Senior Dogs Wanted: Scientists Are Testing a Drug That Could Add Healthy Years
The Dog Aging Project is recruiting older, larger dogs for a three-year trial of rapamycin.
Got a grey-muzzled gentle giant at home? Researchers want to meet them. The Dog Aging Project is enrolling senior dogs in a trial designed to find out whether a drug called rapamycin can extend not only lifespan but the healthy, active part of life too.
About the trial
- Name: TRIAD, short for Test of Rapamycin In Aging Dogs.
- Where: a multicenter study run with U.S. universities, including Tufts.
- What they measure: brain function, heart health, immunity and cancer rates.
- Who qualifies: dogs aged 7 or older, roughly 44 to 120 pounds, spayed or neutered and in good health, who can handle exams like blood draws and heart ultrasounds without sedation.
- Commitment: three years. Year one is rapamycin or a placebo, followed by two years of monitoring and seven visits to a trial site.
How to get involved
Details live on the Dog Aging Project’s TRIAD page at dogagingproject.org/triad. Dogs that do not qualify can still join the wider DAP Pack research community and help science from home.
Friendly reminder: this summary is for general info only. Your own vet knows your pet best.
