Senolytics for Dogs and Cats: Fisetin and Quercetin

What senolytics are, what the dog evidence shows, how fisetin and quercetin differ, and what's known about safety in dogs and cats.

By La Petite Labs Editorial 9 min read

As Seen On

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Contents

Senolytics haven't been shown to work in dogs or cats yet. They're compounds meant to clear worn-out "senescent" cells. The only randomized dog trial we found tested an undisclosed senolytic plus an NAD+ precursor in 70 senior dogs, and owners rated cognition better at three months. No trial has tested fisetin or quercetin alone in dogs or cats.

Here's what senolytics are, how fisetin and quercetin differ, what's known about safety, and why cats need extra care.

La Petite Labs publishes this guide and makes Hollywood Elixir, a supplement for dogs and cats. We're not affiliated with any company named here.

What are senolytics?

Senolytics are compounds designed to kill senescent cells, which are damaged cells that have stopped dividing but don't die off. These cells release a mix of inflammatory signals, and researchers think their buildup helps drive age-related disease.1 They're nicknamed "zombie cells" for that reason.

The idea took off in 2015, when researchers found that senescent cells rely on survival pathways that drugs can switch off. In that work, the cancer drug dasatinib and the plant compound quercetin each cleared different types of senescent cells, and the pair reduced senescent cell burden in mice.2 Most senolytic research since then is in mice, cells and small human trials.1

Senolytics for dogs and cats at a glance

What senolytics are
Compounds meant to clear senescent ("zombie") cells
Proven in dogs or cats?
No; one 70-dog trial tested an undisclosed product
What that trial found
Better owner-rated cognition at 3 months, not at 6; no difference in activity or lab tests
Fisetin
Most potent of 10 flavonoids in a lab screen; extended lifespan in mice; no oral dog or cat trial
Quercetin
Weak senolytic on its own; studied mainly with the cancer drug dasatinib
Cats
No fisetin data; a few tiny quercetin studies; cats clear some compounds poorly
Approved senolytic drugs for pets
None
Safe amount for pets
Not established; ask your vet

Senolytic candidates and the evidence in dogs and cats

CandidateWhat it isEvidence in dogsEvidence in cats
FisetinPlant flavonoid sold as a supplementNo trial by mouth; one 14-day eye-drop studyNone found
QuercetinPlant flavonoid sold as a supplementAbsorption and diet studies; not tested as a senolyticOne 4-week study of a quercetin-containing herbal mix in 14 cats
Dasatinib plus quercetinPrescription cancer drug plus a flavonoidLab tests on dog heart-valve cells onlyNone found
Leap Years (LY-D6/2)Undisclosed senolytic plus NAD+ precursor, sold as a dog chewOne 70-dog randomized trialNone

Competitor label and pricing facts checked November 11, 2026. Sources are listed in the References section below.

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Do senolytics work for dogs?

It hasn't been shown. Only one randomized trial has tested a senolytic in pet dogs, and it used a proprietary product whose ingredients weren't named.3 The result was promising on one owner-rated measure and flat on the others.

Dogs' lifespans haven't been measured on any senolytic. A 2025 review of anti-aging strategies for dogs concluded that species-specific validation is still needed.9 For now, senolytics are a research idea in dogs, not an established treatment.

Woman in sportswear holding a Hollywood Elixir box beside a black-and-tan dog outdoors

What did the senior-dog senolytic study test?

The study, published in Scientific Reports in 2024 by a North Carolina State University team, tested a product called LY-D6/2. Dogs got a senolytic capsule on two consecutive days each month and an NAD+ precursor every day, at a low or full strength, or a placebo.3 The company that funded it, Animal Biosciences, sells the combination as a soft chew called Leap Years and hasn't disclosed the formula.4

The trial enrolled 70 dogs aged 10 and older with mild to moderate cognitive decline. Over three months, owner-rated cognition scores differed between groups, with the biggest gain in the full-strength group. By six months that difference was gone.3 Activity collars, gait speed, frailty and in-clinic thinking tests showed no group differences, and all groups improved, which the authors put down partly to placebo effects. Side effects were spread evenly across the groups.3

Woman holding a Hollywood Elixir box above her forehead beside a Bernese mountain dog outdoors

What does fisetin do?

