Latest news with #GuySandelowsky
The Independent
26-06-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Doggy gut health and kitty longevity diets: How wellness came for our pets
I'll be the first to admit I've lost the plot when it comes to my dog. She's on a posh raw food diet for optimal gut health, takes her steps and supplements daily, and gets brushed and massaged more often than I do. I've fed her doggy electrolytes, taken her to pup spas and splashed out on behavioural therapy sessions. Her wellbeing is as important to me as my own, but is all this really good for her health, or have I been sold an expensive fantasy? Wellness products have become increasingly more expensive and good health now appears to be a modern-day status symbol. Against the bizarre backdrop of optimisation culture, pet wellness has emerged as the latest iteration. It begs the question: do our dogs and cats need this, or is the wellness industrial complex simply going after the one thing we'll spend money on without question: our pets. If a dog has regular walks and a vet-recommended meal plan, surely that's enough? Veterinarian Guy Sandelowsky, also known as The Dog Doctor, doesn't think so. He believes pet nutrition needs an overhaul and believes that we owe it to our four-legged friends to take better care of them, given the overwhelmingly positive impact they have on our wellbeing. 'As a vet, I've witnessed firsthand the transformative power of dogs in people's lives. They are more than pets. They are our therapists, our companions, and sometimes, our lifeline,' he says. 'The simple act of stroking a dog can lower cortisol levels, ease stress, and increase feelings of happiness. Their unwavering presence offers a sense of security and routine, crucial for those struggling with mental health challenges.' Many studies show that dogs do something positive to our brains. They make us better, so don't we owe it to them to deliver the best possible care and ensure their health is looked after? A leading voice in the human optimisation space, neuroscientist Andrew Huberman, recently spoke with Karolina Westlund, an ethologist and professor at the University of Stockholm, about this very subject on his podcast. Westlund specialises in animal emotion and behaviour, and uses science-based methods to improve the lives of animals in human care. The pair discussed the often overlooked needs of domesticated animals, primarily dogs and cats, and the things we can do to improve their wellbeing and our relationship with them. In essence, Westlund believes that we have a responsibility to act as a conduit to deliver the best care to domesticated creatures who didn't choose to be in our homes. My dog has been with me for years and is part of my family. I understand her expressions, I know what she's saying without words. So why wouldn't I cater to her emotional and physical needs? Of course, I want her to be happy and to live for as long as possible. Enter Loyal, a pet biotech company founded by California-based entrepreneur Celine Halioua. Her mission is to develop drugs that will extend the lifespan of dogs by delaying or preventing age-related disease. Halioua asks, 'What if we could develop a preventive medicine for seemingly unrelated age-associated diseases like cancer, arthritis and cognitive decline, which all share the same root cause? It all sounds very much like modern wellness and the biohacking movement to me.' 'The goal of the company from day one has always been to get the first drug FDA approved for healthy lifespan extension,' Halioua told Slate magazine in April. And she claims she's close. But Loyal aims to offer more than just drugs. Its purpose is to teach pet owners the breed-specific biohacks that will help their beloved pets live healthy lives beyond their average projected lifespan. Halioua calls it 'compensating for the genetic mistakes' that dog breeding has caused. How much a subscription to Loyal's daily longevity supplement might cost pet owners is unknown, as it's not yet available to buy. However, given how much a quality supplement for humans can cost on repeat subscription, it's safe to say this service is likely to be one that the privileged few can afford. Another parallel with the world of human health optimisation is expensive organic food, and fancy raw pet food is really having a moment. For animals, eating raw meat arguably makes more sense than it does for the influencers suffering through slabs of raw liver and guzzling offal. I feed my pomeranians, Bella and Duke, a RAWsaf-accredited brand (meaning that all meats used in the food are tested for E coli and other bacteria to ensure they're safe to eat raw). Incidentally, humans on the carnivore diet do not go by such accreditations. But I still find myself asking, 'Does my dog really need probiotic supplements, pre-prepared raw food, calming bedtime biscuits with human-grade organic ingredients and chicken-flavoured electrolytes?' Wild animals seem to manage just fine without all this. 'I think what we are probably seeing with pet wellness is an extension of the wider wellness perfectionism that's been increasing in recent years,' says psychologist Dr Lara Zibarras. 'We've gone from obsessing about our own health to obsessing about our pets ' health.' Zibarras says we're likely witnessing and partaking in a phenomenon called 'psychological displacement': 'This is when people feel out of control in one area of life (let's say work, study or relationships), so they end up hyper-focusing on other areas. So projecting wellness onto their pets could be one way to stay feeling in control, especially if other areas feel out of control.' Are the pampered kittens I see having coconut oil rubbed into their toes while wearing under-eye patches needing a full spa day to be happy? But, then again, if the animals are enjoying it and it brings us joy, is there any harm in it? Zibarras explains that though videos showing pet spa days might be cute, we're now exposed to intense and unwavering levels of perfectionism presented by staged videos on social media. 'In wellness culture, there's this idea that if we just do everything right, then we will be happy, healthy, safe and successful. It's possible that this is extending to our pets, [who] are now becoming a reflection of how 'together' we are.' Just like clean eating or fitness obsessions, pet wellness can become a status symbol. 'We believe that doing pet wellness says something about who we are – caring for our pets and doing life 'right',' She says. If we're not mindful about all this, pet wellness stands to become yet another metric by which to measure whether we're winning at life. Whether our dog's gut health is optimal. Whether we've cracked their communication style, do our pets need wellness? The honest answer is probably not, at least not in the way that humans, with all our anxieties and foibles, need healing. The very idea that we want to protect our beloved pets is admirable and natural, however, the idea that they need any of this special attention plays into wider anxieties about modern life, the rise of perfectionism, and the constant push to be more, do more, and live forever. When we use our pets to signal some kind of human success, we may have drifted from the true meaning of the word and into very bizarre and distorted territory indeed.
