The development of veterinary drugs has saved countless animals. However, the sad irony is that in many cases, this progress has come at the expense of dogs sacrificed during veterinary drug trials.

The US Food and Drug Administration — or FDA — is working to remedy that by using bioequivalence trials. In traditional studies, dogs are treated with the study drug then euthanized so their tissues can be examined for effects of the drug. Bioequivalence trials use fewer dogs, and blood is only sampled to see if concentrations of the study drug are equivalent to those for similar drugs already on the market.

What’s more, dogs will be socialized and trained for the blood draws while receiving preventive veterinary care. Then they’ll be available for adoption when the study is over. As a result, even more lives will be saved.