Fisetin is a plant flavonoid that was the most potent senolytic of 10 flavonoids screened in a 2018 study. In mice, short courses reduced senescence markers in several tissues.5

The headline result was in old mice. A diet containing fisetin, started at 85 weeks of age (roughly the human equivalent of 75), extended both median and maximum lifespan.5 That's why fisetin gets so much attention. It's a mouse result, though, and no study has measured fisetin's effect on a dog's or cat's lifespan.

Golden retriever nuzzling a woman holding a Hollywood Elixir box on the grass beside a food bowl

Fisetin vs quercetin: which is the better senolytic?

In lab studies, fisetin is the stronger senolytic on its own. It was the most potent of 10 flavonoids in the 2018 screen.5 Quercetin's senolytic reputation comes mostly from pairing it with dasatinib, a prescription cancer drug, because each compound kills different senescent cell types.2

Neither has much human evidence. The two best-known human pilot studies of dasatinib plus quercetin were open-label, with 9 and 14 people and no placebo group.67 Fisetin is in placebo-controlled human trials, such as AFFIRM-LITE in older adults, which was still enrolling by invitation in 2026.8 In dogs and cats, neither has been tested as a senolytic.

Senolytics haven't been shown to work in dogs or cats. The only dog trial tested a product whose ingredients weren't named.

Which senolytics have been tested in dogs and cats?

The dog evidence is thin. The fisetin study used eye drops in dogs with dry eye,10 the quercetin studies looked at absorption and diet rather than senescent cells,11 and the dasatinib-plus-quercetin work was done on cells from dogs with heart-valve disease, reported in a conference abstract.9 The cat study tested an herbal extract, not a senolytic protocol.12

Overhead view of a black-and-white dog beside a food bowl and Hollywood Elixir box

Is fisetin safe for dogs?

No one knows yet. We found no published safety study of fisetin given by mouth to dogs. The only dog study of fisetin itself used 0.1% eye drops in dogs with dry eye for two weeks, and it didn't restore tear production.10

The senior-dog trial may or may not have used fisetin, because the senolytic wasn't named. Its side effects were spread evenly across placebo and treatment groups, but that tells you about one undisclosed product, not fisetin.3 Supplements sold as "fisetin for dogs" haven't been through a dog safety trial, so talk to your vet first, especially if your dog has liver or kidney disease or takes other medicines.

Woman smiling beside a golden retriever, a green food bowl and a Hollywood Elixir box

Is quercetin safe for dogs?

Quercetin has more dog data than fisetin, but none of it tests senolytic use. In a study of nine beagles given 10 mg/kg, only about 4% of the quercetin was absorbed, and most of what reached the blood was in altered, conjugated forms.11

In an 8-week study, dogs fed a diet with 3.9 g of quercetin per kilogram of food kept stable weight, blood sugar and most bloodwork values, though one pancreatic enzyme, lipase, rose.13 That's reassuring for short-term feeding, not proof of long-term safety. Never use onions or garlic as a quercetin source: they can damage red blood cells in dogs and cats.14

Man holding a Hollywood Elixir box while sitting on an outdoor sofa with a golden retriever

What is dasatinib plus quercetin?

Dasatinib plus quercetin, often called D+Q, is the best-known senolytic combination in human research. Dasatinib is a prescription cancer drug approved for certain human leukemias, and its label warns of serious effects including low blood counts, bleeding, fluid buildup, heart and lung problems, and liver damage.15

Vets have used dasatinib to treat some canine and feline cancers.1 As a senolytic for pets, D+Q has been tested only on dog heart-valve cells in the lab.9 It isn't a supplement, and a quercetin supplement on its own isn't the same thing as D+Q.

Is there a quercetin senolytic protocol for pets?