Daily Mail
01-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE We hit the jackpot with a life-changing deal on Dragons' Den - here's how much contact we REALLY have with the investors after the show
The co-founders of a pet food brand bagged a life-changing deal on Dragons' Den and have revealed how the show has shaped their business since. Dr Guy Sandelowsky, 38, and Shiv Sivakumar, 33, developed their allergy-friendly pet food business, called Omni, together. The pair appeared on BBC 's long-standing entrepreneur show in February and managed to secure a £75,000 investment from Deborah Meaden, 66, and Steven Bartlett, 32, for a 2.5% share. They impressed the Dragons with their company, which uses novel proteins to create allergy-friendly food for dogs and offers a range of supplements. Now, three months since the episode aired, Guy and Shiv have opened up to MailOnline about their 'nerve wracking' business pitch which landed them a deal with two tycoons. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. The businessmen admitted 'it wasn't easy to get on' the show and they had applied two years in a row before. 'We were just determined that, you know, the world and the nation needed to hear about what Omni was doing,' Guy explained. The pair created Omni after Shiv, who has a dog prone to allergies and Guy, who has 10 years experience as a vet, came together with the aim to help prevent common problems in pets. Before entering the infamous den, the pair already had their sight set on two of the dragons and knew what they wanted to leave with. 'Shiv and I had watched Dragons' Den forever, since we can remember, and the likes of Deborah Meaden and even Steven Bartlett, even though he's a dragon that joined later on, we always admired them,' Guy revealed. He admitted: 'We always knew that, were we to be on the show, those are exactly the dragons we'd want, not least because they have pets, but also because they're just so aligned with what we're trying to do, creating a health sustainability brand.' The vet described the experience as 'really surreal, honestly and very overwhelming, but in a very positive way'. Despite carefully preparing an impressive business pitch, Shiv shared 'when it comes down to it, it was very sort of nerve wracking, because you realise you're going to go on TV'. He added: 'No matter how much you plan, you just don't know how things are going to play out.' During their business pitch, Shiv and Guy were quickly hit with questions from Peter Jones and Touker Suleyman about their valuations. Shiv admitted they were 'a little surprised' by how fast the conversation went in that direction and pointed out they have now gone above and beyond with their business since. However, the pair did manage to keep their cool during the grilling from the dragons. Shiv said: 'It's really interesting, because we're now, literally a couple of months since being on the den, and the business ... it's doubled in size, we're now tracking revenues for the year of nearly £10 million annualised, which is way more than the valuation we even went into the den asking for.' Eventually, Touker and Peter pulled out of making offers and Sara Davies declined on the basis the share was too low. Despite this, the two businessmen are thrilled about securing Deborah and Steven. Shiv explained how 'well aligned' the business partners are with the two dragons. He added: 'They authentically care about sort of what we're trying to achieve here. So they're both pet lovers. Steven actually has a dog that's prone to allergies as well. Really has an authentic connection to the environment and sustainability too. 'They both are very good ambassadors and advocates for our business, and that's what we hoped they would do, and they've continued to do that as well since the investment. 'So we couldn't have got a better result, because those are the investors that we wanted to achieve. And we did manage to get this. I think we were pretty elated.' Guy recalled how the knew the valuation they were asking for was 'reasonable' and even described it as 'quite generous'. He admitted: 'It just felt very validating when people like Deborah and Steven actually got behind us, and sort of actually on our behalf, were like arguing with Peter and Touker.' Since securing a joint deal with Deborah and Steven, the co-founders have been 'pleasantly surprised' by how involved the dragons have been with Omni since being on the show. Guy acknowledged that even though they are both 'celebrities' and 'very busy' with other projects, in reality 'it doesn't feel like that'. '... The line's always open. We can always speak to them,' he revealed. 'I would say that with Steven and his team, we've had particular guidance and support on some of the brand work that we're doing.' As for Deborah, who is known for her environmentally friendly business pursuits, the Omni co-founders feel particularly 'mission aligned' with her. 'You know, for us, health is number one, but also the fact that we don't use animal proteins in our products, it just makes our food more environmentally sustainable,' Guy explained. 'And I think because that's a mission that's so close to Deborah's heart, it was quite easy to build that connection.' He added: 'Whenever we do meet Deborah and we discuss our business plans, it's clear that she really cares, and she knows that when our business grows, yes, there's financial upside, but also the ethical side is really important to her, and she's helping to grow a business that is going to sort of contribute to practices that are better for the environment as well.'
