Petworking

Ollie, a 10-year-old dog diagnosed with a sarcoma, became the first pet helped by the Petworking Angel Fund. Mindy Dutka, whose sister owns Ollie, joins Peter Kenseth to share his story and what it meant to their family. They also discuss economic euthanasia, the rising cost of care, and what the industry can do about it.In this episode:- How Ollie's family caught the lump early and got a diagnosis- How the Angel Fund and the Rescue Spot Foundation stepped in: $2,000 committed, $1,460 raised by the community- Why prognosis, not age, should guide care decisions- The economic euthanasia problem: an estimated 500,000 pets a year- Veterinary burnout and compassion fatigue- Tiered care models and making care more affordable- A denied pet insurance claim, and how one Vermont law turned it around- What's next: an access-to-care advisory panel and sponsored campaignsTimestamps:00:00 Welcome and introducing Ollie's story01:29 How the Angel Fund started with the Rescue Spot Foundation02:32 Economic euthanasia by the numbers03:31 Ollie's background and the pet insurance question04:53 Why accident coverage makes sense at any age06:06 Finding the lump and getting a diagnosis09:43 What a vet visit really costs10:36 Peony's melanoma and catching it early13:07 It takes a village for pet parents14:30 Prognosis, not age17:54 How the fund helped Ollie19:47 Veterinary burnout and compassion fatigue22:54 The access-to-care advisory panel24:07 Rethinking care models27:10 Ollie today30:46 Sponsored campaigns and what's next for the fund31:46 Pepper's denied ACL claim37:01 How to bring a case to the Angel FundKnow a pet with a good prognosis whose care isn't moving forward because of cost? Reach out to the Petworking Angel Fund.#Petworking #AngelFund #EconomicEuthanasia #AccessToCare #VeterinaryMedicine #PetInsurance #PetCare

There are fewer than 100 board certified veterinary nutritionists in the country. Megan Sprinkle is one of them. She is also the host of Vet Life Reimagined and head of veterinary affairs at Golden Child, the vet-formulated fresh food brand. I had the pleasure of appearing on Megan's show earlier this summer, so it was a treat to return the favor.
We got into the inflection point facing veterinary care, the thin nutrition education most vets actually receive, whether "vet-formulated" means anything, and how you build a pet food company from day one. Megan brought a frame I keep thinking about: she has always moved toward what she wants, never away from what she doesn't. Give it a listen.In this episode:
Why Megan knew the exam room was never her destination, and how a broad definition of "veterinarian" opened every other door
The nutrition education gap, in her words: two hours of small animal nutrition lab at Auburn. Not two credits. Two hours.
Enrichment and gamification of feeding, from zoo nutrition to companion animals, and what Farmer's Dog acquiring Woof signals
My thesis that the vet channel is the next frontier for non-therapeutic brands, and Megan's healthy skepticism about "vet-formulated" as a buzz term
Inside Golden Child: building from the who, the drizzles, shipping frozen D2C, and an overwhelming response from vets
Why there is no single fix for access to care, and the two-clinic story that reframes the whole problem
Building better community for pet parents, and a nutrition hotline to make those 90-ish experts more reachable

Chapters:
00:00 Welcome Megan Sprinkle
02:00 The inflection point in veterinary care
03:20 Never wanted clinical practice
05:40 Moving toward, not away
11:25 Marine mammals to zoo to nutrition
19:00 Farmer's Dog buys Wolf, and enrichment in the bowl
21:30 The nutrition education gap
26:40 The vet channel and the "vet-formulated" question
32:10 Building Golden Child from day one
46:45 The product line: diets and drizzles
48:40 What she would change: no single solution
54:30 Community for pet parents and the nutrition hotline
59:25 Parting words
01:00:25 Peony, and why food is love

Debbie Hendrickx spent 18 years as a Nordstrom buyer before a 2 AM idea sent her to a Seattle dog park with an orange cart and two flavors written on a cup in Sharpie. Nine years later, Swell is a premium frozen dog treat brand in 1,600 stores across the US and Canada. Peter Kenseth talks with Debbie about building a physical product the hard way, from the co-manufacturer problem that made her sell her house and buy a factory, to cold chain economics, channel strategy, and why she built her brand on independent pet. They get into trade show math, a DTC subscription idea that doesn't require her to ship a single box, and the thesis at the heart of it all. Ingredients make a product. A memorable experience makes a brand.

Wellness Pet Company exited fresh frozen a few years ago. At Global Pet Expo, they reentered the category on their own terms with protein bowls, a fresh shelf-stable pouch that needs no freezer, reseals, and lands at $4.99.Peter Kenseth sits down with Greg Kean, SVP of Innovation and Nutrition at Wellness Pet Company, and Lina Gearity, who joined from Procter & Gamble six months ago to lead insights. Together they get into the product development story, the consumer testing behind it, the economics of the pack size, the nutrition, the vet channel, and the case for rotational feeding.
What we cover:- Why Wellness left fresh frozen and how they came back without the cold chain- The Culinary Institute of America chef who paired aromatics to each protein- Building for the human experience, not just the dog- The 6.2 oz, $4.99 strategy and whether a larger size is coming- Full AAFCO profiles, digestibility testing, and "veterinarian recommended" on the label- The vet channel as the next frontier for non-therapeutic nutrition brands- No-transition feeding and what it means for the ten-day switch- The rotation debate, emotional and nutritional- Arlo, and the personal origin of Wellness's sensitive skin and stomach dietChapters:00:00 Welcome, and celebrating Old Mother Hubbard's 100th02:00 The protein bowls genesis02:55 Why Wellness exited fresh frozen04:10 What the product had to accomplish05:20 Meet Kyle, the CIA chef behind the aromatics07:20 Palatability, senior dogs, and picky eaters09:30 Cold chain challenges across the category11:25 Fresh shelf-stable vs traditional wet food13:35 Two years of development and consumer insights15:45 The package that actually dispenses22:20 The 6.2 oz and $4.99 decision27:50 No compromise on nutrition30:00 The vet endorsement and the vet channel34:25 The nutrition education gap and vet burnout38:00 No transition required39:40 The rotational feeding question43:10 What consumers really want from variety46:00 Why this industry matters
#PetIndustry #PetFood #FreshPetFood #PetNutrition #Petworking #DogNutrition #CPG #AnimalHealth #WellnessPet

Veterinary revenues are up, but visits are down, and that gap is where the access to care crisis lives. In this episode of Petworking, Peter Kenseth reconnects with Dr. Ben Hantler, founder of Consulting Medical Partners and one of the show's earliest guests, to talk through why veterinary care keeps getting more expensive and what the industry can do about it.
Their conversation moves from rising exam fees and a la carte billing to the stubbornly low rate of pet insurance adoption, the veterinary shortage and burnout, and the promise of at-home diagnostics, telehealth, and membership models. Along the way they get honest about economic euthanasia, the toll the system takes on veterinarians, and why Peter started the Petworking Angel Fund. It is a candid, solutions-minded look at a problem that touches every pet owner, every clinic, and every pet.