Hi there, welcome to the Theory of Pets Podcast. I'm your host Connor Knight.
Join us on this enlightening episode as we delve into the world of canine nutrition and the growing concern of over-supplementation in our furry friends.
We explore the potential dangers and health issues caused by excessive vitamins and minerals in dog diets.
Our special guest, Will Bohuslavizki the co-founder of PetMatrx shed light on their innovative approach to tackling this problem, promoting optimal canine health through their groundbreaking products and strategies.
Don't miss this essential conversation for pet owners and dog lovers alike, as we uncover the key to a happier, healthier life for man's best friend!
Hi there! Welcome to The Theory of Pets Podcast Episode number 136.
Today we got an awesome topic to discuss and I am super excited to go over it with you!
I think its important for everyone to understand what they're getting into with larger dog breeds when they want to adopt! I personally want a second dog and would like a larger breed.
I dug and did some research and discuss this with Dr. Kingsley today about what you need to be prepared for health issues wise if you do get a large breed. Fortunately, a lot of these issues can be prevented.
Enjoy!
This episode is sponsored by BetterVet, mobile veterinary care for happier pets! From wellness visits to surgery, BetterVet has you and your pet covered in locations across the U.S. BetterVet is excited to announce that they are now serving pets and pet parents in the Los Angeles area, and to celebrate, they are offering $50 off your first home visit exclusively for Top Dog Tips listeners when you register for a new account. Use Promo TOPDOGTIPS to fetch this offer!
Joint Issues
Hip Dysplasia
Elbow dysplasia
Arthritis
Panosteitis
Neurological Problems
Wobbler syndrome
Heart And Organ Problems
Dilated Cardiomyopathy
Hypothyroidism
Aortic Stenosis
Bloat or GDV
Eye Problems
Entropion
Ectropion
Cherry Eye
Questions:
What kind of joint issues do larger dogs go through?
Neurological problems?
Heart and Organ?
Eye Problems?
It sounds like larger breeds are prone to more health issues that medium and smaller dogs, is that true?
Why do you think that is?
Let’s say someone is interested in getting a larger breed what kind of general caveats would you give them to help them make sure their dog lives a long and happy life?
Would you recommend they get pet insurance?
What kind of recommendations would you give for large dog breed owners to proof their house in a way that helps the large dog lives a long life?
Would you say less jumping off of things
Build/buy ramps instead of stairs where possible for home and car?
What is the most common cause of hip dysplasia from a vet’s perspective?
How much of nutrition and genetics play into it?
What is the cause of wobbler’s syndrome?
Why are bigger breeds more prone to GDV or bloat?
Is it bc of the level of their water bowls? Eating food too fast?
Some of these sound super preventable and some of these just sound like the roll of the dice.
What breeds are more prone to the roll of the dice health problems?
What is your recommendation for preventing the joint issues or I guess slowing it down?
Hi there everyone! Welcome to the Theory of Pets Podcast thank you all for joining us today!
Today I am joined by Dr. Lyndsey Kingsley and we are talking about dental health!
Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterVet, mobile veterinary care for happier pets!
They are offering a limited time offer for Theory of Pet listeners. If you sign up at bettervet.com use the promo code: TOPDOGTIPS to get $50 off their
Here are some of the topics we discuss:
How important is dental hygiene for dogs?
Can it be a life threatening situation or is it more commonly a mild scenario?
Why do dog’s teeth become full of plaque and tartar vs when they lived in the wild
a. It just doesnt seem like a common cause to die from periodontal disease before we domesticated them
How much does their diet play into the tooth decay?
Let’s start out the gate with being able to provide value to our listeners. How often should you brush a dog’s teeth or have their teeth brushed?
What are the best tooth brushes?
Does brushing your dog’s teeth actually work?
a. It seems like it’s pretty difficult and tedious to get the dog to sit still to brush their teeth
How dangerous is sedating a dog for a dental cleaning?
If they were to get a dental cleaning vs owner brushing their teeth how often would you recommend
I’ve heard that dental hygiene affects everything downstream including digestion in humans is it the same for dogs?
What can happen to dogs if they do not get their teeth cleaned
How bad can periodontal disease get?
What is the cost for teeth removal?
Does teeth removal even cure periodontal disease?
