Ozempic Implant For Pets?

Hello, Summarians!

Ozempic…well, not really - but studies are using another GLP-1. Just as important in this and the other studies is the delivery mechanism. A subcutaneous implant that delivers the drug consistently and reliably.

You may have heard about a recent call for patients by a San Francisco startup. This is one of the foundational studies that contributed to the current understanding.

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CBD And Dog Aggression

This study examines cannabidiol (CBD) and hemp use in companion dogs across the United States using data from the Dog Aging Project, which includes surveys from more than 47,000 dog owners. Following the 2018 Farm Bill that legalized hemp-derived products, CBD use has increased not only among humans but also among pet owners, driven by perceptions of potential health and behavioral benefits. Although CBD is FDA-approved for certain seizure disorders in humans and has been studied for anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and anxiolytic effects, evidence in dogs remains limited, with few small or short-term studies and little information on long-term safety. 

By leveraging this large, longitudinal dataset, the study aimed to identify demographic factors associated with CBD administration to dogs, examine associations between CBD use and health conditions, and analyze changes in behavior over time among long-term CBD users. Dogs receiving CBD were, on average, about three years older than non-users, suggesting CBD is frequently given to senior dogs, likely to address age-related concerns such as arthritis or cognitive decline. Male dogs showed slightly higher use rates than females, although the reasons for this difference remain unclear. Geographic patterns indicated higher CBD use in states with more permissive cannabis laws, supporting the idea that public attitudes and accessibility influence owner decisions. 

CBD use was more common among dogs diagnosed with dementia, osteoarthritis, epilepsy, cancer, hip dysplasia, and gastrointestinal disorders such as chronic diarrhea. These associations reflect both emerging evidence for CBD’s benefits in some conditions, particularly epilepsy and inflammatory disease, and broader public perceptions of its therapeutic potential for conditions like cancer or behavioral disorders. Gastrointestinal conditions may partly represent adverse effects, as CBD can produce GI side effects similar to other oil-based supplements. 

Behavioral analyses focused on changes with age revealed that aggression was the only behavior showing a statistically significant association with CBD use over time. Dogs that received CBD initially demonstrated higher aggression scores than non-users, suggesting that owners may have started treatment in response to problem behaviors. Over time, however, aggression levels in CBD-receiving dogs were reported to decrease to below those of dogs not receiving CBD. This pattern is consistent with small controlled studies reporting reduced stress or improved anxiety-related behaviors in dogs, though the findings cannot establish causality and may be confounded by concurrent training or medical interventions. 

The study is limited by reliance on owner-reported data, lack of standardized diagnoses and dosing information, absence of details on product formulation or cannabinoid composition, and the observational design, which precludes causal inference. Additionally, Dog Aging Project participants tend to be older and wealthier than the general U.S. population, limiting the generalizability of results. 

Overall, the findings suggest that CBD use in dogs mirrors human attitudes toward cannabinoids, with owners administering CBD particularly for conditions they believe benefit from such treatments. Long-term CBD use was associated with reduced intensity of aggressive behavior, though controlled clinical studies are needed to determine true efficacy and safety. Future research should focus on standardized dosing, product composition, objective outcome measures such as cortisol or activity monitoring, and randomized trials to better define the clinical role of CBD in managing canine health and behavior. 

Conrow Kendra D. , Haney Richard S. , Malek-Ahmadi Michael H. , Albright Julia D. , Kaplan Barbara L. F. , Snyder-Mackler Noah , Kerr Kathleen F. , Su Yi , Promislow Daniel E. L. , Bray Emily E. ,  Dog Aging Project Consortium , Leung Maxwell C. K. , Ruple Audrey , Benton Brooke , Wilfond Benjamin S. , Jonlin Erica C. , Borenstein Elhanan , Karlsson Elinor K. , MacLean Evan L. , Fitzpatrick Annette L. , Akey Joshua M. , Hoffman Jessica M. , Ma Jing , Kaeberlein Matt , Kerr Kathleen F. , Creevy Kate E. , Tolbert M. Katherine , Dunbar Matthew D. , Coleman Amanda E. , Castelhano Marta G. , Snyder-Mackler Noah , Promislow Daniel E. L. , Shrager Sandi , Schwartz Stephen M. , Urfer Silvan R. , Fajt Virginia R. Demographic features, health status, and behavioral changes associated with cannabidiol use in the Dog Aging Project Frontiers in Veterinary Science Volume 12 2025 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2025.1666663 

Bottom line — May be useful in certain circumstances

Novel GLP1 Implant For Cat Obesity

Obesity prevalence has increased dramatically in people since 1975 and has risen in parallel among companion animals, particularly cats, where rates now approach 40%. Obesity is a chronic, multifactorial disease linked to reduced life expectancy and metabolic complications, including systemic inflammation, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and cardiometabolic disease. In cats, obesity is associated with similar metabolic abnormalities as in humans, although long-term health outcomes and the impact of sustained weight loss remain poorly defined. 

