Thanks to advances in science, medicine, and technology, more people than ever are living past age 65. This is great, but it also poses some problems—and some scientists thing our canine companions could help.

The main problem is that aging brings increased frailty and a higher risk of diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular issues, neurodegeneration, and dementias. And, as the global population aged 65 and older is expected to nearly double by 2050, these “age-related diseases” will place growing pressure on our healthcare system. Currently, we lack the space, staff, equipment, long-term care services, and funding to meet these future demands. So, to prepare, scientists are working to develop new, effective therapies that reduce age-related disease and ease the burden on healthcare, and some are also turning to dogs.

An important example involves Alzheimer’s disease (AD), which is the most common form of dementia, affecting nearly 500,000 new patients each year. Despite being the most frequently diagnosed and extensively researched neurodegenerative disease, treatments have largely failed to slow, halt, or reverse its progression. One reason may be the limitations of current research “models”. For example, most studies rely on mice as a model for testing treatments, but less than 5% of all interventions (not just for AD) tested in mice make it to FDA approval for humans. This is at least partly because mice differ significantly from humans—they lack genetic diversity, live in sterile environments, and don’t naturally develop dementia—making it difficult to translate findings into human therapies. To bridge this gap, researchers are turning to companion dogs. Dogs share our environments and are exposed to the same pollutants, household chemicals, and toxins. They also exhibit genetic diversity and, importantly, researchers including some from CSU have shown that dogs naturally develop dementia with similar biology to humans. These similarities make dogs an especially valuable model for aging research.

One of the first big efforts to study aging and diseases in dogs is called the Dog Aging Project. The Dog Aging Project was created to give scientists access to companion dog data in a humane, ethical way. Pet owners can register their dogs through participating university veterinary teaching hospitals (such as CSU!). Enrolled dogs may provide saliva, blood, and stool samples, undergo genetic and cognitive testing, and have their health tracked through routine surveys and veterinary checkups. Eligible dogs may also participate in treatments or tissue donation. As of 2022, about 40,000 dogs across the U.S. have joined the project, and the effort is still in progress.

With researchers across the country using this model, there’s growing hope that discoveries from companion dog studies will lead to more effective treatments for humans—offering new paths forward in the fight against age-related disease.