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Tag: pets

  • Austin Pets Alive! | The perfect holiday gift for animal lovers!…

    Austin Pets Alive! | The perfect holiday gift for animal lovers!…

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    If you are looking for a last-minute gift for a friend or loved one, Austin Pets Alive! has the paw-fect gift idea for the animal lover in your life.

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  • Austin Pets Alive! | Share the Love 2023

    Austin Pets Alive! | Share the Love 2023

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    ‘Tis the season for all things merry and bright! And Austin Subaru’s Share the Love campaign fits right into that aesthetic. A fundraiser that supports pets in need makes the staff, volunteers and pets of APA! so merry because it helps ensure a bright year ahead for our lifesaving programs.

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  • WTF Fun Fact 13663 – Dog Longevity Drug

    WTF Fun Fact 13663 – Dog Longevity Drug

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    For dog lovers, the prospect of a dog longevity drug sounds fantastic. Who doesn’t want their furry friends to live longer, healthier lives?

    Recent developments from a San Francisco-based biotech company, Loyal, bring this dream closer to reality. They’ve announced an anti-aging drug for dogs that has cleared its first hurdle for FDA approval. This marks a pivotal moment in veterinary medicine, as it’s the first time the FDA has shown openness to endorsing longevity drugs for pets.

    Dog Longevity Drug Holds Promise of Longer Lives for Man’s Best Friend

    Loyal’s groundbreaking drug, LOY-001, targets a growth and metabolism hormone called IGF-1. This hormone, linked with size, appears in higher levels in larger dogs and lower in smaller ones. Studies on other species suggest inhibiting IGF-1 can increase lifespans. LOY-001 is aimed at healthy dogs over seven years old and weighing more than 40 pounds. Administered every three to six months by a vet, it holds the potential to slow down the aging process in dogs.

    Parallel to this, Loyal is developing LOY-003, a daily pill form of the treatment. CEO Celine Halioua emphasizes that they’re not creating immortal dogs. The goal is to slow their rate of aging, thus maintaining a healthier state for a longer period.

    As promising as these developments are, they raise significant ethical questions, particularly concerning the quality of extended life for these animals. Veterinarian Kate Creevy, involved in a similar trial for an anti-aging drug called rapamycin, stresses the importance of ensuring that any extended lifespan is accompanied by good health and quality of life.

    Moreover, the human manipulation of dogs through selective breeding, which may have contributed to accelerated aging in larger breeds, underlines the ethical complexities in altering canine aging processes.

    Trials and the Future of Canine Health

    Loyal plans to start a large clinical trial for LOY-001 with around 1,000 large and giant dogs by either 2024 or 2025. The ultimate aim is to have a market-ready product by 2026. This trial not only represents a major step in veterinary medicine but also opens doors to understanding aging in more complex organisms like humans.

    The success of Loyal’s drug could potentially revolutionize how we approach canine health and aging. It offers a glimpse into a future where our canine companions can enjoy longer, healthier lives alongside us. However, it’s crucial to balance this scientific advancement with ethical considerations to ensure the well-being of these beloved animals.

     WTF fun facts

    Source: “A New Drug That Could Extend Dogs’ Lives Inches Closer to Approval” — Smithsonian Magazine

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  • Austin Pets Alive! | 120+ Pets Facing Euthanasia

    Austin Pets Alive! | 120+ Pets Facing Euthanasia

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    24 pets
    facing euthanasia are arriving at APA! now as their originating shelter
    was presented with a potential eviction. The 90+ remaining animals in
    the No Kill shelter hold the same fate if they can’t be moved to other
    places.

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  • Shelter dog’s face after getting adopted just in time for Christmas

    Shelter dog’s face after getting adopted just in time for Christmas

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    After winding up in a shelter in December 2021, this dog has spent the last two years hoping that one day he will find his forever home. Finally, his wish has come true this holiday season as he’s been adopted just in time for Christmas.

    The lovable pit bull mix found his world turned upside down when he ended up in a shelter just four days before Christmas in 2021, as his owner sadly died. The staff at Associated Human Societies (AHS) in Tinton Falls, New Jersey, were devastated for the poor pup, who would no longer be enjoying scraps of turkey or opening presents with his owner.

    Despite his heartbreaking experience, Mack continued smiling and brightening people’s days at the shelter. Sandy Hickman, the media coordinator for the AHS Popcorn Park Shelter, told Newsweek that “to know Mack is to love him.”

    Staff spent the subsequent two years trying to find a home for Mack so he could live the rest of his years in peace and happiness. It may have taken longer than planned, but that day finally came in November 2023, and this Christmas looks a whole lot brighter for Mack.

    Mack the pit bull mix at an adoption event before his adoption in November 2023. Mack wound up in a New Jersey shelter on December 21, 2021 when his owner sadly passed away.
    Associated Humane Popcorn Park Shelter

    Hickman continued: “Mack was very big, happy, and healthy when he came to our shelter. He received lots of attention from our staff and volunteers who walked him and spent time with him on a regular basis. He attended several adoption events as well.

    “His adopter loved him immediately, and she came in several times to spend time with him so she could get to know him prior to taking him home for good.”

    While Mack’s story ends on a happier note, that isn’t true for every shelter animal. With an estimated 6.3 million companion animals winding up in shelters across the country each year, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals believes that only 4.1 million of those eventually get adopted.

    With such an influx of animals in need of a home, around 3.1 million are thought to be dogs, there’s little surprise that shelters are struggling to cope with the intake. As Newsweek has previously reported, many shelters are way over capacity and seeing a substantial drop in adoptions. It’s thought that this is in part due to expensive living costs and unethical breeding.

    After seeing one of their long-term residents finally find a home, the shelter shared pictures of Mack smiling gleefully on Facebook, showing that he’s now “living his very best life.” The post warmed many hearts and generated more than 1,600 reactions and 170 comments in a matter of days.

    While so many people were delighted by the news that Mack has a home for the holidays, the shelter has many more dogs waiting for their day to come.

    Mack from New Jersey shelter
    Mack is a pit bull mix who had to wait two years before finding a forever home. Mack received plenty of interest while at the shelter, but not enough to finally get adopted until November 2023.
    Associated Humane Popcorn Park Shelter

    “All three of our AHS shelters in New Jersey have so many wonderful dogs like Mack, who have been waiting for so long to be noticed,” Hickman said. “Mack is one of so many pit bull-types in shelters and we feel that there is a stigma attached to the breed, which negatively impacts their chances for adoption.

    “They are all unique in their own way and we ask that potential adopters keep an open mind, meet the ones that are a little older or a little shy. You would be surprised at what you find when you spend some time with a shelter dog outside of the kennel environment and not judge them based solely on age or breed.”

    Among the delighted comments on the post, one Facebook user wrote: “OMG awesome news! Happy life Mack!”

    Another person responded: “So happy for Mack.”

    While one person commented: “I love these adoption stories. You can just see the happiness on the dog’s face.”

    Do you have any amazing rescue or adoption stories you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.