How it works
What a month of Leap Years actually does
Two chews, two schedules, and one process happening below anything you can see. This page explains the mechanism, the timing, and the limits of what we know.
01
A month looks like this
Most supplements are one thing given once a day. Leap Years is two different chews on two different schedules, which is the part people ask about most. So here is the whole month at a glance, before anything else.
One monthly cycle
Give with or without food. Miss a day and you simply continue — there is no restart.
One jar holds both chews — two golden, then the month of brown.
02
Why one chew is daily and the other is not
The two chews do different kinds of work, and different work needs different timing. One is a short pulse at the start of the month. The other is a steady supply the body draws on continuously.
Dosing cadence across one month
03
From chew to cell
NAD+ is a molecule every cell uses to turn food into ATP, the usable energy that everything else depends on. Levels of it are widely reported to fall as dogs get older, and that decline is one of the most studied ideas in the biology of aging.
You are not giving your dog NAD+. You are giving the raw material, and letting the body do the work.
A precursor is a building block. The cell takes it and makes its own NAD+, on its own schedule, in the amounts it needs. That is a slower and less dramatic idea than a molecule that goes straight to work, and it is also why a single dose does very little and a daily one is the whole point.
What happens to the precursor
Simplified illustration of a published mechanism. Not a depiction of measured results for this product.
The dog you know is still in there. The job is to keep the machinery under them running well.
Leap Years is given daily, through the senior years.04
The cells that stop leaving
Healthy tissue replaces itself. Cells that are worn out or damaged normally clear away, and new ones take their place. With age, a growing share of them stop doing either — they neither work properly nor clear out, and they accumulate.
This is the second half of the formula, and the reason the golden chews exist. Rather than adding something, they support a process the body already performs, and performs less well over time.
Worn-out cells accumulate with age
Conceptual illustration, not microscopy. Teal marks healthy cells, brown marks worn-out cells.
The changes you notice on the outside start here.
05
Tested in dogs, not borrowed from humans
Almost every senior dog supplement on the market takes its evidence from human or rodent research and asks you to assume it carries across. Leap Years was put through a clinical trial in dogs, run with a leading veterinary university, and the results were published where other scientists could examine them.
Cognition was the endpoint that reached statistical significance in the published trial, and it is the outcome we describe.
06
Who it's for
Most supplements target one visible thing: a joint, a coat, a nervous evening. Leap Years works one level below that, on a process that sits underneath many parts of the body at once. That makes it a fit for a particular kind of dog, and a particular kind of owner.
Leap Years is a daily supplement, not a medication. If your dog needs treatment for a diagnosed condition, that's a conversation with your veterinarian.
07
Questions we get
How soon can I expect to see noticeable changes in my dog?
Every dog's system is unique. Our university clinical study measured its result at three months of daily use, and that is the window we ask for before you form a view.
Is Leap Years safe to take with prescribed medications?
It is best to consult your veterinarian before starting any supplement. The safety of Leap Years was evaluated in both pre-clinical and clinical studies, and ongoing tracking of safety reports is made through the National Animal Supplement Council Reporting System.
Why is it important that your facilities are FDA-registered?
Because animal supplements are largely unregulated, manufacturing in an FDA-registered and audited facility ensures our production meets strict, human-grade safety, purity, and quality control guidelines.
Can I slow down aging in my dog?
Aging is driven by genetics and environment, and you can influence the process through lifestyle, good nutrition and regular medical care. Targeted cellular supplements like Leap Years support your dog's whole-body health along the way.
What do you mean by "healthy aging" for a dog?
Healthy aging means your dog stays physically strong, flexible, and cognitively engaged without suffering from rapid age-related decline. It focuses on supporting their vitality, blood chemistry, and cellular health as they grow older.
What are the side effects of Leap Years?
With over 300,000 daily administrations, reported side effects are rare (fewer than 1 in 1,000) and temporary. These include mild stomach upset (vomit and diarrhea), itchiness, lethargy and agitation. In a clinical trial, reported side effects were no different than those of the placebo group.
Should my puppy take Leap Years?
No. Puppies and young dogs (under 50% of their expected lifespan) do not need it. Young dogs naturally maintain high cellular energy (NAD+) and have very few worn-out cells. Leap Years is formulated for adult and senior dogs.
What are the two different colored chews inside the bottle for?
Leap Years is a simple monthly regimen. You give the golden chews for the first 2 consecutive days of the month to support the clearance of old, worn-out cells. For the remaining days, you give the brown chews daily to supply the NAD+ precursor.
Can dogs with food allergies or sensitivities take Leap Years?
Yes. There are zero animal proteins in Leap Years. We use a beef "flavor" only, to avoid this common allergen. They are safely formulated for dogs with food intolerances.
What if I miss a day or forget to give the golden chews on time?
Don't stress. If you miss a few daily brown chews, just pick up right where you left off. If you miss the 2-day golden chew window at the start of the month, you can give them on any two consecutive days — just aim to give them around that same date the following month.
What should I do if my dog accidentally eats the entire bottle at once?
Don't panic, and monitor them closely. Contact your veterinarian if you are concerned. Our safety studies testing up to 30x the daily dose showed full recovery within 48 hours. Your dog may become lethargic, drink extra water, or experience temporary diarrhea. Feed a bland diet, and contact us immediately at support@leapyears.com or 1-888-850-1930 so our veterinary team can support you.
What makes Leap Years different from standard dog vitamins?
Standard vitamins provide basic nutritional support. Leap Years works at the cellular level with a two-part formula, and it was tested in dogs in a published clinical trial rather than borrowing its evidence from human research.
If it makes sense, start with one month
Sizes are set by your dog's weight, and the product page has the doses and pricing. The subscription exists so the next jar arrives before the current one runs out, and you can cancel it in one click.
