Petworking

Petworking

By Peter KensethKids & FamilyPets & Animals
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Petworking episodes

  • Invoxia: Smart Collar, Preventative Medicine

    Research from Demandsage 2.0 indicates that on a worldwide basis, 23% of men and 21.8% of women own a smartwatch. In the U.S., that number is even smaller, as 12.2% of Americans are reported to use a smartwatch or a fitness tracker.

    However, when we get to the pet space, that number drops even further. Market awareness for pet trackers in the United States is approximately 5% of pet-owning households, with the number of households that actually have purchased and use a pet tracker being much smaller than that, potentially as few as 1 million.
    However, while the market is small now, the low level of awareness speaks to the high growth potential in the space, if pet parents can be educated about the utility and benefits of these devices.
    Over the last several months, I've had the pleasure of trialing a new pet tracker called the Smart Dog Collar from a company called Invoxia. This device not only offers activity monitoring and location tracking, like many of the existing trackers in the market, but it was the first to come to market with a heart monitor. The device has a heart monitor in it, and it tracks heart signature (similar to an EKG), resting heart rate, and resting respiratory rate, along with a whole other host of beta features.
    Skeptics might say, well if only 12.2% of Americans use a smartwatch or a fitness tracker, and less than 5% of pet-owning households are even aware of the existence of pet trackers, what is the potential upside to making what is the equivalent of a smart watch for pets?
    The answer lies in the device's potential to offer better insights into your pet's baseline health levels. While at first glance, the ability to know your dog's resting heart rate and respiratory rate might seem like a novel curiosity, it in fact can be a critically important piece of information to gauge the day-to-day health of your dog. By establishing a baseline health profile for their pets, owners can easily detect any deviations, prompting timely visits to the veterinarian if there is a sudden departure from their normal resting heart rate or respiratory rate. Furthermore, the ability to gather health data outside the clinical environment is a crucial development. Many pets experience stress during vet visits, which can affect the diagnostic accuracy of measurements of heart or respiratory rate. Having a regular log of these measurements collected in a familiar, stress-free setting could lead to allows veterinarians to diagnose issues earlier and tailor treatments more effectively.
    Recently, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Amélie Caudron, CEO at Invoxia, and Dr. Cade Wilson, DVM to discuss the Invoxia Smart Dog Collar.
    Amélie answered questions about the device's capabilities, and outlined future plans, including new hardware versions, new features and functionality, and potential partnerships.
    Dr. Wilson was able to provide his insight on the potential clinical benefits of having his clients wear a smart collar. He underscored how real-time, at-home data could provide more accurate insights than clinic-based observations, which are often skewed by pets' stress, and noted that the potential for early detection of disease, as well as treatment adjustment based on this data is immense. For example, if the smart collar was able to show that the prescription of a therapeutic had raised a dog's heart rate, Dr. Wilson could elect to stop the medication or change the dosage.
    This week at CES (Consumer Technology Association), Invoxia unveiled a new hardware version called Minitailz. It retails for $99, and attaches to virtually any dog collar. However, it has all the capabilities of the device I trialed, including the ability to detect atrial fibrillation through the Heart Signature, which is a new feature that was just unveiled at CES.
    Invoxia expects to unveil new partnerships in the coming weeks, and I'm excited to see what the partnerships entail.
    Enjoy the episode!

    49 min
  • Rescue Spot: Simplifying Pet Adoptions

    If you've experienced the joy of adopting a pet, you know that the wonderful feeling of welcoming a new family member to your home is often preceded by involves numerous challenges that can be both cumbersome and emotionally draining. Prospective pet owners frequently encounter a convoluted and extended application process, necessitating comprehensive questionnaires about their living conditions, lifestyle, and prior experiences with pets. This detailed scrutiny, while crucial for ensuring a suitable match between the pet and its future home, can be overwhelming.

