If you could increase the lifespan of your pet dog or cat, would you? And what is the real cost of doing so?Last November, my family brought home a puppy. Frankie was eight weeks old when he came to live with us, and right now, watching him bound around with my seven-year-old son, I don’t want to imagine ever saying goodbye to him. Well, maybe I won’t need to, or rather, I can at least kick that day into the long grass, and buy Frankie some extra time. After all, scientific understanding of the mechanisms of ageing has never been better; there is a plethora of longevity products to choose from and more in the pipeline, including a kind of diet pill for dogs; and, thanks to research into lifespan expansion for pets over the last decade, prescription-based longevity interventions that are now approaching FDA approval. All I have to do, it seems, is put in the time, care and (lots of) cash.But should I do so? Don’t our pets live long enough already? And whose needs would I be serving –...
Biotech firms are working to extend the lifespans of pets, particularly dogs, with one startup, Loyal, securing $150 million in investment to develop a lifespan-extension drug. Loyal's research focuses on larger dog breeds' shorter lifespans and aims to develop vet-prescribed products that reduce IGF-1, a hormone linked to cell growth and potentially cancer. They have three drugs in development, with one targeting older dogs nearing FDA approval.