Caloric restriction remains the standard therapy for feline weight management, but increasing prevalence highlights the need for additional long-term treatment strategies. GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs), which reduce body weight in people by decreasing appetite, slowing gastric emptying, reducing glucagon secretion, and stimulating central satiety pathways, have shown promise in cats. Short-term studies in healthy cats demonstrated weight loss with GLP-1RAs, but longer-duration effects were not well characterized. 

This study evaluated OKV-119, a long-acting implant delivering the GLP-1RA exenatide for over 84 days, in healthy purpose-bred cats across a 112-day period. Sustained plasma exenatide concentrations were achieved, and most cats exhibited an immediate reduction in caloric intake followed by weight loss that plateaued around Day 28 and was maintained for the remainder of the study. Plasma exenatide concentrations between approximately 1.5 and 4 ng/mL were sufficient to induce weight loss in most animals, consistent with previous findings. Four of five cats responded with reduced food intake and weight loss; the reason for nonresponse in the largest cat was unclear. 

Although weight loss in people of 5–10% is associated with improvements in lipid profiles, glucose regulation, insulin sensitivity, and reduced cardiometabolic risk, similar outcome data are lacking in cats. While obese cats display metabolic disturbances such as elevated insulin, glucose, triglycerides, and inflammatory markers with reduced adiponectin, it remains unknown whether specific degrees of sustained weight loss translate into measurable metabolic benefits. Future studies in clinically obese household cats are needed to identify target therapeutic plasma concentrations for exenatide and to determine whether GLP-1RA-induced weight loss leads to improvements in cardiometabolic markers such as fasting insulin, fasting glucose, triglycerides, and total cholesterol. 

Klotsman, M., Anderson, W.H. & Gilor, C. Drug release profile of a novel exenatide long-term drug delivery system (OKV-119) administered to cats. BMC Vet Res 20, 211 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-024-04051-6 

Bottom line — Early results support this as a beneficial protocol.

Pulse Oximetry Sensor Placement

Pulse oximetry is widely used in anesthetized and awake patients because it provides continuous, noninvasive monitoring of arterial oxygen saturation (SpO₂) and can also report perfusion index (PI), an indicator of the ratio of pulsatile to nonpulsatile blood flow derived from the photoplethysmographic waveform. Prior studies in veterinary patients suggested that PI and SpO₂ vary with probe location and tissue thickness, but results were contradictory, and the influence of clip contact force had not been investigated. This study aimed to characterize contact forces produced by three pulse-oximeter clips of the same brand across different opening distances and to determine whether PI and SpO₂ values in anesthetized dogs and cats were affected by probe position, tongue thickness, or canine body weight. 

Bench testing confirmed a positive relationship between clip opening distance and generated contact force, with the smallest clip exerting less force than the other two. In live animals, tongue compression was greater at thicker tongue regions, reflecting increased clip opening and applied force. In both dogs and cats, PI values differed by probe location, with lower PI consistently observed at more peripheral, thinner tongue regions. In dogs, PI was also influenced by body weight. These findings align with previous work indicating altered pulsatile flow at peripheral lingual sites, potentially from mechanical compression of vessels or interference from venous pulsations. 

SpO₂ was similarly affected by probe placement and dog weight category. Dogs under 10 kg and cats demonstrated lower SpO₂ at thinner peripheral tongue sites, while dogs over 20 kg showed slightly higher SpO₂ at these locations. The discrepancy between smaller and larger dogs may relate to differences in tongue compression, with greater compression in heavier dogs potentially reducing venous pulsation artifacts and yielding higher apparent SpO₂ values. A concurrent reduction in PI and SpO₂ at certain sites suggests a possible interdependency between these measures or degraded signal quality at thinner or more compressed tissue regions, though the precise mechanism remains unclear. 

The study encountered several limitations, including skewed SpO₂ distributions necessitating nonparametric analyses, relatively small sample sizes, and a notable proportion of failed signal readings, particularly in cats and dogs less than 10 kg at peripheral tongue sites. These failures may reflect limited pulsatile tissue in thinner tongues, uneven pressure distribution, or insufficient clip force. Differences in anesthetic drug protocols, potential undetected disease states, and the inclusion of brachycephalic dogs with atypical tongue conformation further complicate interpretation. 

Overall, the study demonstrates that clip opening distance directly influences contact force and that probe location and patient size affect both PI and SpO₂ readings in anesthetized dogs and cats. The consistent reduction of PI at peripheral tongue sites and variable effects on SpO₂ underscore the importance of probe placement and clip selection for reliable pulse oximetry. Larger, controlled studies including direct in vivo measurement of contact force and assessment of accuracy against arterial blood gas values are needed to clarify these relationships and to optimize monitoring practices in veterinary anesthesia. 

Ryan, K. E., Kapaldo, N., Bortoluzzi, E. M., & Rankin, D. C. (2025). Lingual pulse oximeter probe location and weight category influence reported pulse oximeter values in healthy anesthetized dogs and cats. American Journal of Veterinary Research https://doi.org/10.2460/ajvr.25.08.0285 

Bottom line — Placement is important.

Just putting things in perspective …