Innovations For the Love of Dogs
Hello this is Krista with episode #136 on the Wag Out Loud pawdcast. I'm just checking in. Have you checked out all of the amazing partner products that I highly recommend? I have vetted these companies and products, have used them on my own dog Winston, and I can assure you that they will help your dog to thrive. Just go to WagOutLoud.com and check out the partner Products section. And I've negotiated discounts for most of them, so why not see what can make a difference in your dog's life? Did you know that the liver performs about 1500 essential functions in your dog's body? That's one busy organ!
Welcome to the Wag Out Loud pawdcast, where we are obsessed with bringing you helpful tips on canine health care, nutrition, and overall wellbeing. If you'd like to support the show, check out the amazing online events, products and resources that I personally recommend on the Wag Out Loud website. I'm your host, Krista and I'm super excited to be bringing you yet another tail wagging episode.
Faz Bashi is a Scientist, Physician, Investor and Entrepreneur focused on human and animal health and life sciences. He is a Champion for Entrepreneurs, Innovators, and Possibletarians who want to make the world a better place.
Hi there dog lovers! Thanks for joining us today and wanting to learn more about innovations for the love of dogs. And to chat with us about this topic is Faz Bashi. He is a scientist, a physician, investor, and entrepreneur. Faz, thank you so much for being with us. Can you introduce yourself and share why are you so passionate about focusing on innovations in healthcare and life sciences, specifically for dogs?
Wow, Krista. So thank you for that beautiful intro. And by the way, congratulations, Wag Out Loud is really busting a seam . So I'm excited. I'm so excited to be here. And yeah, my background is in healthcare and the sciences. And I've spent a lot of time just recently, probably over the past, I'd say about 12-13 years, focused on innovation, entrepreneurship, angel investing, venture capital, doing a lot of those things. And animal health is a big passion area for me, and I know you and I share a love for all animals, and specifically with dogs. Dogs are just an amazing creature. They are just incredible additions to our lives. They're just we're so blessed to have them. And they're definitely becoming more and more integrated into our families. In fact, people refer to them as their fur babies. Yeah, and they truly are. And we want what's best for them as we want for ourselves. We want convenience of being able to, to be able to take care of whatever may be ailing them or concerning them be able to do it at home. So I'm excited about the future of pet health and veterinary medicine, all these things and I want to be able to contribute to it. And that's why I'm here because you are too.
You and I chatting I mean, we just said before this started how are we going to fit all of this into such a short interview? So I guess where I would like to start is since your background is in immunology and virology, are those the areas of medicine that most interest you?
It's an area where I have expertise. But I am looking at the whole picture of humans and animals. So the whole picture what what concerns me is everything from snout to tail, right so everything in between there that affects a dog's well being, their health, their coat, everything. the food that goes in. you and I've talked about this a lot. intake and output right? So inputs and outputs, what food goes in and what comes out. Everything in between really matters a lot to the health and well being of the animals. So there's so many opportunities there to do good things.
Well, Faz you are a busy busy guy. Did I read that you recently became a member of the Board of Trustees at the Morris Animal Foundation? Is that correct?
That is correct. Oh What an absolute honor and just an amazing group of people. Morris Animal Foundation for those who don't know is a 75 year old brand, nonprofit entity created by Dr. Morris. By the way, an original entrepreneur in his day. So if you know about KD Diet for kidney disease, Dr. Morris is credited for having created that, that brand, and so from pennies off of every can that was sold that went into the coffers. Morris Animal Foundation now is one of the oldest and one of the largest grant givers to scientists studying animal health and wellness across the country, across the world even and they're doing great things. So I'm just delighted and just absolutely honored to be in this group of amazing people. And guess what? They’re based in Colorado!
That is what a perfect fit. That's, that's really cool. So do you know of any exciting things that they're working on as far as scientific innovations or studies that are going to be coming out?
