a period of growth.
3. The adult stage begins at nine months and lasts until six and a half years. At this point, growth ends, and sexual and physical maturity are reached.
4. A mature dog is between six and a half years and nine years and nine months.
5. The senior stage goes from nine years and nine months to thirteen. At this point, the dog is assumed to have less than 25% of its total life expectancy remaining.
6. A geriatric dog is in a situation of geriatric care, as after 13 years of age, the average dog's life expectancy has already been surpassed.
This guide is practically identical for cats. They are classified as: kittens, junior, prime, mature, senior, and geriatric.
Of course, this classification conditions the "real age" of our pets, just like size and breed. For example, a junior dog that is overweight may be, for medical purposes, older than an adult dog in perfect condition. In that case, what counts is not what your dog's ID card or birth date says, but the age it carries within.
That's why it's important to "listen" to our pets and be able to read beyond the vet's record, considering how they live, what their routines are, and what their character is like.