While we’d all love our dogs to live forever, what if scientific advances could actually give our beloved companions a few more healthy years?
At the recent San Francisco SPCA Innovator Speaker Series event, a series that explores innovative topics in animal health and welfare, SF SPCA CEO Dr. Jennifer Scarlett sat down with Celine Halioua, founder and CEO of Loyal, a clinical-stage veterinary medicine company developing the first longevity drugs for dogs. The San Francisco Foundation made the event possible with generous support.
The conversation explored the science behind aging, the challenges of developing new medicines for animals, the importance of combining innovation with access, and what the future of caring for canine companions could look like.
Rethinking what it means to age
As humans and animals grow older, the risk of conditions such as cognitive decline, arthritis, heart disease, metabolic dysfunction, and other age-related diseases increases.
Celine explained that “For a dog, aging is actually very simple. It is the point when an animal’s body can no longer do everything their mind still wants to do.” Anyone who has watched their once-active dog slow down knows exactly what that looks like.
Rather than treating each condition after it develops, Celine shared there may be an opportunity to intervene proactively by targeting the biology of aging itself. That perspective is at the heart of Loyal’s work. Instead of focusing on one particular disease, the company is developing drugs intended to help dogs maintain health and function as they age.
How dogs could help us understand aging
Dogs may offer an important window into the science of aging because they experience many of the same age-related diseases as humans, but on a much faster timeline. That means researchers can potentially study the effects of interventions over a shorter period of time, while also learning more about the biology of aging that dogs and humans share.
“I’m not particularly interested in super radical lifespan extension or escaping death,” said Celine. “I got interested in aging because the worst diseases that we and our dogs get tend to correlate exponentially with age.”
Loyal is currently developing drugs in two categories: for senior dogs of most sizes and for large-breed dogs, which tend to have shorter lifespans than smaller dogs.
Celine shared that Loyal’s senior dog drug (LOY-002) is designed to address metabolic decline associated with aging. The distinction between a drug and a supplement is important. Loyal is pursuing FDA approval, which requires extensive evidence demonstrating that a drug is both safe and effective for its intended use.
During the conversation, Celine explained that the goal is not simply to create something that works. It must be safe enough for a dog to take over the long term.
Loyal’s research includes a large clinical trial with more than 70 clinical sites across the United States. Researchers are following participating dogs throughout their lives while collecting information about health, activity, cognition, strength, cardiovascular fitness, and disease. The study is expected to continue into 2031 or 2032. Even beyond the potential approval of a new medicine, Celine hopes the resulting data will contribute to veterinary medicine more broadly.
Making innovation accessible
Another important question that arose during the discussion was one that often accompanies advances in medicine: Who will be able to afford these drugs?
Celine shared that Loyal has been thinking about accessibility from the beginning. While the company has not finalized pricing, Celine’s goal is for the treatment to eventually become part of the standard of care rather than a luxury available only to a small number of pet guardians.
That commitment to access resonates with the SF SPCA’s own approach to veterinary medicine. At the SF SPCA, access to care is central to our work. Our full-service hospital supports pets throughout their lives. At the same time, our community veterinary programs help make essential care more accessible to people and animals who might otherwise face barriers to getting it.
Imagining a future with more time together
Dr. Scarlett also asked Celine about what dog ownership could look like if Loyal’s work succeeds at increasing dog longevity.
Celine described a future in which people choosing a dog would not have to think as much about how soon they might lose that companion. She spoke specifically about large breeds such as Great Danes and Bernese Mountain Dogs, whose shorter lifespans on average can be a painful consideration for prospective adopters.
For Celine, extending dog longevity could give people the freedom to choose the dog they love without feeling that they are choosing heartbreak on a shorter timeline.
A longer, healthier life for every animal
The science of aging is advancing rapidly, opening up possibilities that may have once sounded like science fiction. Innovation in animal health isn’t only about developing the next breakthrough drug. It is also about prevention, access to veterinary care, spay/neuter services, vaccinations, nutrition, early diagnosis, and ensuring that pet guardians have the resources they need to care for the animals they love.
“I really see it as the SF SPCA and Loyal are both working on the exact same things in different ways,” said Celine. While Loyal and the SF SPCA approach animal health from different directions, both work toward the same goal of helping animals live healthier lives with their families for as long as possible.