Bay Area company tests pill that could help senior dogs live longer
They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks. But in Santa Clara, there's a mutt trying to master the best one yet: how to "stay" a little longer.
"Cheddar is such a good boy. We're so lucky to have him in our family," his human, Courtney Ferro, said.
A rescue, Cheddar has been part of Ferro's life since college—equal parts best friend and copilot.
"I don't have kids. I have my dogs," she said.
But at eleven, even the best boys start to slow down.
"He got tired on walks more quickly. He was having a hard time getting into cars, jumping up on our beds. We just noticed he wasn't his puppy self," she said.
So when Ferro heard about a pill that might extend his life, she signed him up.
The trial, run by Bay Area company , has enrolled close to 1,300 senior dogs to see if a daily dose can help them stay healthier into their golden years.
Dr. Amit Atwal, one of 70 vets participating in the study, said the pill mimics the effect of calorie restriction, which has been shown to slow aging in animals.
"We're actually studying that right now over this five-year trial to see exactly how much time we can get, but we're hoping for at least one year of very good quality life," he said.
After a year of research, the FDA said there's enough evidence to suggest it could work. But full approval is still a few dog years away.
It all comes as from $90 billion in 2018 to over $150 billion in 2024.
Dr. Dana Varble, the chief veterinary officer for the , said it's part of a bigger shift in focusing more on the health of our furry friends.
"It used to be that very few medications were actually labeled for use in animals, but that's not the case anymore. A lot of companies have invested a lot of research effort into developing drugs that specifically work with animals' unique bodies," she said.
