ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Imagine a drug that can help your beloved dog live longer. That's the goal of animal health biotech company Loyal.
They are now testing it on more than a thousand dogs across the country and looking for more dogs to join the study.
A local veterinarian in St. Petersburg is one of a handful of vets across the Sunshine State participating in Loyal's clinical study.
"So the study is on a longevity drug. And basically what it's trying to do is make dogs live longer, healthier lives," Dr. Catherine Arthur, a veterinarian at Baycrest Veterinary Hospital, said. "We don't know the active ingredients in it. We're a clinic that will go ahead and take in patients and do a clinical trial on them to see if the drug is safe for long-term use. And to see how dogs react to being on it. So that we can provide data on whether or not this longevity drug will be useful."
The dogs must be ten years or older and weigh at least 14 pounds to enroll. Nearly a dozen dogs are enrolled in the study, but the center can handle as many as 30.
"But the hope for me is that we're going to have dogs living longer, happier lives. I want to see your dog be healthy. And I want not to have to treat problems as often. So if a drug can help us do that, it would be amazing," Dr. Arthur said. "Because if we figure out how longevity works in dogs and cats, we can figure out how longevity works in people. And it means more updates down the line for us."
According to Loyal, the LOY-002 study for dogs focuses on "preventative care, addressing the underlying causes of a range of age‑associated diseases to delay their onset and reduce their impact."
According to Loyal, the STAY study is the largest clinical study of its kind ever conducted.
"Rolla is 13 years old," Akeem Antonio told ABC Action News reporter Michael Paluska.
Rolla is Antonio's first dog, and he hopes he can keep her alive for as long as possible.
"What is she struggling with in her old age?" Paluska asked.
"Her joint health, stiff joint disease where you start to see them almost looking like they're walking with stiff legs," Antonio said.
The study is double-blind, so owners don't know if their animal is getting the real thing or a placebo. But Antonio thinks she is already improving.
"I think a little bit of improved energy levels and stuff like that, you know, a little bit more spry," Antonio said.
The study is so popular Dr. Arthur says one owner drives to her location from South Florida.
"We have someone coming in from Boca Raton. So he's driving four hours each way to be a part of the study with his dog," Dr. Arthur said. "It feels pretty great to know that, you know, we can be advancing science a little bit here, too. But we can give people longer, healthier lives with their dogs."
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