Is he a senior???

[novarobin]

So when is a GSD a senior?

Kaper turned 7 on January 5. It never occured to me that he is old until I was answering a question on another forum. Someone else said the life expectancy of a GSD is 7 years and it struck me. Even though it is wrong, I know they don't have a much longer life span.

He has slowed down a bit this year, but nothing out of the ordinary, 7 isn't exactly young, a little slowing is to be expected, but is he a senior?

Its kinda scary.

Here he is with the other two (Kape is on the left)

[gsdlove212]

I believe 7 is considered a senior yes. It is crazy how time flies!

[beppesmom]

I think the life expectancy is more like 11 or 12 years if I am not mistaken. I don't think 7 is a senior but at my vet's office they start they start them with the senior profile tests around this time, but i think that is more for prevention and to catch any problems while they are small.

[HeidiW]

well he is a handsome senior! To me senior is 9.

[3K9Mom]

I consider a GSD (and similar sized dogs) a senior at 7.


This is a pretty good chart. And you see by it that at age 7, GSDs are the equivalent of 55 years old (more or less). That's when humans get to join AARP.

http://trouble.iotashan.com/animals/dog-age-chart.cfm

Seven years old (for a dog that's approx 60+ lbs ) is when I start to do senior wellness exams, which I do twice a year. I always try to pay attention to my dogs, but once they hit their senior years, I'm less likely to take a "wait and see" attitude when something pops up. I'll take them in to the vet if anything seems odd, since health can change pretty quickly in a senior.

I don't expect my dogs to slow down right away, and I don't give them an excuse to slow down. A healthy active lifestyle is still one of the best ways to forestall disease. But I'm just more aware...

[arycrest]

I've always felt a dog becomes a senior around 9 years old. It's also about that age when I start taking him to the vet twice a year for a physical.

[littledmc17]

so handsome

[elisabeth_00117]

I tend to think of a dog (especially a large breed) as a senior around 7 years old as well.

I know we started taking Beau to the vet twice a year and doing the 'wellness exams' at this time as well.

She didn't start slowing down until about age 9 or 10 though, she will be 13 in March.

[doggiedad]

all of your dogs look good.

[Qyn]

Despite the advice given above (even from those I consider gurus) no, I don't consider 7yo to be a senior dog. Some dogs are old from the day they are born and others are young until just before they die ... just like people!

Don't classify your dog by its age. By all means, give your dog the tests necessary to gauge its functionality and health status but never consider the age to be a defining category. Age is a number not a status. Your dog will let you know when activity or condition needs to be monitored but that will depend on the individual dog.