It's happening all the time. And so if you look at all the veterinary institutions across the country, whether they're schools or just institutions of science, if a researcher is getting a grant from the NIH, they're also probably getting a grant from the Morris Animal Foundation. That's how amazing this organization is. So there is so much going on across the country in basic science research from gastrointestinal issues that are going on various kinds of infectious diseases as well. And by the way, you know, we're living in the world of COVID right so we all know now this word known as the Coronavirus. Well Coronavirus, also has a variant of its own, that's species specific, that affects dogs and cats on their own. And now we're learning also more and more about how diseases jump from animals to humans, and sometimes from humans to animals as well. But there's a lot going on that we need to all be aware of. And also how does it then eventually, how does that knowledge then eventually become a product or something that you and I will use for our fur babies? That's the important thing. And I think Morris is playing an absolute critical role and doing all those things.
How, exciting. Well, the industry as a whole, do you think that animal health is pretty much following in the footsteps of human health? Or are there instances where it's the other way around? How far behind is veterinary medicine to human medicine?
Well, you know, there's a lot of corollaries obviously, between humans and animals. And, and as you also know, there's a lot of initial testing that is done on animals, when a drug comes out to market or a medical device comes out to market, there's a lot of stuff that goes on there. And what's really important to consider, at least as far as the industry is concerned, is there's this deep desire from anyone who goes into veterinary medicine or human medicine, to do good to do no harm to be there for the individual patient that comes in. Now for veterinary medicine is a little bit different, right? Because the actual patient cannot speak. It's really the pet parent that is speaking on behalf of the dog or the cat or the hamster when they come in. So there's something extraordinary if you think about it, that happens between a veterinarian and the pet parent on behalf of the animal. There's this three way connection that's happening in the room around that patient. So there's something extraordinary about one, the relationship that's happening there, the information that needs to be gathered, there's a lot of diagnostics that are available. But at the end of the day, the story that we give to our let's say, our primary care physician, when we go into for our physical exam, the story is what's really important. When did it happen? What does the pain or issue look like? And that has to come from the pet parent. So there's a great deal of reliance on information gathering from the pet parent. And then there's what do you do with all the data that is being generated? Now with COVID? Krista, this is kind of exciting because both human and animal medicine has had to go through a major transformation because of the world we live in. It's not convenient anymore to just take a ride down to the veterinary clinic or the human clinic and see someone in person. So there's a lot of transformations that are happening right now, on the digital side of care. How do you present a patient to a veterinarian through telemedicine, let's say, and there's a lot of that that's going on? Or how do you change your workflow, so that you no longer have to have people sitting in a waiting room, but you might be able to see them on the curb side, and then be able to take the patient in to be able to get the treatment they need. So yeah, there is a lot of corollaries and I would say both the human and the animal health side of things really are focusing on major transformations over the next five to 10 years.
Hmm, okay, get ready. Faz, you are one of the founders of Anubis Bio, and I love the company. I met you quite a while ago, and you have a product called DoggyStat, and I love, love, love that product. Can you tell us how did that company and the product come to be?
Yeah, you know, so I think we talked about this just a little earlier. You know, pet parents nowadays are really treating their dogs and their cats and their pets as members of the family. And as we looked at the marketplace and tried to find solutions there, we wanted to find ways of naturally resolving issues that the animals were dealing with. And so the idea of using food, food, and what's inside of DoggyStat is our patented food supplement. It's made from eggs and milk, very simple ingredients. And what it does is it helps to solve stomach upset, normal stomach upset that animals get whether it's from stress, a new environment, loud noises, going into doggy daycare, or boarding facility for an extended period of time. Anything that stresses out the animal, the dog, eventually what happens is it manifests in their GI tract. they get stomach upset, and then they get diarrhea. The other issue is there's lots of other factors that dogs may pick up on a daily walk or going to a dog park and visiting with other dogs or other things that may contribute to their stomach upset. So the genesis of the company and the intellectual property was around this idea of how do we deliver a natural product that helps essentially resolve these types of gastrointestinal stomach upset from stress or from other factors in a meaningful manner. And we've done it through DoggyStat, and I appreciate the fact that you also agree it's it really is doing some wondrous things for for pet parents will get so much great feedback. And we're in distribution now. Through MWI Animal Health, they are distributing to over 90% of the veterinary practices across the country. So really great partnership, and we're just delighted to be here.