    These experiences can deter first-time pet adopters from considering adoption as a viable means of getting a dog or cat, which in turn results in deserving animals remaining in shelters instead of going to their forever home. Even experienced pet adopters admit that the adoption process is somewhat broken, largely due to the limited resources with which most shelters are forced to operate.
    Years ago, one of my close friends, who has a passion for adopting senior dogs, attempted to build an app to serve as a universal database for qualified pet adopters, hoping to streamline a largely similar, unnecessarily repetitive process across the many animal rescues and shelters in the country. While his efforts were unsuccessful at the time, I had always thought it was a good idea, and wondered why the concept was unable to gain traction.
    Fast forward to late 2023, and I was introduced to Nicole Patrick, Founder of Rescue Spot. When I looked at the Rescue Spot website, I saw my friend's vision from years ago, beautifully and elegantly brought to life.
    When I sat down with Nicole, who is a former actress, she explained how her exposure to the horrors of puppy mills and pet stores selling designer dogs in New York led her to found a matchmaking service for pet adoption. Nicole decided to gear her services towards the people who were going to these high-end pet stores and looking for designer dogs, and instead connecting them with pets from shelters and rescue organizations. However, this business model was not without its challenges.
    Notwithstanding the fact that she was trying to run her matchmaking service while working full-time as an actress, these other challenges associated with her efforts to provide an alternative to backyard breeders, puppy mills, or other places that may be fostering poor treatment of the animals from which they were profiting led Nicole to seek an alternative career path. She left her acting career, and after spending a few months in Africa, she returned to New York and began volunteering at various shelters and rescues in New York. This experience allowed her to understand the complexities and difficulties faced by rescue organizations and shelters in managing adoptions. Nicole observed that despite the high volume of adoptions and the significant effort required in this process, most of the funding in these organizations was dedicated to animal care and vetting, leaving limited resources for employee support. Her insights from both volunteering and working in employee roles at these organizations shaped her understanding of the challenges in the pet adoption and rescue process.
    Ultimately, Nicole's experience led her to found Rescue Spot, which is a platform that simplifies, streamlines, and standardizes the entire pet adoption process for both pet adopters and rescue organizations. Nicole describes the platform as a double-sided marketplace that is differentiated from the two major pet adoption platforms, Petfinder and Adopt-a-Pet.com, by the fact that when a prospective adopter registers for Rescue Spot, they fill out a one-time universal application that they can use to instantly apply to any pet on the platform.
    Check out the episode to learn about the Rescue Spot solution, and a discussion of various potential partnerships that the platform is exploring.

    1 hr 3 min
  • Enhancing Health: Exploring Pet Supplements with Zesty Paws

    On the latest episode of Petworking, I was fortunate enough to be joined by 🐾Yvethe Tyszka, Vice President of Marketing, and Bob Kalill, Vice President of Research and Product Development at Zesty Paws (part of H&H Group). Zesty Paws is the top pet supplement brand in the U.S., as verified by Euromonitor.

    Yvethe, Bob and I discussed the rapid growth of the pet supplements market, and the current trends in the category. Whereas supplements used to be something that pet parents would only give to their dog or cat if recommended by a veterinarian, it has now blossomed into a $2B market, that experienced 15% YOY growth in 2023, and is expected to grow 10% to $2.2B in 2024. This is a far cry from the 2-5% YOY growth that Packaged Facts predicted in 2020, when Yvethe joined Zesty Paws.

