Theory of Pets Podcast

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! So winter is coming up and what are the most common problems you see from pet owners when winter comes around, and let’s say fall for some areas bc I know it gets pretty cold in certain parts of the country in fallI have a short haired dog, what is the coldest she would be able to go outside in?Do a lot of dog owners that live in cold places have short haired dogs?Is that dangerous for the dogWhat should I be putting on my dog if it is pretty cold outside to protect themHow cold is too coldLong hairDouble coatShort hairLet’s say we get snowed in for a few days and I cannot walk my dog except maybe taking them outHow do i go about making sure they stay entertained and get good exercise physically and mentallyIf my pet is less physically active do I need adjust their calories?I live in the city and walk my dog on the sidewalks in the dead of Winter, what’s the right way to protect their paw pads? Should I be putting on the funny dog clothing during winter?Is there actual practicality other than anthropomorphizing my dog?Let’s say its 10-15 degrees outsideBoth my dog and cat are outdoor animals, but obviously it isn’t safe. However I want them to get a little if any exposure outsideHow long can they be outside before it becomes riskyAre there any viruses or pests people should be aware of during winter for their pet?

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: Tell everyone a bit about you and your story and what you did before ruffly speakingHow would your sessions go with clients, walk me through the individual clients and the questions you would ask them when you would work with individualsYou also trained owners and employees how to run doggy daycaresWhy did you start doing that?Now let’s start digging into ruffly speakingWhy did you create it?What did you see that was missing that you could fulfill for people with your backgroundWith ruffly speaking what will people get that they don’t normally have access to?What is the difference between ruffly speaking and a typical facebook group or a local dog trainer?What problem do you see in the pet ownership world it solving?What is the biggest thing you see that people miss when they get a dog and the dog does a behavior their owner does not like or approve ofTell us about the behavior of dogs from your experience and perspectiveWhat about them that makes it easy to understand themWhat about dog’s behavior that you understand and teach people can how their dogs are going to behaveWhat is your philosophy in dog training?Why do you have that approach?We’ve talked off camera about the “balanced training” approach (rewarding dogs when they do something right, and correcting them when they do something wrong), why do you think it isn’t as effective as positive reinforcementWhat is wrong with “balanced training”?How should people seek out dog trainingQuick little checklist so they get it rightHow can people sign up for ruffly speaking?Where else can people find you on social media? 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/rufflyspeaking/topdogtips

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: So there are some basic guidelines for pet owners and new pet owners on how much physical and mental activity with dogs. You have trainers saying that they need mental stimulation and physical stimulation in order to be happyHOW MANY MINUTES PER DAY SHOULD DOGS BE PHYSICALLY ACTIVE AND HOW MANY MINUTES SHOULD THEY BE ACTIVE MENTALLYOutside of nutrition, how much do you think mental stimulation and physical exercise plays into how long a dog can live?Let’s talk about hygiene, dogs clean themselves for the most part, in the wild they never really would get baths except for the occasional dip into a river I guess. 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. My question is how often should dogs be bathed, if at all? It sounds gross but my Dad, he’ll give his dog a bath maybe once a year.But if you smell her she doesn’t smell at all really. She maybe has had one skin issue bc she runs around outside and got bit by something, but other than that her coat is perfectly healthy. We’ve talked about nutrition before and if people want to go listen to a deep dive into nutrition go listen to podcast #128What kind of dog food would you recommend, and if you could recommend homemade, or raw dog food and people could afford it would you recommend that over commercial dog food, and why?Now let’s move into training, this is a big topic bc it’s kind of this area where there’s these dog trainers that have no background in science for the most part BUT THEY HAVE 10, 20, 30 years in training dogs so they are considered experts.From a veterinary perspective what is the best protocol you would recommend to follow for a training program for a new dog, adult dog, and a senior dog (if needed at all)Do you think senior dogs need to be trained?I definitely do, my girlfriend she has a 17 year old dog who has some questionable habits and I try to train him, but it’s a lot of work so i don’t think im qualified to mold him like I was able to with my dog when she was a puppyHow should people be going about finding the “right” training. In your opinion who are the best trainers and who should people trustWhat are your thoughts on balanced training (takes into both positive and negative reinforcement) similar to that of a little kidWhat are your thoughts on ONLY positive reinforcement training?Do you think it is as effective to only reward the dog when they do something good and never correct them when they do something bad?Okay let’s move from basic training to more behavioral trainingIdeally let’s say someone has a new puppy, how should they be going about introducing them to environments, other dogs, external things that might be frighteningLet’s talk about dog’s that are super fearful and have a bad reaction to thingsThere’s a type of training that talks about exposure to the thing they hate or fearIs it inhumane to continually do this if they eventually get over the fear?Veterinary BehavioristsWhen is it time to go from a dog trainer to a veterinarianAnd what should people look for when trying to find a great veterinary behavioristWhen is it appropriate to opt for medication as a solution to behavioral problemsWhat do people get wrong about opting for medication as a...

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: So there’s this recent trend in the pet industry for house calls and mobile vet care. How did that come about?Was this how veterinary care used to be?When did BetterVet start?Who came up with the ideaWhy has mobile vet care become so popular?So I might not be happy with my current veterinarian, how would I find and choose a mobile veterinary careIs there anything different in standard costs?Outside of the care being done in your home, what is the difference in the quality of service?Is it more expensive?Can a mobile vet service prescribe the same treatments and prescriptions as a normal vet office?What if my dog needs something more serious like emergency attention or service?How quick is it to get them to the location they need vs bringing a dog into a vet’s office surgeryHow difficult is it for people that live in gated communities to have a mobile vet service come to their house?If there is an emergency, does a vet need to come through the gate to the house or does the pet owner and vet meet at a designated location for the emergency service?Tell me about telemedicine side of BetterVetAre you able to diagnose anything over zoom, or does the vet need to physically be handling the dog before any action steps are taken for treating and solving any problems with their dogSo give me the run down of all the services BetterVet can provide for peopleWhere do you see the trend going as far as mobile veterinary service as an industryHow does BetterVet set itself apart from it’s competitors, since the trend is going more mobileWhat obstacles do you see your competitors having to overcome to outperform BetterVet?I heard through the grapevine that BetterVet is coming out with a veterinary nutrition department. Does BetterVet provide veterinary nutritionists as well?

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: Now I see your job is a veterinary geneticist at Embark VetWhat does a veterinary geneticist do and how is there some overlap with your roles and the idea of responsible breeding?And I saw that you were a board certified theriogenologist that specializes in animal reproduction, and canine rehab.Tell us a little about veterinary acupuncture. It’s quite a new topic for me. What are some of the benefits?Can you explain to me about “purebreeds” why are they so coveted if there are a lot of health problems that come with those types of dogsCan you tell me about the process of a breeder and how careful they have to be to prevent any health issues?What kind of measures do they have to take?What does it mean to be a "good breeder"?What kind of training have good breeders undergone to be considered a good breeder?What are your thoughts of rescue vs. choosing a breeder?Where are the best places to start when looking for a breeder?What are the top questions to ask when selecting a breeder?What kind of expenses should one expect to be taken care of before purchasing from a breeder?What questions should I expect a reputable breeder to ask me?How do I find out which health tests my breed needs?How much should I expect to spend?How long should I expect to wait?What should I consider if I am looking to breed my dog?I have found a breeder - how do I look into them further?

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.