Fantastic! Well, thank you for bringing that to market. Oh my gosh, what a great product. Okay, well, we're here to talk about innovations. So what do you think that we'll be seeing in the future when it comes to advancements or new technology specifically geared towards canine health and wellness?
Krista there's so much happening right now, as we just touched on a little bit earlier COVID, the world of COVID and the world of working at home and convenience of being at home, there's a lot of shifting now away from going to a hospital or going to a clinic and coming to home. So we already touched on telemedicine, telemedicine is definitely that. It is happening. And there's a lot of different platforms that you've heard of out there, from Ask a Vet to Dutch, to a whole bunch of other platforms where you can get care at home, or you can even ask for a veterinarian to come to your door. So those are those are very cool things. So here's the here's the thing that everyone has to contend with. At some point, the veterinarian needs highly accurate information from from the pet and from the parents. And so how do you get that data to them? Well, the world of wearables is advancing like crazy. And you and I just talked a little earlier about this, but I'm actually working with an amazing company that is developing the most accurate wearable, that gives you medical grade information through a collar, through a vet. Being able to look at biometric data in a you know, very sensitive way is just so valuable. So that's one of the areas I think wearables you're going to see more and more of these types of medical grade technologies coming through. There's a lot going on in terms of diagnostics, especially for areas that are the most common reasons for parents to take their pets into into the veterinarian's office. And, you know, periodontal disease. I've heard quite a bit from my friends who are in the world of dentistry for animals, and they're looking for innovations. And I think there's some really cool things that are happening right now as we speak, on being able to, to help detect periodontal disease ahead of time in cats or dogs or any other species, and then also being able to transform that information into into real preventative measures that you can take so that you can actually see results. See what's happening when you actually brush the teeth of your dog or your cat. So there's there's a number of things Krista that are really exciting and food. I mean, we could go on and on about how amazing new companies are. Coming up with incredible new sources of proteins for dogs and cats and just incredible stuff going on.
Well Faz, I am going to stop you there for just a moment we are going to take a quick commercial break and then get back into innovations. We'll be right back.
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Welcome back! We are with Faz Bashi and we are learning about the future of innovations in canine health. And I am just so excited about what the future holds. We left off with talking about food and Faz, you briefly mentioned that we are looking at alternative protein sources. I know that you know we have insects coming into play, fungi, I just did a recent interview with Bond Pet Foods. They are coming up with a fermentation process just like beer and cheese, that's taking DNA and it's just crazy. Oh my gosh!
So exciting. And this think about this way. I mean, these are, this is a unique opportunity, thinking about the full ecosystem of how food ends up in our pets plates, right? Yeah, but thinking of scientists are taking now an approach of producing also natural products that will be nutritious, that will have the right level of proteins and vitamins and all the minerals that our animals need. And imagine being able to even dial in to the specifics of your dog, your breed your unique animal in your home. So they get exactly what they want. And I think we're really getting very close to that. I'm so excited about it.
You mentioned the whole ecosystem. And it is so important what what's happening now with factory farming and how our livestock are treated, and they are not even healthy. Therefore, you know, our pets are eating unhealthy protein sources. So I can't wait for the future. We have to do things for the environment for our dogs, you know, our populations are increasing. So anything that leaves less of a footprint on this earth, I am all about.
I totally agree with you. And there's a lot of things that we can learn from history. By the way, I already mentioned earlier about Morris Animal Foundation, and Dr. Morris who was the originator of KD Diet. If you look at the history of how that came to be. You'll see that during the time period 75 years ago, when Dr. Morris was dealing with kidney disease that was prevalent in the United States, believe it or not, had a lot to do with the fact that dogs were not getting the nutritional ingredients that they needed from their food. And so he just figured out how to put his own blend of a good diet together. And now fast forward to today. There are amazing veterinarians and entrepreneurs. And by the way, they're usually both a veterinarian slash entrepreneur who are coming up with also new foods, new foods that are based on traditional Chinese medicine that are based on like you said new sources of protein, and having the combination of clinicians who understand animals and animal health and then food nutritionists who also understand how to put blends together. We're really looking at an exciting and promising future for our pets.