    As we explored the evolution of the pet supplements market, Yvethe, Bob and I discussed:

    • Evolution of Pet Supplements: How human acceptance/adoption of supplements and the introduction of treat-form supplements that are both effective and enjoyable for pets led to pet supplements evolving from a veterinarian-recommended niche product, to one of the fastest growing categories in Pet Care
      • The Impact of Covid on Pet Supplements: Not only did the pandemic lead to a surge in pet adoptions, which boosted the overall market, but because people were at home with their pets, it allowed them to pay more attention to their pets' health, and focus more on immunity and wellness
        • Online Growth and Retail Expansion: Many pet supplement brands started out as digital natives, and have only recently begun to migrate to brick and mortar. Historically, pet supplements have performed better in e-commerce channels, because customers people don't necessarily know where to go to look for supplements in pet specialty retail, and they may not even be looking for supplements on their shopping trip. The supplements aisle isn't the first place they'll go to in the store. However, once these digital native brands establish a brand presence online, moving into brick and mortar has an additive effect as opposed to cannibalizing online sales, as it reinforces brand awareness and leads to more targeted organic search
        • Strategic Allocation of Product Mix in Retail Channels: As it has expanded into brick and mortar, Zesty Paws has been very deliberate with the product mix that it allocates to each of its retail channels. For example, there's a larger assortment of its supplements line available in an independent pet specialty store or a PetSmart than there would be in Walmart or CVS. FDM outlets receive a smaller array of SKUs there that are more broadly understood, that might attract a customer's interest during a regular shopping trip, whereas a pet specialty store will have SKUs that cater to pet parents that are specifically looking for a supplement to address a more unique condition.
          • Healthy Aging: At SuperZoo, Zesty Paws announced the upcoming launch of its "Healthy Aging" product, an NAD booster developed in conjunction with ChromaDex. It is currently available exclusively on Chewy and the Zesty Paws website, but will become more broadly available next year. Yvethe noted that it is designed to support healthy aging, better cellular health, extend the quality of your dog's years and bring a little bit of their puppyhood energy back.

            • As a user of an NAD booster myself, and a pet parent that gives an NAD booster to Peony, I was excited to have a chance to discuss the science behind Healthy Aging and NAD boosters in general with Bob.

            Tune into the episode to catch the full details of my conversation with Bob and Yvethe, and if you're interested in trying Healthy Aging, let us know in the comments and we'll send you an exclusive discount code. It's a great holiday gift for your senior dog.

            Happy Holidays, everyone!

            52 min
          • The Veterinary Non-Compete

            In the previous episode of Petworking, Daryl Hatton and I delved into the difficult topic of financial euthanasia and its role in the increasing compassion fatigue among veterinarians. We highlighted the alarming mental health crisis in the veterinary field, underscored by a high suicide rate and the startling statistic from Royal Canin that 70% of veterinarians have known a colleague or peer who died by suicide. Mars Petcare's projection of a 41,000 veterinarian shortage in the U.S. by 2030 due to burnout and exit from the profession paints a grim picture.

            This week, we shift focus to another significant challenge in veterinary medicine: non-compete agreements. Joining us is Paul Diaz, founder of Offer First, and my college friend and legal expert, Henry Whitehead. They bring a blend of personal experience and legal insight into the impacts of non-competes on veterinarians' careers and mental health. Our discussion covers the legal nuances, emotional toll, economic consequences, and ethical considerations of these agreements, especially in light of the FTC's anticipated vote on banning such clauses in employment agreements by 2024.

            With Henry's legal expertise, we discussed the following aspects of non-compete agreements, both in the veterinary profession, and in general.

            • Why the enforceability of non-compete agreements is highly dependent on state law and specific circumstances

            • Employer motivation for utilizing non-compete agreements, and alternative methods for protecting business interests while ensuring better care for animals and improved working conditions for veterinarians

            • The emotional health impacts on those subjected to non-compete agreements and the potential for limiting career mobility

            • The economic impacts of non-compete agreements, specifically with respect to depressing veterinary wages

            • The financial risk associated with defending against a non-compete lawsuit, and why it's generally more cost-effective to hire a lawyer for front-end contract negotiation. Non-competes might not always be enforceable, but the risk and expense of defending against them can be significant

            • The relationship between the projected shortage of veterinarians and the use of non-compete agreements. At a time when pet parents' access to veterinary care is severely limited, is it ethical to limit veterinarians' ability to practice for the sake of preserving business interests?