Can a dog live a normal life without teeth?
Hey there everyone! Welcome to The Theory of Pets Podcast
I'm your host, Connor Knight. I am the President of our company Top Dog Tips.
You can check us out at topdogtips.com
Today we are going to be talking about winter risks and what you need to know as a pet owner and how to be prepared for them!
Hi there! Welcome to the Theory of Pets Podcasts! We started this podcast to uncover truths in the pet industry.
Today I am joined by Robin Bennett. Robin Bennett has been a dog behavioralist trainer for over 30 years.
After successfully running her own behavior training business, she started a business that teaches doggy daycares how to understand dog behavior and body language. Enter the Dog Gurus.
After that she decided again to evolve her business into a recent venture called Ruffly Speaking!
This is a platform where you get access to years of experience from dog behavior trainers and they also help educate dog owners like you and I make the best buying decisions for our pets.
In today's podcast we talk about dog behavior and she drops some golden nuggets in certain scenarios that I felt would be valuable to touch on for you all. Give it a listen!
Here are the questions I ask her today:
I personally started using Ruffly Speaking's platform and it has a wealth of knowledge, I HIGHLY recommend if you are a dog owner that you sign up. It'll be the best investment in building your relationship with your pup.
It's $19.99/mo. if you are interested, make sure to sign up using this link: https://tz203.isrefer.com/go/
Hi there, welcome to the Theory of Pets Podcast where we uncover the truths about the pet industry! I am your host, Connor Knight!
Today we are going to be looking at basic how care for a new dog and training from a veterinarian's perspective. The guest today is none other than Dr. Lyndsey Kingsley.
She has been a wealth of knowledge continuously coming on the podcast and sharing what she knows with us!
This episode goes on a deep dive so listen in!
Here is the lay out of the questions I ask:
And you know it’s funny bc people like to anthropomorphize their dogs.
There’s this whole movement out there where people don’t shampoo their hair bc they believe it strips the oils from their hair, however, for dogs word has been going around that there are definitely some shampoos that cause itchy skin problems and dry skin issues.
Hey everyone!
Thank you so much for joining me today.
Today I will have Dr. Lyndsey Kingsley back on for a three-peat or four-peat?
We are going to be talking about Mobile Veterinary Care, and she goes on a deep dive on Veterinary House Calls.
Here are the questions and topics I cover today:
Hi there! Thank you everyone for joining me today.
My name is Connor Knight I am the president at Top Dog Tips and the co-host of the Theory of Pets Podcast.
Today we have a special guest from Embark Vet. Her name is Jenna Dockweiler.
She is a veterinary geneticist.
Today we are going to be doing a deep dive on proper breeding practices.
Here are some of the questions I ask:
Hey Everyone! Welcome to the Theory of Pets Podcast.
I am your co-host, Connor Knight, and the President of Top Dog Tips.
Today we are going to brush up on some controversial topics and questions.
Commercial Dog Food Recently, commercial dog food has been intensely scrutinized for its process of providing cheap and affordable dog food at scale.
To do this at their level, many believe the dog food companies cut corners and lack quality control.
We will go through some tough questions, and you'll hear direct answers from a veterinarian, so stay tuned!
Here are some of the questions we tackle:
How did homemade dog food come about?
What is the difference between raw dog food and homemade dog and cat food?
What is considered healthier between the two?
What are your thoughts on carbohydrates being included in their diet?
What are the important vitamins and minerals that need to be included in those diets that commercial dog foods claim to have?
What is the issue with commercial dog foods?
Is the controversy valid that commercial dog foods lack qc and cut corners on protein sources?
What are your thoughts on the past decade of controversy that commercial dog food has come under?
What exactly do dogs and cats need nutrition on a general rule of thumb?
What are extreme home recipes?
What are middle-of-the-road home recipes?
Does a dog need carbohydrates?
How much more expensive is it for owners to switch to homemade dog food or raw food compared to kibble?
What are your thoughts on some of the higher-end kibble dog food?
Do they hit all the nutrients that a dog needs?
What are your thoughts on the synthetic vitamins and amino acids added to commercial dog foods?
Me: I am not a vet but I took a course that was designed by a veterinarian that taught me how to read dog food labels and talked about how these synthetic vitamins and minerals work and how they act differently than the real vitamins and minerals dogs and cats get in food.
