PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Helping dogs live longer and better lives is the goal of a new experimental drug, a pill designed to slow the aging process so our beloved dogs can be with us a little longer.

It was love at first sight when Brent Sheldon’s family saw Riley for the first time.

“He manages to put a smile on our faces every day,” Sheldon said.

In hopes of keeping him with him as long as possible, the 10.5-year-old Corgi is participating in a clinical trial for an experimental drug developed by biotechnology company Loyal to improve and extend the lives of dogs.

“I didn’t even have to think about it,” Sheldon said.

“This is of course every dog ​​owner’s dream. It’s about how I can keep my best friend alive, healthy and happy longer,” said Dr. Sam Geller of the Quakertown Veterinary Clinic.

Geller said he has enrolled about 50 dogs so far and is taking in more to test the daily pill.

“It may help prevent insulin resistance,” Geller said. “It helps regulate the fats in your body. It helps regulate the lipids in the bloodstream.”

The study is designed so that half the dogs receive the drug and half receive a placebo, so we don’t know which drug Riley is getting.

“The FDA wants you to prove that your drug is better than a sugar pill,” Geller said.

When approving the clinical trial, the FDA stated that there was a “reasonable expectation of effectiveness.”

“This medication is designed to help maintain metabolic health,” said Dr. Brennen McKenzie, director of veterinary medicine at Loyal.

McKenzie said the drug works on the principle of calorie restriction, which has been shown to have positive effects on the health of dogs and humans, but there is no limit on how much food the dogs can eat.

“The way this drug works is essentially to activate the same metabolic pathways in the body that are activated by calorie restriction, but in a safer and more convenient way. Because none of us want to starve our dogs so they can live longer,” McKenzie said.

More than 1,000 dogs are expected to take part in the study, and Sheldon hopes that this will allow Riley to stay with us as long as possible.

“As long as it doesn’t change his behavior and his quality of life,” he said.

Researchers don’t know how much this might extend life, by months or years — that’s what the four-year study will examine. The nationwide study is currently involving larger dogs that are at least 10 years old.