            • Why some leading veterinary businesses have abandoned the use of non-competes, and whether we could see this model replicated in the near future, not withstanding the fact that the FTC is expected to vote on a rule to ban non-compete clauses in employment agreements in April 2024

              • 1 hr 5 min
            • Crowd Funding for Veterinary Care and Animal Adoptions

              This week on Petworking, I sat down with Daryl Hatton, CEO of ConnectionPoint, to discuss some crucial and timely issues, related to the need for crowdfunding solutions in veterinary care. ConnectionPoint's Petfundr brand is specifically designed for pet-related projects and needs. It operates similarly to other crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter or GoFundMe but is focused exclusively on pets and animals.

              Considering the financial challenges many pet owners face, the concept of Petfundr as a specialized crowdfunding platform for pet-related needs is innovative and addresses a significant gap in pet care funding. Here are some key takeaways and reflections from the episode:

              Financial Euthanasia and Veterinary Burnout: The issue of financial euthanasia not only affects pet owners but also takes a toll on veterinarians.

              The Fed's 2022 Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households survey noted that approximately 37% of Americans would struggle to cover a $400 emergency expense without resorting to credit, borrowing from family, selling assets, or obtaining a loan. The unfortunate consequence of this situation is that many pets are euthanized for otherwise treatable conditions, because their owners did not have the necessary funds to pay for the treatment. This is referred to as "financial euthanasia," and spots.com estimates that approximately 500,000 animals fall victim to financial euthanasia each year.

              By providing an alternative funding route, platforms like Petfundr can alleviate some of the emotional burdens on veterinarians and pet owners alike.

              The Limitations of Pet Insurance: Pet insurance would be one solution to this problem, but according to the latest statistics from NAPHIA, the pet insurance market in the United States covers just under 5 million pets, which includes both dogs and cats. Approximately 80% of these insured pets are dogs, but with at least 65 million dogs in the U.S., the overall penetration rate of pet insurance is still relatively low at ~4%, meaning over 60 million dogs do not have pet insurance. Consequently, these pet parents might face financial challenges if their pet develops a health condition that requires expensive treatment. highlighting the importance of solutions like crowdfunding, angel funds, or more accessible insurance options to help manage veterinary costs. This situation underscores the need for greater awareness and possibly more affordable or comprehensive pet insurance options to help mitigate the financial burden of pet healthcare.

              Other limitations with pet insurance as a remedy to the issues of families being unable to afford veterinary care and resorting to financial euthanasia are:

              Pet insurance does not cover pre-existing conditions, meaning that pet parents with older dogs and cats don't have a means of ensuring that their pet will be covered for all possible conditions.

              Pet insurance often operates on a reimbursement model, which can be problematic for pet owners who cannot afford to pay upfront for expensive treatments.

              Angel Fund Concept: Daryl and I also discussed the idea of an "Angel Fund", where customers of a veterinary clinic contribute to a fund that helps pet owners who cannot afford emergency treatments. In the frantic moments surrounding a medical emergency, this fund would allow underfunded pet parents to make decisions about their pet's treatment purely based on the best medical course of action.

              The California and New York Veterinary Medicine Associations are considering implementing statewide angel funds using Pet Funder's technology.

              Enjoy the episode, and as you're reflecting on your blessings this Thanksgiving, and perhaps pondering what charities will be the recipients of your charity on Giving Tuesday, take a minute to think about the pets that are in a situation where their families cannot afford to fund their medical care. Giving families an opportunity to keep all members of their family healthy is a worthy cause to consider indeed.