What are the health benefits of homemade dog and cat food?
The best advice, work with a nutritionist. https://acvn.org/
What are the potential health downsides of homemade dog and cat food?
I learned that salmonella already exists in the gut of some healthy dogs, so would you say outside of that is there really any risk to the dog?
Hey there everyone! My name is Connor Knight and I am the President of Top Dog Tips. I currently
Thank you again for tuning into our podcast. And thank you for your continued support of the channel.
Today we will be discussing the confusing and misunderstood topic of vaccines for dogs.
Here is the previous podcast w/ Dr. Kingsley: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8w7ShS7lKSg
The person that will be answering all of my questions about vaccines for dogs is Dr. Lyndsey Kingsley.
Dr. Lyndsey Kingsley is the Chief of Staff of the Bettervet.com. Better Vet is a mobile veterinary service that brings vet care to your home.
Which means, yes, these veterinarians perform house calls.
Better Vet offers very basic care all the way up to more minor services like surgery and teeth extraction. Check them out at bettervet.com for your next dog's vet visit.
Dr. Lyndsey Kingsley has been practicing since 2015, and her practice currently resides in Austin, Texas.
She has worked with hundreds and thousands of domestic pets during her tenure and is very well versed in discussing vaccines.
Some of the things I ask Dr. Kingsley are:
How did vaccines start? Where did they originate?
So why should people get their dogs vaccinated?
Were there any vaccines that didn’t work or were recalled?
What are core and non-core vaccines?
Which vaccines are ones that all dogs should have? (core vaccines) Why?
Do you recommend different vaccines for breed, age, lifestyle?
Even if a breed is more prone, do you still recommend vaccine if their lifestyle limits that exposure? - Which vaccines are important for west a. Midwest b. Northeast c. Southeast
What are the differences in vaccines dogs and cats should have
How does their indoor or outdoor frequency change what vaccines you would recommend?
Is over-vaccination a thing in dogs? Why is overvaccination happening?
What can happen when a dog is over-vaccinated?
Can a dog recover from being over-vaccinated? I even think my dog got one of these vaccines back to back years.
Can you explain why vets continue to vaccinate yearly or even every three years if this is the case for these kinds of vaccines?
What complications can come from over-vaccination?
Can some vaccines cause cancer?
Enjoy the podcast!
Hi there everyone!
Thank you again for tuning into this next episode of the Theory of Pets Podcast!
Today I am joined by Julie Napolitano. Julie is the owner of the company Puppington!
Julie started the company in 2019 and it was originally called Pup Wax.
Pup Wax is a balm/moisturizer that is her original flagship product.
She came up with the product formulation after being fed up with the typical general balm or moisturizer in the pet industry at the time.
She talks in the podcast about how almost all of them had some harmful ingredients in the mixture.
This led her to constantly doing research and studying what the best ingredients would be for making sure her dog's nose and paws were protected and moisturized.
Enter Pup Wax, and since then she has recently rebranded the company into what is now known as Puppington.
She has expanded her product line to chews for immunity and calming effects.
Today we are going to talk about how she got started, her background, and some of the biggest lessons she learned building an e-commerce business geared towards pets from scratch!
It's going to be a great episode so stay tuned!
Hey everyone, my name is Connor Knight and I am the President of Top Dog Tips.
Today, I am joined by Dr. Lyndsey Kingsley with BetterVet and we are going to talk about beating the Summer Time Heat!
We all think of taking a dip in the pool, or going to the beach, or having a couple of beers on the boat, or a nice summer cookout!
However, if you're a dog owner, you know you're about to get that notice from your vet for their heartworm checkup. Believe it or not there are a host of other things that can come with summertime heat depending on where you live.
And we're here to talk about them:
- tools for keeping dogs cool in the heat (towels/bandanas, a cooler, pool time for dogs, ice cubes, cooling vests/collars/pads)
- common pests and animals to watch out for
a. what diseases can be passed and treatments
- loud noises: thunder, 4th of July
- water quality depending on where you live, how to let them enjoy the lake, ocean, and pool
All this good info is just in time for summer! Enjoy!
As a side note, we have recently partnered with BetterVet for a series together.
We wanted to be able to provide expert advice on pet ownership and felt that BetterVet is the one to do it.