Well, I know when it comes to pet supplements that it's been forecasted that the industry is set to hit $1 billion dollars by 2027. Right? And CBD is one of those in the supplement category that is just skyrocketing. And I really think we've just scratched the surface as far as what CBD can do for our health and our dog's health? What are your thoughts on that? Faz. And more specifically, nothing is regulated. In any of the pet industry supplements in food, grooming products, you know, we could go on and on? What is going to happen?
Yeah, I mean, there are best practices there are, there are regulatory bodies that are associated with other regulatory bodies. And, and so I guess the key question here is, what is what is in the best interest of our pets? And if it's CBD, then then how do we how do we bring CBD into the diet in a meaningful manner that is, that is providing a positive outcome that we want. And I think that's where more information, like we just talked about wearables, if we have wearables, that actually give us medical grade information. And I'm, again, very happy to say I am working with a company that's doing that, that gives us medical grade information at our home, and also reports it back to the veterinarian. And then you can see, you know, cardiopulmonary parameters, and biometric data on ejection fractions from the heart, and you can watch respiration, and you can see what's happening in a meaningful manner. And you can actually again, tailor the amount of the food, the amount of the CBD to our pet. I think that's where it becomes meaningful and impactful. Now, having said that, there's the other side of the coin, which is, you know, a lot of supplements, including humans, just kind of go into our body, and then just exit our body. What do they do eventually, and many of us don't have the data to back it up, except to say, Hey, I feel better, or I feel good, or it was worthwhile putting that extra amount of vitamin C into my body, because I just feel like I'm protecting myself. And I think the same holds true for pets, you know, because they can't speak for themselves. And if it's, if it doesn't do harm, and it's not causing any sort of unwanted side effects, then I think it's important for us to have those choices. Don't you?
No, absolutely. And that brings up the point of why this podcast is in existence, you know, we are helping you to be the best advocate for your dog's health and wellness. Because as you said, they don't have a voice. We have to be the person that makes sure that they live a long, happy, healthy life.
Yeah. And Krista, you are a pioneer in doing that. So I just want to give you huge kudos for what you're doing with Wag Out Loud, and what you're doing for dogs and all animals, it's just really, we need to have a leader out there, we need to have a voice. And you're providing that through all the different programs that you're providing.
Thank you Faz. Well, I'm having a blast learning every day. For sure.
Wonderful.
Well, you mentioned through COVID, you know, we've we've learned to live a little bit differently. And I'm seeing now that the direct to consumer space in pet supplies, e commerce is just exploding. And would you agree that this is just going to continue to gain traction, that people are going to expect everything to be delivered right to their doorstep?
Yeah. And, you know, back to DoggyStat we’re actually very excited that very soon, we will, in addition to MWI Animal Health, we’ll also be in Chewy channel as well, and possibly some other ones as well. So yeah, I see a lot of that, that that's happening these days is people want to be able to go to a trusted source online, be able to do the research that they want to do on the products, and then have it delivered straight to their home. Now, it doesn't mean that brick and mortar shops are going to go away, people still want to be able to also physically see the product and touch it where it sits on a shelf. But yeah, direct to consumer and being able to find brands and product innovations that are not necessarily on your everyday grocery store shelf or pet food shops store. I think that's going to be an area that's going to continue to expand and again, back to choices and options. We all want to have the best choice and best options that are available to us and online is becoming more and more that way.