              1 hr 1 min
            • The Human Animal Bond, and The Power of Visual Storytelling in Pet Care

              The Human-Animal Bond. We've all seen it, even if we haven't realized it yet. Look around you, and in the course of a given day, I would bet that it's impossible not to see evidence of it somewhere. It's there in the gentle nudge of a dog waiting patiently for its owner outside a store, in the contented purr of a cat curled up on a sunny windowsill, and in the quiet companionship of a horse and rider silhouetted against the setting sun. It's power is felt in the shared happiness both that both dogs and pet owners derive from going on walks, or hikes, or ski adventures together. This bond transcends the simple acts of care and companionship; it's a profound connection that speaks to something deep within us all. It's a shared look of understanding, a comfort that needs no words, a mutual respect that grows over time. The human-animal bond is a testament to the empathy and kinship we are capable of, a reminder of our intrinsic need to connect with living beings, to give and receive affection, and to find joy in the presence of creatures different from ourselves.

              Describing the Human-Animal Bond in words is difficult, and that is why visual storytelling in Pet Care Marketing is so important. On the latest episode of Petworking, I was fortunate enough to host Mindy Dutka, Founder & Chief Storyteller at DogsIMeet.com. Mindy specializes in pet photography, especially dogs, and she estimates that she photographs thousands of dogs each year. Mindy and I talked about her work, and the emotional resonance that visuals can create. This can be leveraged by both animal advocacy organizations, e.g., shelters, pet brands, and other non-pet-related brands that recognize the power of the Human-Animal Bond, and incorporate it in their advertising.
              Mindy estimates that 50-60% of her work is brand-focused, 20-25% pro bono work for shelters, and 15-20% private photo shoots. However, Mindy likes to say that bridges the gap between professional dog photography and advocacy, and she is very adept at finding ways to incorporate adoption awareness in her work for brands.
              Mindy discussed how she leverages her photography as a medium to bring awareness to shelter dogs, and cited a specific example of a brand shoot she had done for a collaboration between Shameless Pets and Virgin Hotels. Virgin has pet-friendly rooms, and had partnered with Shameless Pets to provide a package of treats for all guests that checked in with a dog. However, instead of using of dog models for the shoot, Mindy suggested finding long-term shelter dogs and using them as the models. This initiative not only provided the dogs with much-needed exposure, but also played a role in their eventual adoption, showcasing the power of photography in advocacy.
              Because of visual storytelling's relevance to all aspects of the Pet Care ecosystem, Mindy and I had quite the far reaching conversation. Tune in to the full episode to hear us discuss:

              • The mental and physical health benefits that both pets and pet parents derive from the Human-Animal Bond
              • Use of the Human-Animal Bond in marketing by brands such as Subaru and Hyundai, and how non-pet-related brands leverage the human-animal bond to drive engagement and sales
              • Senior dog adoptions, Mindy's work with shelters, and how pet brands are working with shelters to acquire new customers, while simultaneously supporting adoption
              • Black Dog Syndrome - did you know that it's harder for black dogs to get adopted from shelters because they don't photograph well?
              • Mindy's work with private clients, and her most memorable private photoshoot
              • Bringing KONG Company cat toys to a shelter in Playa del Carmen, Mexico

                • Enjoy the episode, and please share your thoughts in the comments!

                55 min
              • Pumpkin Magic: Further Discussions About Freeze-Dried with A Better Treat

                The profound emotional and psychological impact of pet ownership often serves as a catalyst for the inception of numerous pet brands. This deep, emotive connection with their pet(s) fosters a unique empathy and understanding of the intricate needs of animals, driving individuals to venture into creating solutions that address health, nutrition, comfort, and emotional well-being of pets globally.