BetterVet is a mobile veterinary service.
This means yes, vets making house calls.
With a wide range of experience in several different states, we feel they can have their ear to the ground about the best way to handle some of the toughest challenges we face as pet owners.
BetterVet handles all forms of care from vaccines to teeth removal, and spaying and neutering your dog!
Today! We are doing a long-format video because we are reviving our podcast!
We originally had prioritized other goals after August of 2020, but we are back now!
We will have podcasts in the future with Samantha, and me along with other guests.
My name is Connor Knight, her co-host of the Theory of Pets Podcast. We are joined today by Janet from Lovin Bowl. She currently runs a local homemade dog food company and she serves her clients through local delivery or by having it delivered to other locations around the country.
She has been feeding her dogs a homemade diet their whole lives and is here to talk about her personal experience of cooking her dog's homemade dog food.
She currently has 3 dogs, two of which are a Rhodesian ridgeback and an English Mastiff.
Her Rhodesian ridgeback is 12 and her Mastiff IS 15!!
The average age of English Mastiffs is 6-12 years old. She talks about her beliefs and why she's had dogs her whole life that have lived long happy lives.
We talk about the commercial dog food industry and why there has been such a big shift to real food in the commercial dog food industry.
She also talks about why she prefers homemade cooked food vs raw food!
There's a lot of great stuff in here and I am excited to share it with you all.
Have you ever had a hard time finding a ride home from the airport? Or had trouble getting a ride to bring your pet to the vet? If you rely on ridesharing for some of your transportation needs, it can be very difficult to find a driver that will agree to bring your pet along. And, unless your pet is a service animal, they’re not typically allowed on public transportation.
Aparna Srinivasan is changing that. She is the founder and CEO of SpotOn, a fairly new rideshare company that is dedicated to getting pets and their owners from point A to point B. Unlike other companies, SpotOn drivers are willing (and excited!) to welcome pets of all kinds into their vehicles.
Have you ever thought about owning your own franchised business? We’re all familiar with McDonald’s, Burger King, Sonic and all the other popular fast food franchises, but what about franchise options in the pet industry? If you’re wondering what franchising is all about or how to get started with this entrepreneurial adventure, this podcast is for you!
I invited DanBarton, founder and CEO of Splash and Dash Groomerie and Boutique, to be a guest on my show. He’s sharing information for potential franchise owners and tips and tricks for anyone thinking about starting their own business. You’ll learn what makes this particular franchise different from others and what features you should be looking for when choosing a company to franchise through.
Do you think your dog understands you when you speak to him? Or does he just associate the sound you’re making with a certain action? For example, does he understand what the word ‘sit’ means or does he just associate that sound with the action that you are expecting of him?
If your dog actually understood the words that you were using, you wouldn’t need to repetitively train him to perform a trick - he would just understand what you are expecting and do it. Dogs don’t speak English, or German or French for that matter. Dogs have their own language, which is based more on actions than sounds.
Pets and humans have a lot in common, including mental health and disorders. One of the best ways to keep your pet’s mind sharp is to provide mentally stimulating toys and activities. Pets can suffer from boredom, stress, anxiety and even depression. For this reason, it’s just as important to care for their mental health as it is their physical health.
Exposure to different environments, stimulating different sensory receptors, playing games, and teaching pets new tricks/commands can all be viable methods of mental stimulation for pets that impact canine behavior, prevent mental disorders and may even trigger changes. There are hundreds of pet products on the market designed to stimulate animals and increase their mental health.
If you take your dog with you everywhere you go, you probably take a lot of safety precautions. He probably wears a harness, and I’m sure you bring a leash with you wherever you go. There are also some precautions that you should take when bringing your pet along for a car ride.
If your dog is free to roam around the vehicle while driving, it will be dangerous for you, him and any other passengers in the vehicle. A free roaming dog will distract you, and he will become a dangerous projectile in the event of an accident. He could also climb into your lap, get into things that he shouldn’t, or any number of other distracting behaviors.
Picking the right type of nutrition for your dogs and cats can be quite overwhelming for pet owners. There are so many options to choose from. How do you know which product is the best choice for your furry companion? Reading labels can be confusing, and online research is time consuming.
