Life in the old dog yet: how biotech firms are looking to extend the lives of our pets
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 – my own or my pooch’s? In the UK, the life expectancy for a dog is just over 11 years, while cats average 14. As a working cocker spaniel, Frankie should be with us for 12-15 years – old enough that he’ll still be around when my son leaves home, just not long enough to see me into my dotage.
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