                I can speak firsthand to the impact that pet ownership can have on a professional career. From the moment I adopted Peony in 2017, it changed my life, and my entire perspective on consulting in the petcare and animal health verticals. From that point on, I had a unique empathy for the love that all pet owners share for their pets, and it brought an added sense of purpose to my work, which ultimately led to the launch of Petworking.
                On this week's episode of Petworking, we had the chance to chat with Julie Chen MS, RD of A Better Treat, and she shared a similar tale of her cousin, Boris Chung, the founder of A Better Treat.
                Adopting his first dog, Emmy, transformed Boris Chung's outlook on pets, and inspired the birth of "A Better Treat." The brand sources premium wild-caught, organic ingredients to ensure holistic nutrition for pets, matching the quality we'd personally choose for ourselves. Julie noted, when creating A Better Treat, she and Boris "wanted be able to source the way that we personally like to shop for ourselves and give pet parents an opportunity to be able to source that way when they buy our products."
                Julie and I discussed the challenges of establishing sourcing relationships as a young company, and the other myriad challenges of launching a pet food brand, such as navigating market entry, being bootstrapped, faced hurdles like minimum order quantities and budget constraints. We also had a fairly in-depth discussion about nutrition, as Julie holds a master's degree in nutrition and is also a registered dietician.
                Despite her educational background, Julie explained that she and Boris consulted with a PhD in animal nutrition to formulate their pet food, ensuring it met the best practices and guidelines based on recent studies. She stressed the importance of relying on expert advice rather than following trends or misinformation prevalent in the area of pet nutrition, and highlighted the DCM study from ~5 years ago as a key example of this. The study became a critical point of discussion due to its findings on the potential link between certain grain-free diets and DCM in dogs.
                Finally, Julie and I discussed the benefits of a freeze-dried diet for pets, which I had previously discussed with Dr. James Templeman of Primal Pet Foods. However, while Primal advocates for the adoption of all minimally processed diets, A Better Treat advocates strongly for freeze-dried pet food, driven by several compelling benefits that align with the brand's commitment to optimal pet health and convenience for pet owners. Julie outlined several reasons for the brand's commitment to freeze-dried.
                In addition to its meat-based, single-ingredient treats, and its freeze-dried inclusions in its kibble, A Better Treat recently launched a freeze-dried pumpkin treat. A great Halloween treat for your dog or cat, the freeze-dried pumpkin treats also provide a mess-free, convenient alternative that retains all the health benefits of canned pumpkin puree. Pumpkin is a great natural remedy for digestive issues your pet may experience, and also doubles as a great training treat, due to the low-calorie content (0.2 calories each).

                42 min
              • Beyond Symptoms: Preventative Diagnostics in Veterinary Care

                Preventative diagnostics is a critically important component of veterinary care. In the U.S., only 40-50% of pet owners take their pets to the vet once a year. While the costs of vet visits continue to increase, the cost of not taking your pet to the vet regularly can far outweigh the cost of a vet visit.