No. The "quercetin senolytic protocols" shared online come from human pilot studies, and they always pair quercetin with dasatinib. In one, nine adults with diabetic kidney disease took dasatinib 100 mg and quercetin 1,000 mg over three days, which lowered senescent cell markers in fat and skin.6 In another, 14 people with lung fibrosis took dasatinib 100 mg and quercetin 1,250 mg a day, three days a week for three weeks.7

That pattern of short courses with long breaks is called "hit and run." Nobody has tested it in dogs or cats, and dasatinib is a prescription cancer drug. Don't copy a human protocol for a pet.

Fisetin extended lifespan in old mice. No study has measured what it does for a dog's or cat's lifespan.

Spotted gray dog beside a Hollywood Elixir box held in a person's hand

What amounts of fisetin and quercetin have studies used?

These figures come from research and aren't amounts to give your pet:

  • Mice: fisetin at 100 mg/kg by mouth for five days in a row, or mixed into food at 500 parts per million.5
  • People: fisetin at 20 mg/kg a day for two consecutive days in the AFFIRM-LITE trial.8
  • Dogs: a single 10 mg/kg quercetin amount in an absorption study, and 3.9 g per kilogram of food for eight weeks in a diet study.1113
  • Cats: about 2.5 to 3 mg/kg a day of quercetin, within an herbal extract, for four weeks.12
  • Leap Years: the amounts in the senior-dog trial weren't published. The authors say the company set them in its own pharmacokinetic and safety studies.3

No safe or effective senolytic amount of fisetin or quercetin has been established for dogs or cats.

Golden retriever nuzzling a man holding a Hollywood Elixir box beside a food bowl

Are senolytics safe for cats?

There's almost no data, and cats need extra caution. We found no study of fisetin in live cats. Cats lack a working version of UGT1A6, a liver enzyme other species use to clear acetaminophen and similar compounds, which is why that painkiller is so dangerous to them.16 Researchers think cats could lose it because a meat-only diet exposed them to few plant compounds.17

Whether that slows how cats clear fisetin or quercetin hasn't been measured. Cats' kidney disease has been suggested as a model for future senolytic research, and lab work has used feline kidney cells, but there are no cat trials yet.1 Don't give a cat a senolytic supplement made for people or dogs.

Golden spaniel eating from a green bowl beside a Hollywood Elixir box

Is quercetin good for cats?

The evidence is too thin to say. The closest study gave 14 cats an herbal extract supplying about 2.5 to 3 mg/kg of quercetin a day for four weeks. An inflammation marker fell, and obese cats saw lower cholesterol and liver enzymes.12

That's one small, short study of a mixture, not a test of quercetin as a senolytic. If your cat already takes a supplement, check the label for quercetin before adding another. Cats are also more sensitive than dogs to onion and garlic, so avoid any product that sources quercetin from them.14

What foods contain fisetin and quercetin?

Fisetin is found in strawberries, apples, persimmons, grapes, onions and cucumbers.18 Quercetin is in many fruits and vegetables, including onions and kale.1

Two of those foods are dangerous for pets. Grapes and raisins can cause kidney damage in dogs, and onions can damage red blood cells in both dogs and cats.14 Feeding fruit won't deliver the amounts used in senolytic research anyway, so don't use food as a senolytic plan.

Is there a senolytic drug for dogs or cats?

No. As of November 2026, no drug is approved to clear senescent cells in dogs or cats, and a 2024 veterinary review described the field as still facing scientific and regulatory hurdles before use outside trials.1 Dasatinib is approved for human leukemia, not for aging.15

What you can buy are supplements, such as fisetin capsules or Leap Years, which are sold without drug approval. For the drugs that are moving through FDA review for dog aging, see our dog longevity drug guide. Rapamycin, a different kind of drug being tested for aging, is covered in our rapamycin for dogs guide.

Woman holding a Hollywood Elixir box beside a dapple dachshund and green food bowl on a sofa

Should I give my dog fisetin or quercetin?