Right? Well I know that pet owners and and specifically dog owners are getting so much smarter, they want to learn they Want to do their research, they want to make sure that their dog food is the best that they can give their dog, you know, depending on budget. So I think it's just clear that pet parents are more and more concerned about the health of their dogs, and they're willing to spend the money to maximize their health. Because as you said, these are family members. So where does sustainability come into all this? Because I think more and more people are demanding sustainable products.
Yes, I'm seeing a lot of that happening as well, you know, sustainability, we've touched on this a little bit on, you know, where the food sources are coming from, and how that ties into, you know, basically what you're buying on the shelves. The other part of it too, is, there's a lot of, there's a lot of components that go into packaging, right, so I'm seeing a lot of companies now wanting to find more sustainable ways of actually delivering their products to folks, and some of the plastics that were commonly used, some of the paper products that are commonly used, there are new approaches now better being tested, that are more sustainable, more environmentally friendly, that still allows people the convenience of receiving something at home. So we still need to be able to do that be able to hold the content of a food or supplement in some container, you can't have just individual things being just individually delivered, the cost wouldn't, would be astronomical. So absolutely, I think, again, the industry itself is looking very hard on how to find more sustainable ways of delivering these products.
And how about made in the USA?
How about that? And by the way, DoggyStat is a 100% made in the USA. and we do, we do like that there was a trust factor that comes in, you know, I always tell people that, you know, trying like trying our product is trusting our product, because when you see the results, you'll trust that this is this is good for your dog. So the other part of it have made in the USA, you know, it's not only good for our country, it's not only good for our, you know, our ecosystem of entrepreneurs. But But yeah, there's this idea of, we have the ability to deliver high quality products in a manner that that cannot be done elsewhere. And I love that brand, that stamp that goes on the product that says Made in the USA.
Absolutely. I agree. Well, as we are wrapping up Faz, you have gotten us so excited about the future, what would you like to leave us with?
Anything is possible. And there is there really is anything is possible. And there's a lot of creative folks out there, Krista who are listening to this program and wondering, you know, I have an idea, I have something I want to do, how do I bring this to the to the marketplace. There's a lot of resources out there for how you can take your idea and your concept and turn it into a product and turn it into a business. So make sure you reach out to people ask for advice get the best advice you possibly can get some good mentors and advisors out there and and then go out there and conquer the world.
I love it. Faz Thank you so much. You know, before we started recording, I asked you when you have any time to sleep, because you are and you have your hands and so many different organizations and products and boards. And I just want to thank you for your time, your commitment, your heart to improve the health of animals and of course, specifically dogs. So is there one place where people can go to find out more about you and all the companies that you're involved in?
You know, LinkedIn is probably the best place to go. So LinkedIn, there's only one one Faz Bashi out there. So if that's of curiosity, please go there. And then I've done a number of talks. So there's several BIOS and things that are out there. But I'm honestly Krista, I'm a product of a number of things, and the people around me like you, when I'm around people who are passionate about what they do and represent what they do in the most genuine way. That's what that's what gets me going and that's where I get my energy from. And I just want to keep doing that with the people that I love. And and that's what makes a difference. And I think we can all find our tribes wherever they are, stick together and do some great things.
I totally agree with you Faz. Keep us posted on everything that you're involved in and future innovations. And thank you so much for sharing with us today.
Thank you, Krista.
We want to again thank the team at DoggyStat for sponsoring this episode and for making such an amazing product. Why not order your DoggyStat today by going to AMAZON.COM
Thanks for listening. You'll find some helpful links in the show notes and if you enjoy the show, please be sure to follow and listen for free on your favorite podcast app. And please, please share your feedback. Visit WagOutLoud.com for great product recommendations with discounts, amazing online events and fantastic resources. That's also where to visit our Bark About it page where you can suggest topics, guests or products. Be advised that this show offers health or nutritional information and is designed for educational purposes only. You're encouraged to do your own research and should not rely on this information as a substitute for nor does it replace professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you have any concerns or questions about your dog's health, you should always consult a veterinarian or a nutrition expert. Have a tail wagging day and we'll catch you next time.
Hey Winston was that another tail wagging episode?