I been looking and can't find the answer anywhere. so why?

 

Age faster than what?

 

If you are looking for a comparison to humans, I've heard that it is because they're heart beats twice as fast.....Not sure if that is true or not....Cuz I heard it in a Iams (sp?) commercial on the radio!

J

 

people, they are supposed to age 7-10 times faster.

 

Think about it,

Humans eat better, Humans do less physical work (the act of expending energy to accomplish something), humans have medicines (dogs do to, but they can't tell yoiu when they have symptoms).... it goes on and on... the simple fact is that they do an incredible amount more work than we do, and as a result their body parts wear out 7-10 times faster than ours.

 

Humans. I don't know why, something about their life span and equating that to human years comes out to about 7 years for every one human year, or something...

 

I have also heard that it is because their hearts beat faster.

 

one,they have a higher metobolisim, all of the body functions of a dog ie, resperation, heart beat, liver function, even temepture are more than a human. two, they work thier bodys much harder than a human does. thus they dont last as long

 

And besides, when humans neuter them, what's the point of living longer than us? They probably pray for death.

 

I don't know that they actually age faster...they just don't live as long as we do.

MR

 

How about a humming bird compared to an elephant?

 

Aw come on, they don't drink or smoke or drive at high rates of speed. But then we don't go nuts on the neighbors leg, well I don't...not since I got help anyway...

 

Damn, your dog lives a Boring life. Mine likes to party

 

It's more about size and metabloism. Smaller mammals have higher metabolic rates, thus their hearts beat faster, their cells are replaced faster, and they just don't last as long. Captive mice can live up to 3 years, but house mice generally only live a year ( they have to work harder to survive).Horses have a heart rate significantly slower than humans, but have four little helpers in each hoof. they live for 18-25 years. The bigger question for me would be why do chihuahuas live longer than labradors, barring odd health conditions. Chihuahuas average 14 years, while labs only 10. And the meaner a creature is, the longer it lives, no matter what the species!

 

Dogs don't age faster per se - they just have a shorter life span than humans.
They are living longer just like humans are due to technology avail. for illness etc.
Dogs are twice as likely to get cancer as humans - Cats half as much. Why? Well, breeding has a lot to do with that, but there isn't a real answer to that yet. Hopefully someday there will be a cure for cancer in both humans and the animal kingdom.
As for the heartrate idea - Birds - Some birds live the the same life span as the average humans - There are several Parrot breeds who live 80 or more years. Their heartbeats are faster than a dog.
Horses, they live to be roughly 30 years old on average...why? because, that is the breed.

Back to dogs - larger dogs live shorter lives than smaller dogs. Why? No one knows really - there are theories, but I'm a big dog person. I lost my blue Dobermann Pinscher "Rajah" back in March of this year. His mother lived to be 13 years old and he only made it one month shy of his 10th. He died of liver cancer. She had to be put down due to bloat.

There are so many variables to the longevity of any living being. As for food, my current adopted APBT "Mack" is fed better than I am. He has high quality, human grade food (not your typical OTC junk). I suppliment him with Flax Seed and raw veggies and fruits. My Dobermann, I wished I'd known earlier more about diet and breed specific needs, I didn't feed him as well in his early stages, but as he got older, I brought him away from the OTC garbage pushed in grocery stores. It of course couldn't save his life, but he lived a healthy life until the end and he was always fit and muscular. He was always complimented on his looks, coat and teeth.

I guess you can say I'm a bit nutty when it comes to dogs, but I do love them so much - I especially love to disprove the media spin and horrible misconceptions people have about the so called "agressive " breeds. My dobe loved kids and other animals. He had never had a mean bone in his body and never showed signs of agression. My APBT is a big ol' softee too. It's devistating that dogs don't live as long as we would like, but enjoy them and love them while you can. Give them the veterinary attention like they need and maintain their grooming (coat, nails, ears, teeth) as they need and you'll have a happy healthy dog that will love you for as long as they live. My dobe, as I mentioned had no other issues other than the liver cancer, and I am certain the major reason behind his cancer was the low quality garbage they put into OTC dog food. I won't make that mistake again with any pet, not matter what it be, in my future.