Not without your vet's input. Neither has a proven senolytic benefit or an established safe amount in dogs. A dog that's slowing down may have arthritis pain, dental disease, a thyroid problem or cognitive decline, and each has its own treatment, so see your vet before blaming "zombie cells."

If you still want to try something, pick one product, tell your vet what's in it and how much, and change nothing else for a few weeks so you can tell what it does. Our guide to natural alternatives to longevity drugs for dogs compares the options with better evidence, and our dog longevity supplements guide reviews specific products. For cats, see natural alternatives for cats.

Woman cuddling a brown-and-white spaniel while holding a Hollywood Elixir box

What should I ask my vet before trying a senolytic supplement?

  • Could my pet's symptoms be pain, dental disease or another treatable problem?
  • Do my pet's liver or kidney values make a new supplement riskier?
  • Could this interact with any medicine my pet takes?
  • Which bloodwork should we check before starting and after a few weeks?
  • What would make us stop?
  • Should we pause it before surgery or dental work?
  • For a cat: is there any data in cats at all?

Where daily nutrition fits

We make Hollywood Elixir, a daily nutrition powder for adult and senior dogs and cats. It's built around nicotinamide riboside, an NAD+ precursor, with CoQ10, glutathione and 14 more actives, and every active amount is printed on the label. It's a supplement, not a senolytic: it isn't designed to clear senescent cells, and it hasn't been tested for lifespan. The senior-dog trial above tested a different product, so its results don't apply to ours. Its case is practical: one daily sachet stirred into food (half for pets under 7 lb, two for dogs over 30 lb) instead of a cupboard of separate supplements. If your pet takes a prescription drug, check with your vet before adding it or any other supplement. See the full formula and serving guide. For the science of NAD+ precursors, read our NAD+ for dogs guide.

Cats lack a liver enzyme other species use to clear certain compounds, so a dog supplement isn't automatically safe for a cat.

Educational content only. This material is not a substitute for veterinary advice. Always consult your veterinarian about your dog’s specific needs. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Products mentioned are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Glossary

Senescent cell: a damaged cell that has stopped dividing but doesn't die, and releases inflammatory signals.

Senolytic: a compound designed to kill senescent cells.

Flavonoid: a family of plant compounds that includes fisetin and quercetin.

Dasatinib: a prescription cancer drug often paired with quercetin in human senolytic research.

NAD+ precursor: a building block the body uses to make NAD+, such as nicotinamide riboside.

UGT1A6: a liver enzyme that helps clear acetaminophen and similar compounds; cats lack a working version.

Related Reading

Aging & Senior Dog Guidance
• Dog Age Calculator
• Dog Lifespan by Breed
• Dog Dementia
• Lethargy in Dogs
• My Dog Won't Eat
• Dog Pacing At Night
• Dog Licking Paws
• Can Dogs Dehydrate

Healthy Aging Support
• NAD+ for Dogs
• NMN for Dogs
• Antioxidants Supplements for Dogs
• Best Senior Dog Supplements & Vitamins
• Dog Longevity Drugs
• Rapamycin for Dogs