                With the cost of a simple vet visit now approaching $100 in some areas, and the costs of any tests and treatments further adding to the total cost of the bill, many pet parents take the approach of not bringing their pet to the vet unless they see overt signs that their pet is struggling. However, dogs and cats are very good at masking issues that they might be having and not outwardly showing any signs of pain, and without regular checkups, issues that could have been easily managed if they were caught early can quickly turn into much more catastrophic health events.
                On the latest episode of Petworking, I was joined by Dr. Ben Hantler, DVM, MBA, and Senior Product Manager at Heska, and my colleague, Jessica Stewart, Senior Manager at Maia Strategy Group. Prior to joining Maia, Jessica was a Diagnostic Support Consultant at IDEXX.
                In the course of our conversation, Ben noted that 20-30% of serious cases could have been mitigated or prevented with regular veterinary visits.
                While pet insurance is undoubtedly a key driver in getting pet parents to visit the vet more frequently, Ben, Jess, and I kept our conversation focused on diagnostics. We touched on the variety of tests available, from organ function assessments and blood counts, to infectious disease screenings like heartworm testing. The necessity of these getting these tests on an annual basis cannot be understated, when it comes to catching potential health issues early.
                When we adopted Peony, we were told she was heartworm-negative. However, a month after we got her, I brought her to the vet, because she seemed to be experiencing pain in her hind legs, and our trainer suspected she might have pulled a muscle. Wanting to eliminate tick-borne illnesses as a potential cause of her symptoms, our vet ran a SNAP test. While it was negative for Lyme, Ehrlichia, and Anaplasma, it did show that she was positive for heartworm.
                Had we not gotten Peony tested, it's very likely that we would have caught the infection too late to treat her. The American Heartworm Society notes that even the most sensitive heartworm test can fail to detect the presence of antigen when levels of circulating antigen are low due to the presence of immature worms. Our vet told us that this was likely how we were told Peony was heartworm-negative when we adopted her. Unfortunately, if left untreated, heartworm can cause severe organ damage, heart failure, and respiratory issues, and can have fatal consequences. Even catching it early, it was a several-month process to treat Peony, during which we had to restrict her activity to two 5-minute walks per day.
                In addition to catching potentially fatal diseases like heartworm, regular diagnostic testing can provide pet owners with a baseline that they can refer to as their pet ages. Having year-over-year data on biomarkers like blood levels, kidney function, etc. can alert your vet to changes that may indicate potential health issues in your pet, even in the absence of symptoms.
                As part of this discussion, Ben, Jess and I delved into the potential use of biometric data from pet trackers, and the need to expand preventative diagnostic testing to a direct-to-consumer model. There is significant potential to enhance the quality of care through the provision of consumer-collected data to veterinarians, but a limiting factor that needs to be addressed is ensuring consistent quality in at-home sample collection.
                Ultimately, this is a field at the cusp of significant evolution, promising a future where preventative care, supported by technological advancements, could drastically improve the lives of pets and pet owners alike.

                51 min
              • Raw, Freeze-Dried, Gently-Cooked: What Should You Add to Your Kibble?

                I had the chance to meet Dr. James Templeman, Director of Nutrition at Primal Pet Foods at SuperZoo this summer, and we had a great chat about the nutritional benefits of raw, freeze-dried, and gently-cooked diets. Adding even a little bit of one of these food forms to your pet's kibble can go a long way towards improving their overall health.

                Since SuperZoo, I've made a conscious effort to increase the levels of freeze-dried food in my dog, Peony's diet, and the results have been amazing. Peony was already demonstrating higher energy levels since we put her on Leap Years® in April, but switching her canned topper to a freeze-dried gravy has her running to her bowl again every morning.

                While we didn't discuss Peony directly, in this episode, Dr. Templeman and I touched on the reasons more pet parents should consider including at least some minimally processed food in their pet's diet, and how pet parents can provide increased nutritional benefits to their pets, even on a budget.


                • Minimally Processed vs. Processed Foods: The conversation began with a focus on the nutritional differences between minimally processed diets (like raw freeze-dried, fresh, refrigerated, and gently cooked foods) and more processed foods, such as kibble. The balance between cost, convenience, and nutrition is a challenge many pet parents face.
                • Recent Research Breakthroughs: Dr. Templeman highlighted Primal's recent research assessing the digestibility of pet foods, going beyond just macronutrient levels. They employed a unique methodology from the University of Illinois called the Sectorized Rooster model to assess standardized amino acid digestibility in these diets.
                • Benefits of Minimally Processed Foods: While Dr. Templeman, as a researcher, hesitated to discuss anecdotal benefits, he did mention potential positive changes pet owners might observe. These include improved gut function, higher quality stools, and an increased desire of pets to consume the diet.
                • Economic Realities: Recognizing the economic constraints many pet parents face, the discussion acknowledged that not everyone can switch entirely to minimally processed foods due to their higher cost. However, even introducing a mix of these foods with kibble can offer some of the nutritional benefits.


                  • This episode provides some eye-opening insight about the importance of research-backed data in making informed decisions about pet diets. Enjoy!

                  40 min

                About Petworking

                From the publisher's feed

                A podcast focused on Pet Care and Animal Health