With all the buzz about GLP-1 drugs in people, could they potentially benefit obese or diabetic dogs and cats, too? Several veterinary pharmaceutical companies are exploring these options.

About 60 percent of U.S. dogs and cats are obese, and hundreds of thousands are diabetic. Simply stressing diet and exercise isn’t significantly easing the obesity epidemic. As for diabetes, pets often need insulin injections twice daily, making this a labor-intensive and costly treatment.

Late in 2025, a pharmaceutical company in San Francisco began a pilot study of a GLP-1 drug in obese cats. Small injectable implants slowly release the drug over six months. If results live up to the promise, a larger trial will be launched with the aim of applying for U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval within two years.