Tom Arrix is the founder of Joy Food, a fairly new pet food company that builds vet-designed, curated meals for your pet from fresh and wholesome ingredients. In 2018, one of Tom’s dogs became very sick. He worked with his vet to change the dog’s diet, and quickly saw a direct correlation between the quality of food and his dog’s quality of life.
In this podcast episode, Tom discusses why he decided to create a new pet food company instead of buying a product that was already available. He also tells us about the ingredients he uses, and why he chooses these ingredients. He’ll talk about what a human-grade dog food diet is and why it’s important for your pup.
Digestive health is a topic that is greatly underserved in the pet food industry, and vastly underappreciated by pet owners. Most pet parents believe that feeding a high quality food is equivalent to caring for their pet’s digestive health. Unfortunately, that couldn’t be farther from the truth.
If your pet’s gut health is not balanced, their body cannot properly digest food. So, no matter how good the food is, their body won’t be able to get the nutrients it needs from the meal. In this podcast episode, I spoke with Rei Kawano, Co-founder and CEO of Heed Foods.
This relatively new company has taken a different approach to creating high quality meals for dogs. Not only are they focused on using the healthiest ingredients, they are also determined to help pet owners care for their dog’s digestive health. Find out more about the importance of proper digestive health and how you can get your dog’s digestive tract back on track in this episode.
Did you know that rodenticides and insecticides are among the top 10 household toxins that poison pets, especially dogs, every year? Insect and rodent poisons can be just as toxic to our curious pets as they are to the pest itself. Common active ingredients include long-lasting anticoagulants, which can prevent animal’s blood from clotting, Cholecalciferol, which can lead to kidney failure in animals, and Bromethalin, a neurotoxin that can result in tremors, seizures and paralysis.
March was Pet Poison Prevention Awareness month, with Poison Prevention Week spanning from March 14th - 21st. We’re responsible for protecting our four-legged friends, so as we gear up for spring, it's time to choose pest prevention that doesn’t put them in harm’s way.
In this episode I interview Kari Warberg Block from EarthKind’s. They special in making plant-based, poison-free pest prevention. Their products are eco-friendly and safe for use around pets and children. Kari also discusses the dangers of chemical-heavy products and their effects on your pet. She’ll tell you what to do if your pet is poisoned, and how to keep your furry family members safe from these harmful products.
A few weeks ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the spread of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus a global pandemic. As the panic around this virus grows, many pet owners are worried about the health of their companion animals. Can dogs get coronavirus? Is this something that you should be worried about?
I’ll answer that question in this podcast episode. I’ll also tell you about some things you can do to keep your pet safe during these trying times. I’ve done a lot of research, and I share information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as the American Veterinary Medical Association in this episode.
The pet industry is booming! There are new businesses popping up everyday. If you have a dream of working with pets and their owners, there has never been a better time to get into this thriving industry. But, how do you get started? How do you take your dream and turn it into a successful pet business?
In this week’s episode, Kristin Morrison (founder of the Six-Figure Pet Business Academy) is some of her top tips on starting your own pet-related business. She has provided pet business coaching to thousands of pet sitters, dog walkers, trainers and other service-based pet business owners. Her million-dollar pet business is an inspiration to many aspiring business owners, and she’s sharing some tricks of the trade in this episode.
Canine obesity is a growing epidemic and it is just as dangerous as obesity in humans. If a human is overweight, they can make changes to their lifestyle to quickly shed a few pounds. Unfortunately, it is up to us to manage the weight of our pets. That means if your dog is overweight or obese, you're the only one that can help him.
The longer you wait, the more severe the health effects will be. Obesity could ultimately take years off your dog's life. In this week’s episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Prof. Alex German about this topic. He is a Professor of Small Animal Medicine at the University of Liverpool.
If you’re a pet owner, you have seen the amazing effects that animals can have on our overall health and well-being. These positive effects have piqued the interest of scientists around the world who have recently taken a strong interest in this topic. The more research is done, the more we are realizing that animal interaction has a much greater effect on humans than we originally thought.
In this week’s podcast episode, I’m chatting with Austin Gerber. He is the licensed administrator of a nursing home in Ohio. He has seen the positive effects that animals can have on his residents, and feels very strongly about making animal interaction a part of the treatment options on his campus.