A gut does not age by the calendar.
It ages by what it is handed. Below is the whole tariff, every observation this check makes, and what each one adds to a dog's years. Read it first. Then find your dog's row.
The tariff
| Observation | Adds |
|---|---|
| What the stool saysThe single most diagnostic thing a parent can look at, and the one most of them never mention to a vet. | |
| Firm log, well formed, easy to pick up | Holdsholds the gut age steady |
| Hard pellets, small, dry, cracked segments | Moderateadds a moderate amount |
| Soft-serve, holds shape, but only just | Moderateadds a moderate amount |
| Mushy, spreads when picked up | Markedadds a marked amount |
| Liquid, no form at all | Severeadds a severe amount |
Find your dog's row Eight observations, about two minutes. No signup, the reading appears whether or not you leave an address. | |
| What the body saysSkin, ears and coat are downstream of the gut. Each one that is currently going wrong is charged once. | |
| Frequent gas or diarrhea | Markedadds a marked amount |
| Recurring ear infections | Markedadds a marked amount |
| Hot spots or rashes | Moderateadds a moderate amount |
| Itchy skin, or licking and chewing at the paws | Moderateadds a moderate amount |
| Dull or rough coat | Moderateadds a moderate amount |
| Low or picky appetite | Moderateadds a moderate amount |
| Shedding heavily, out of season | Slightadds a slight amount |
| Breath that has gone sour | Slightadds a slight amount |
| What goes inThe three inputs a parent can change this week. Two of them cost nothing to fix. | |
| No antibiotics in the past year | Noneadds nothing |
| One course of antibiotics in the past year | Moderateadds a moderate amount |
| Two or more courses in the past year | Severeadds a severe amount |
| Treats only occasionally | Noneadds nothing |
| Daily treats, but home food, fruit, vegetables, paneer | Noneadds nothing |
| Daily packed treats, biscuits, chews, sticks | Moderateadds a moderate amount |
| Daily packed treats alongside home treats | Moderateadds a moderate amount |
| Home food, rice, chicken, dal, sabji | Noneadds nothing |
| Raw or BARF | Noneadds nothing |
| Kibble and home food together | Slightadds a slight amount |
| Kibble only | Moderateadds a moderate amount |
How the sum works
- Your dog's calendar age is the opening figure.
- Every row above that applies to your dog is added to it. One row , a firm, well-formed stool, is taken off again.
- The total is the gut age. Nothing else goes into it: no breed weighting, no averages, no figures borrowed from anyone else's dog.
A worked row · not a real dog
How a row reads when it is finished
BrunoIndie · 4 years
+5.5 years
4Calendar9.5Gut
- Mushy stools
- Recurring ear infections
- Daily packed treats
Three charges against a calendar age of four. Every figure is a row in the table above, and the arithmetic is yours to check.
Your dog has a row in this table.
- This is an educational tool, not a diagnosis. A dog that is unwell needs a vet, not a number.
- The figures above are a weighting model, not a published clinical index. They are printed so you can weigh them yourself rather than take the result on trust.
- Nothing is stored unless you choose to leave an address at the end.
This reads habits. For what the calendar and your dog's size say, use the Dog Age Calculator.
A free tool from ProBelly, our gut formula for dogs.