Petworking

Earlier this year, I had a chance to chat with Dr. James Templeman of Primal Pet Foods, about the benefits of feeding raw, minimally-processed diets. While these diets may not fit everyone's lifestyle or budget, James noted that adding even small quantities of these types of foods to your pet's diet can make a big difference. However, today Primal Pet Foods has really stepped up to the plate to make the nutritional benefits of a minimally-processed diet more accessible to all pet parents, by introducing a new product that addresses the challenging choice between cost, convenience, and nutrition that so many pet parents face. "Kibble in the Raw" is a freeze-dried diet that will be available in the kibble aisle of your local neighborhood pet retail store in January 2024. While the product is freeze-dried, it is made in a “scoop and serve” format, designed to be convenient and easy to use. While chatting with the team at Primal last week, founder and Chief Product Officer, Matt Koss, noted that this product had taken nearly 3 years for Primal to develop. It uses a similar manufacturing process to Primal's other freeze-dried diets, but has a proprietary step that occurs before the product is freeze-dried. And while almost 13 pounds of raw beef, pork, fish, or chicken go into every 9-pound bag, steam-cooked sorghum, cold pressed oils, and air-dried produce are also part of the formulation. The sorghum helps to keep the cost of the product down, but is viewed by Dr. Templeman as a "more ideal source of grain," as it is gluten-free, and adds unique micronutrients to the product. The product is expected to cost about half of what parents could expect to spend if their dog was exclusively fed a Primal freeze-dried formula. That being said, at an SRP of $134.98 for a 9 lb. bag, this is definitely targeted towards pet parents looking to switch their dog from an ultra-premium kibble, or for pet parents looking to find a more convenient way to incorporate a little bit of raw into their pet's diet. I'm hopeful to have Dr. Templeman and Matt Koss join me for another episode of Petworking soon, to discuss this new innovation in more detail. In the meantime, be on the lookout for "Kibble in the Raw" at your local neighborhood pet store in 2024!

And that's a wrap! Thanks for a great 3 days, SuperZoo! Supplements continue to be an area of growth in the pet industry, and at SuperZoo, we saw a 2nd NAD supplement launch from Zesty Paws. This follows Leap Years®, from Nick Sinclair and Ginny Rentko, who appeared on the first episode of Petworking. Also, we had a chance to catch up with Dan Horner, VP of Sales at Pet Honesty, and talk about the company's amazing growth, which he said surpasses the growth he witnessed earlier in his career at FreshPet. Have you given supplements to your pet? Let me know in the comments! #SuperZoo

A little over two months ago, I returned home to Vermont from Boulder, Colorado, inspired by the insights and ideas that I'd heard at the Pet Sustainability Coalition's Impact Unleashed conference. In the past 2 months, I've seen my home state devastated by unprecedented flooding, the likes of which most of us thought we'd never see again in our lifetimes. Vermont is not the only place to experience the events of climate change in summer 2023. We've witnessed extreme temperatures in the Southwest, with Phoenix recording 31 consecutive days of over 110 degrees, wildfires in Canada, and ocean temperatures off the coast of Florida of 101°F (a little less than what you'd typically find in a hot tub). Amidst all of this, I've questioned whether we've reached a tipping point with respect to climate change, and some scientists feel that this could be the case. However, I don't believe we can resort to inaction at this stage of the game, and that's what makes the conversations from Impact Unleashed all the more important. Jessica Stewart and I chatted with Corey Dobbs of Canidae, Jessica Krueger and Karlyn K. of ZIWI, Hannah Hughes of Fera Pet Organics, Meredith Small of KONG Company, and Amber Simpson of Petcurean about their thoughts on the conference, and the sustainability initiatives they are employing at their companies. The increasing prevalence of climate events like those mentioned above underscores the urgent need for all of us to be doing whatever we can to mitigate the effects of climate change, and that starts with a focus on sustainability. I continue to challenge everyone to think about what they can do, personally, to make a difference in the fight against climate change today. Petworking

Have you ever noticed how some families are just good at certain things? The Bush and Kennedy families were political dynamos. The Ripken and Griffey families were baseball savants. In pet food, it's the Scott family. Jim Scott Sr. bought Old Mother Hubbard in 1961, and instilled his passion for animal nutrition in his son, Jim Scott Jr. Jim Scott Jr. founded Wellness pet food in 1997, and is credited with helping drive the humanization of pet food, with his focus on natural ingredients. After both his sons experienced life-altering injuries in the early 2000s, Jim Scott Jr. sold Wellness Pet Company and Old Mother Hubbard Natural Dog Snacks in 2008. However, as Jim Scott III recovered from his traumatic brain injury, and his brother, Andrew, recovered from his spinal cord injury, Jim Scott Jr. realized that he still had a passion for pet nutrition. Building on the growing trend of raw and freeze-dried diets, Scott set out to create a kibble that would offer pet parents the health benefits of raw/freeze-dried, but with convenience of kibble. The result was RAWZ Natural Pet Food, which the family describes as "the next best thing to feeding raw." Jim Scott III became involved in the business, and the family launched the brand at Global Pet in 2015. It uses no rendered meals, rendered fats, or commercial gums. And best of all, the Scotts saw this new brand not only as a means of improving pet nutrition, but as a way to give back. In honor of the immense support they received during their difficult times, they decided to pay it forward - RAWZ donates 100% of its profits to charity, focusing on service dogs, spinal cord injury, and traumatic brain injury. Want to hear more? Join me on the latest episode of Petworking, as I sit down with Jim Scott III, and talk about his experience growing up in one of the "first families" of pet food, and RAWZ's mission to improve pet nutrition and give back to the community. Catch the episode and share with those who believe in changing lives, one pet at a time. 

“At an estimated 8 ½ years, Peony is showing no signs of slowing down, and I can’t wait to see the effect that Leap Years has on our skijoring adventures together this winter.”   - Peter K, pet parent of 8.5-yr-old, Peony    Keep your dog’s later years their best years🐶 www.leapyears.com Petworking Peter Kenseth Ginny Rentko Nick Sinclair #leapyearsdogs #leapyears #healthyaging #softchew #dogsupplements #aginggracefully #dogsofinstagram #doglife  #agingwell #olderdogs #doglovers #dogdad #petparent  #dogownerslife #healthydogs #healthylifestyle #dogwellness #sinclairlab

I've always wanted to bring Peony to a golf course. To me, there would be nothing more satisfying in the summer than playing 9-holes with my best friend. Picture the summer sunshine, sharing a perfect walk with your canine companion. Golf courses and dogs don't typically mix. But imagine my delight when mini-golf became the exception! While I fully understand the reasons golf courses don't allow dogs, it was a nice treat to be able to play some mini-golf with Peony and my kids this weekend. 18-holes of well-behaved family fun, and one of my best scores ever. Have you ever played golf with your dog? Share in the comments.