Throughout time, animal testing has evolved from experimenting on mice and other rodents to testing the effect of anti-aging drugs on man’s best friend. Scientists currently focus their attention on the Dog Aging Project (DAP) which studies the cognitive and physical aspects of aging in dogs to eventually find a drug that will boost a dog’s lifespan. Luckily, for supporters of this new advancement, the Texas Agricultural and Mechanical University’s (Texas A&M) College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences recently received a seven million dollar grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to expand a clinical trial on dogs of the anti-aging drug, Rapamycin. While this opportunity may seem like an ideal study that will positively impact dog owners all around the globe, this new drug exhibits inhumane processes and should not continue further research due to the extremity of the testing.
“I definitely feel that animal testing, specifically on dogs, is inhumane because they are living, breathing creatures who need to be protected and humans injecting stuff, and even testing cosmetics on the animals is just awful. [They are trying to see] if the dog will break out or if the dog will lose its hair and I mean it really hurts my heart. When rescues go in and rescue laboratory animals, it hurts my heart, and there was recently a bunch of beagles that were released from an animal lab testing facility and they were scared to death,” NC Rescue Warriors sponsor Christina Mayes said.
Texas A&M, the University of Washington School of Medicine and various other institutions came together to utilize DAP to study the effects of aging on dogs; thus, this program hopes to expand the knowledge of longevity in dogs. This program ultimately aims to discover how a human drug — used for organ transplants — can lengthen a dog’s lifespan. This practice is deemed as daunting especially since the drug became engineered for human use and not for a dog.
As a dog’s status as man’s best friend begins to fade from animal testing laboratories, dogs now obtain less protection from testing and experiments, similar to how scientists focus on other animals to test chemicals and vaccines for the safety of human use. Owners who wish to participate in the third DAP trial of the Test of Rapamycin in Aging Dogs (TRIAD) study must follow specific rules and guidelines that may risk their companion’s life.
A multitude of communities and organizers remain pessimistic about the continuous funding of this trial since Texas A&M will conduct the study for the third time, because the project received marginal scores on their grant renewal application. These organizers have launched a petition to encourage the director of the NIH to restore this funding and focus on other projects. Since the DAP struggled to receive the grant for the third try at the trial at first due to their low reviewer scores for the first two rounds, this led researchers to believe the drug would fall short of funding in January 2024.
In regard to the details of the project, dogs with known or identified systemic diseases such as kidney disease, lung disease, high blood pressure and those on certain medications, can not participate in the study, limiting the eligibility of animals for the trial. These requirements distract researchers from dogs who do carry comprehensive diseases or take medications that could impact dogs negatively if side effects from the drug occur in the future that the researcher did not take into consideration.
“As both people and animals age, the heart begins to stiffen, making it beat less effectively because it cannot fully relax between beats. Evidence from laboratory studies suggests that Rapamycin can improve heart muscle function, cognitive function and mobility, as well as extend lifespan. So far, we’ve enrolled 170 dogs in the trial and have 20 sites where owners can participate,” DAP chief veterinary officer Dr. Kate Creevy said.
Although the TRIAD study may discover a relief to dog aging such as by tracking dogs’ susceptibility to tumors and to better understand what contributes to a long and healthy canine life, the research requires extensive care and it carries potential risks toward both the health and safety of dogs. This testing requires vast funding to experience successful results which showcases why scientists need to rethink their decision to continue this trial.
TRIAD only allows one dog per household to participate in the study but will allow a second dog if the enrolled dog passes away during the trial. This guideline, and various others, heighten fear among dog owners because the trial continues to hold differing outcomes since it still contains relatively new practices.
”I think that this animal testing is very inhumane, especially on dogs. They experience a lot of suffering and pain that is fully unnecessary. I don’t think it is ethical to have an anti-aging dog drug, even if it gets approved, because it is just really bad. This definitely should not be pushed to the public because it is unethical,” magnet junior Justina Stewart said.
With seven million dollars at stake from the NIH for the TRIAD trial, scientists and dog owners may disagree on the ethicality of this testing. This trial proves inhumane due to the extensive monetary needs and health risks that flood a dog’s path if their owner decides to contribute to the cause.