References

Sources and further detail

  1. Williams ZJ, Chow L, Dow S, Pezzanite LM. *Frontiers in Veterinary Science* (2024). The potential for senotherapy as a novel approach to extend life quality in veterinary medicine
  2. Zhu Y et al. *Aging Cell* (2015). The Achilles' heel of senescent cells: from transcriptome to senolytic drugs
  3. Simon KE, Russell K, Mondino A et al. *Scientific Reports* (2024). A randomized, controlled clinical trial demonstrates improved owner-assessed cognitive function in senior dogs receiving a senolytic and NAD+ precursor combination
  4. NutraIngredients (23 Aug 2024), Animal Biosciences develops supplements to promote longevity in dogs
  5. Yousefzadeh MJ, Zhu Y, McGowan SJ et al. *EBioMedicine* (2018). Fisetin is a senotherapeutic that extends health and lifespan
  6. Hickson LJ et al. *EBioMedicine* (2019). Senolytics decrease senescent cells in humans: preliminary report from a clinical trial of dasatinib plus quercetin in individuals with diabetic kidney disease
  7. Justice JN et al. *EBioMedicine* (2019). Senolytics in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: results from a first-in-human, open-label, pilot study
  8. ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03675724 (updated May 2026). AFFIRM-LITE: a phase 2 randomized, placebo-controlled study of alleviation by fisetin of frailty, inflammation, and related measures in older adults
  9. Lim JR, Yoon JH, Han HJ. *Journal of Veterinary Science* (2025). Anti-aging strategies for dogs: current insights and future directions
  10. Krajčíková K, Balicka A, Lapšanská M et al. *International Journal of Molecular Sciences* (2023). The effects of fisetin on cyclosporine-treated dry eye disease in dogs
  11. Reinboth M, Wolffram S, Abraham G et al. *British Journal of Nutrition* (2010). Oral bioavailability of quercetin from different quercetin glycosides in dogs
  12. Kobayashi M, Okada Y, Ueno H et al. *Veterinary Medicine: Research and Reports* (2020). Effects of supplementation with anti-inflammatory compound extracted from herbs in healthy and obese cats
  13. Liu XW, Zhang YH, Xu L et al. *PLoS One* (2025). Exploring the effects of quercetin-added pancreatic diet on metabolic homeostasis in dogs via metabolomics
  14. ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, *People foods to avoid feeding your pets*
  15. DailyMed, *SPRYCEL (dasatinib) tablets* label (revised October 2026)
  16. Court MH, Greenblatt DJ. *Pharmacogenetics* (2000). Molecular genetic basis for deficient acetaminophen glucuronidation by cats: UGT1A6 is a pseudogene
  17. Shrestha B, Reed JM, Starks PT et al. *PLoS One* (2011). Evolution of a major drug metabolizing enzyme defect in the domestic cat and other Felidae: phylogenetic timing and the role of hypercarnivory
  18. Khan N, Syed DN, Ahmad N, Mukhtar H. *Antioxidants & Redox Signaling* (2013). Fisetin: a dietary antioxidant for health promotion

FAQ

What are zombie cells?

"Zombie cells" is a nickname for senescent cells, damaged cells that stop dividing but don't die. They release inflammatory signals, and researchers think their buildup contributes to aging and age-related disease.

Do senolytics help dogs live longer?

No study has shown that. Fisetin extended lifespan in old mice, but no senolytic has been tested for lifespan in dogs or cats.

How much fisetin can I give my dog?

There isn't an established amount. Research amounts come from mice and human trials, and the one dog trial didn't publish its amounts, so ask your vet before giving any fisetin product.

Can I give my dog fisetin and quercetin together?

No trial has tested that combination in dogs, so its safety and benefit are unknown. Adding two new products at once also makes it hard to tell which one caused a side effect, so talk to your vet first.

What are the side effects of fisetin in dogs?

They haven't been studied when it's given by mouth. The only dog study of fisetin used eye drops, so watch for any change in appetite, stool or behavior if your vet agrees to a trial, and stop if you see one.

What is Leap Years for dogs?

Leap Years is a soft chew from Animal Biosciences that pairs an undisclosed senolytic with an NAD+ precursor. A 70-dog trial of the combination found better owner-rated cognition at three months but no difference in activity, gait or in-clinic tests.

Are senolytics the same as NAD+ supplements?

No. Senolytics aim to clear senescent cells, while NAD+ precursors such as nicotinamide riboside help the body make NAD+, a molecule cells use for energy. The senior-dog trial combined one of each.

Can cats take fisetin?

No study has given fisetin to live cats, so its safety in cats is unknown. Cats process some compounds poorly, so don't give a cat fisetin without your vet's approval.

Is dasatinib safe for dogs?

Dasatinib is a prescription cancer drug with serious possible side effects, including low blood counts and bleeding. Vets have used it for some cancers in dogs and cats, but it hasn't been tested as a senolytic in pets.

Dalmatian looking toward a Hollywood Elixir box held in a person's hand

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