Loyal Longevity: Clinical Trial Aims to Extend Canine Lifespan

One of the most crushing realizations is that once we get our pets, we are most likely signing up for the inevitable heartbreak that will follow. I’m sure many of you reading can relate to thoughts like, “I have to just find each way to take in the joy my fuzzy friend brings me, and appreciate them while they are here.”

Accidents may happen, but odds are owners will outlive their dogs, meaning they will have to tragically say goodbye at one point. Comedian Bill Burr even has a bit where he describes how his wife got a dog without asking him; he jokes how, in 4 days, he went from, “I don’t even want this dog,” to, “Oh my god, this thing is gonna die one, how am I going to emotionally be able to deal with it?!” 

Pets can have that effect us, and losing them can absolutely feel like losing a close family member or friend.

That’s why makes Loyal’s clinical trial for a “canine longevity drug” so exciting. Read below to learn more about a drug aiming to extending the lifespan of man’s best friend.

Loyal’s Mission: Extend The Lifespan of Our Beloved Doggos

After recently receiving $45 million in seed funding, biotech and veterinary medicine company Loyal got approval from the FDA to begin clinical trials on its new drug: LOY-001. Publications like the New York Times, Axios, and CBS along with several other outlets, have covered the news, profiling the company’s mission. With testing being done on 1,000 dogs across the US, Loyal hopes to prove that their new medicine will extend the lifespan of dogs taking LOY-001 by AT LEAST one year. 

If you are not aware, getting FDA approval to put such an explicit claim on a medicine’s label is an extremely scrutinous, rigorous process. It takes literal years of clinical trials and testing in order to prove that not only does the drug effectively achieve the stated aim (in this case extending canine lifespans), but it also is safe under virtually all reasonable conditions. That fact makes it all the more impressive that the FDA declared that Loyal’s new drug has a “reasonable expectation of effectiveness […] to keep bigger breeds (of dogs) around longer.” Being unconditional supporters of pets worldwide, DoggyD salutes Loyal for trying to extend the precious time we have with our pups on earth. 

What to Do While Waiting for Loyal’s Clinical Trial Results

While waiting for the results of Loyal’s clinical trials – which may unfortunately take until 2026 – remember that low vitamin D levels in dogs have a direct association with greater risk of mortality! The study linked here offers the stark observation that critically ill dogs were found to have significantly lower vitamin D levels in their blood, and could be used to predict survival. We may not have our hands on a longevity drug like LOY-001 yet, but insights like these remind us that something as basic as optimizing your dog’s vitamin D levels can help in preventing the development of illness – as well as chronic diseases.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Play it safe with your pup, and re-up with DoggyD. That way, you two can walk on the wild side for many years to come 🙂