Tuesday, the company called, Loyal, reached a major milestone in its work on the drug right now called LOY-001 which would be given in the form of a routine injection.
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I've got mixed reactions on this. I'd be more receptive if the drug delayed or alleviated age related problems as well as extending the life, but I'm not one to keep a pet alive just for my sake, the dog's quality of life be damned.
Myself, I'd like to live a longer life, but not if I'm bedridden, deaf, blind and dependent on somebody to feed me and change my diaper, so why would I put that on my best bud?
When you get a puppy you are buying a tragedy. I've put down two dogs, and each one was heartbreaking. My worry now is that my current dog will outlive me.
ReplyDeleteI worry about the same thing. That asshole dog Jack is a one family dog, and Lisa doesn't see well enough to take care of him if I died first.
Delete". . . Lisa doesn't see well enough to take care of him if I died first."
DeleteExactly my concern. My wife loves the dog, but Zsa Zsa is a handful. Both my kids have pets. My son has another female pit, and when they're together it's a fight for dominance, and my daughter has two cats.
BTY - Nobody under 40 gets the 'Zsa Zsa' reference. A failure of the public school system.
The biggest issue, actually the only issue with him now is he's territorial as hell with other dogs, and my neighbor had 5 or 6 large dogs that he lets run free and they wander onto our property. They behave themselves, but they're still on the property. When I let Jack out, I have to check the backyard to make sure they're not around or Jack will jam them up. Lisa's can't check the yard with her vision.
DeleteAfter spending years caring for loved ones at the end of their lives, I am of the firm opinion that just because medicine can, doesn't mean medicine should. Quality of life is often ignored. I have had loved ones crying and begging me to "help" them. There is not a damn thing you can do in that situation except watch them suffer.
ReplyDeleteWhen I put my Jack Russell down at the age of 17, it was probably 2 years after it needed to be done....I saw the signs,but the human need to hold on to the life of our best friends, be they animal or human, in spite of what may be best for them, was indeed compelling...finally, one day, Callie walked into the space between the washer and the wall and couldn't figure out how to get out....she was crying when I finally got to her and I decided that it was past time....I never did anything so difficult and I cried uncontrollably...I do not agree with putting the power to make this scenario even worse into our hands....I've never replaced Callie....just didn't seem right....now that I have less than a year myself, I am glad for that decision....I do take joy from the pets of my friends....even the more aggressive ones seem to understand where I'm at in my life, and are most kind to me....Dogs and cats alike....funny, I was never a cat person, but my best friend's 3 legged cat found a way into my heart....
ReplyDeleteWhen one of my friends was in his 80s (I was in my 40s), he made me his medical power of attorney. His daughter was really upset about it until I explained that he didn't want his daughter to go through the rest of her life knowing she pulled the plug on her dad.
DeleteThey could stop neutering them; stop inbreeding them; stop putting toxic adjuvants in their vaccines; stop loading their food with grain... you know, stop weakening and shortening their lifespans so mercilessly to begin with, but noooooo. Now they have a life extension drug? What? The hormones we cut off them? The nutrients they took out of their food? Puppy blood? Chelation therapy for the metals in the shots? All of these?
ReplyDeleteI swear the veterinary business is getting as bad as the human medical business. We're turning into Murder Incorporated right before my very eyes. And, yeah, Kenny, it's ALL about quality of life when yer getting on in years.
If they live longer and it slows the rate of heart, liver, pancreatic disease, I would give it a try. Buddha
ReplyDeleteProbably a patentable version of rapamycin. In which case it should alleviate the diseases of aging also.
ReplyDeleteMy 1 YO pup has me taking him for 3+ mile walks daily, exercising otherwise daily, eating healthier, and all around being healthier.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I know, do all that, die anyway, but it's all a crapshoot.
Still, you can play the odds.
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If you want your dog to live longer, get them a dog. We saw our older dog's activity rate go up, her interest increase, and her (apparent) enjoyment in life improve when we got another dog. Of course, much of the time the 14 year old is more in the "get off my lawn" mode when the younger ones intrude on her space but without them she wouldn't even have that level of activity.
ReplyDeleteGood idea on this. They also said the same thing about the vacs.
ReplyDeleteI love my doggos more than most people. Hard pass.
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