Weekly Companion Animal News: September 28, 2026

Loyal takes step forward on longevity drug for large dogs

Loyal, an animal health company developing longevity drugs for dogs, announced that LOY-003, a pill designed to extend the lifespans of large dogs, completed the FDA’s Reasonable Expectation of Effectiveness (RXE) section of its Expanded Conditional Approval (XCA) application. Loyal’s lead drug, LOY-002, targets insulin resistance as a driver of accelerated aging in senior dogs. The two other drug candidates in Loyal’s portfolio – LOY-001 and LOY-003 – target growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), which cause large and giant dogs to grow quickly but also lead to accelerated aging and shorter lifespans.

Dechra launches Laverdia, an oral treatment for canine lymphoma

Laverdia (verdinexor tablets) can be used immediately following diagnosis while pet owners are deciding on the best option, waiting to begin multi-agent chemotherapy, after relapse, or when multi-agent chemotherapy is not the preferred treatment approach. According to Dechra, with demonstrated efficacy in both B-cell and T-cell lymphoma, Laverdia helps veterinary teams take action sooner, offering dogs and their families an opportunity for more days together while supporting individualized treatment decisions throughout the cancer care journey.

Dogs and cats carry antibiotic-resistant bacteria also found in people: UK study

Dogs and cats may carry strains of  Klebsiella pneumoniae, a potentially serious bacterium that is also found in humans, research from Bournemouth University in Dorset, England, has found. Klebsiella pneumoniae can live harmlessly in the body but can also cause serious infections, including those of the urinary tract, bloodstream and lungs. The problem becomes more difficult to treat when the bacteria are resistant to antibiotics. Among animals studied, the researchers found that 80% of samples from cats were classified as resistant to multiple drugs compared with 56% of those from dogs.

NAVER D2SF invests in precision medicine company ImpriMed

NAVER D2SF, NAVER’s inhouse corporate venture arm, has joined ImpriMed’s $10 million Series A2 bridge round. ImpriMed is the developer of a process to analyze cells for canine lymphoma, and it is preparing to commercialize products for blood cancers and blood infection in humans. ImpriMed’s xCellSense platform can keep patient cancer cells viable ex vivo for extended periods, enabling evaluation of their biological characteristics and drug sensitivity.

More Americans getting rabies shots

Amidst a reported rise in rabies exposures, usage of the two rabies vaccines for humans licensed in the U.S. is up an estimated 33% from a year earlier, and use of the two rabies immune globulin products is up 76%. From July through August 2026, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention received 17% more rabies-related inquiries than during the same prior year period, including reports of mass exposure events (i.e., those involving more than one person).

Georgia tackles rural vet shortage

Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC) and the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine launched the Georgia Rural Practice Veterinary Incentive Program, or Georgia Rural Practice VIP. The five-year agreement builds a direct pathway from Baldwin’s undergraduate Animal Science track to UGA’s veterinary school, aimed at students who want to treat mixed and food animals. Students accepted into the program still have to complete the full UGA College of Veterinary Medicine admissions process. They will have access to an ABAC faculty advisor in the Animal Science track and a UGA veterinary faculty mentor.

Study links fecal IgA levels with atopic dermatitis

In a study involving 68 dogs, scholars from the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and Scotland’s Rural College found fecal immunoglobulin A (IgA) concentration was associated with canine atopic dermatitis (CAD). The researchers hope their paper will build on existing evidence that low IgA is associated with CAD, and they noted further work was required to determine the significance of low faecal IgA in the development of tolerance or hypersensitivity to food and environmental allergens.

With vaccines (pet and human), pet owners trust veterinarians more than MDs

A survey of Wisconsin pet owners showed that the most common reason they declined a vaccine for their pet was that they didn’t think it was medically necessary, followed by concern about adverse effects and cost, said Jessica Pritchard, VMD, MS, DACVIM (SAIM), speaking at the 2026 Fetch National Harbor Veterinary Conference in Maryland. More than half who declined leptospirosis or Lyme vaccines didn’t believe their pet was at risk. Human vaccine hesitancy correlated strongly with canine vaccine hesitancy, and owners reported trusting their veterinarian’s vaccine advice more than their own healthcare provider’s.