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THIS WEEK'S TOPICS:

• $610m for a dog supplement company 💊 started on Amazon

• Stem cell therapy for your dog is a click away 💉🖱️

• Dogs photoshopped next to themselves as puppies 🥹

• 2023 dog product predictions 🔮

DOGGYDEX™

Winner 🏆: S&P 500

Proudly introducing the DoggyDex™, an index comprised of 10 publicly traded companies whose primary focus is the dog/pet industry.

The yellow line-plot in the chart represents these companies above (DoggyDex™) and their combined performance against both the S&P 500 and Bitcoin on a weekly basis.

Pawformance is measured by % gains & losses.

$610M FOR A DOG SUPPLEMENT 💊 COMPANY LAUNCHED ON AMAZON

Ever ordered anything from Amazon? Sure, we’re all suckers for prime delivery.

Ever ordered products for your dog on Amazon?

If you have, then chances are you either have bought or at the very least seen Zesty Paws products.

They make pet supplements ranging from gut health to skin health and just about everything in between.

They have a very memorable and eye-catching orange product packaging with a fun splashy font. Just about all of their products have stellar reviews.

They even recently expanded and improved some of their existing formulas and packaged them under a vet strength product line, which is shrouded in black to stand out against their original offerings.

Who started Zesty Paws and why? 👤

This company was started by an entrepreneur by the name of AJ Patel who saw a gap in the market for tasty treat-like supplements about 6 years ago. Usually when we want to give our dogs meds or vitamins we have to trojan horse them in a mountain of cheese or peanut butter.

Zesty Paws set out to take that extra cloaking step out of the equation by making those supplements soft, chewy, and tasty.

To say they were successful would be an understatement. They started out by selling on Amazon and DTC then eventually expanded their distribution to Chewy and Petsmart.

They went from $0 to $100M in revenue in 6 years. Zesty Paws was acquired for $610M in 2021.

Which has us watching this space closely over the next 2-3 years 👀.

STEM CELL THERAPY FOR YOUR DOG IS A CLICK AWAY 💉🖱️

To us, stem cell therapy still sounds like something out a science fiction movie or something a pro athlete gets done when their knees start to deteriorate.

TBH, when we wanted to learn more about stem cell therapy for pets, we actually had to look up what a stem cell is exactly.

So what is a stem cell? 💉🦠

A stem cell is the body's raw materials. They are the starting point for all other cells with specialized functions (blood cells 🩸, brain cells 🧠, etc.)

What's cool about them is their ability to turn into other cell types and the role they play in healing. Stem cells have effectively been used to grow different types of healthy cells that have been affected by disease. They can also be used to test out new drugs and medication 💊.

For example, when a person cuts their hand, stem cells cause the wound to heal by facilitating cell regeneration and regrowth in the tissue. But, as people age, the amount and health of those stem cells decrease 📉.

It's important to note, there are different types of stem cells and different ethical questions around them. For example, Embryonic cells, or those derived from embryos, are a controversial subject.

However, the type we looked into are Mesenchymal cells, which can come from fatty tissue, bone marrow, or umbilical cords, and carry less of a stigma.

What does that have to do with my dog? 🐶

Well, use of stem cells has primarily been for human treatments, but now there are companies shifting their focus towards pets.

One such company is Gallant, who collects and stores your dogs stem cells at a young age and "banks" them for when they are older and possibly develop conditions or diseases.

Their CEO, Dr. Linda Black was trained as a vet and also received her PhD in cell and molecular biology. She recalls first hand running clinical stem cell trials on dogs and seeing fantastic results, which prompted her to think how this would benefit owners.

How does this even work? ⚙️

The good news is that the majority of dogs undergo a very common procedure that Gallant can tap into; spaying & neutering!

Typically when a dog gets spayed or neutered, the tissue they remove gets thrown away. Instead Gallant works with your vet to collect the tissue and stores it at their lab (there are other options if your dog has already had this procedure).

Then down the line if a condition arises that could be treated, the lab provides the cells to use via direct injection 💉 to the affected area.

The most common issues that stem cells therapy may treat; arthritis, dry eyes, allergic skin conditions, and more.

Well does it actually work and what does it cost!? 💰

Whether it works is trickier to answer.

It doesn't seem like there are any definitive ways to tell which dogs will benefit and which ones won't. Some respond to the therapy, some do and then relapse, while others don't.

The American Veterinary Medical Association doesn't have any current guidelines on stem cell therapy. However they are encouraging the study of stem cell therapy, but cautions its use in clinical practice.

And there is the cost. Gallant charges a one time, lifetime fee of $990 for the storage of the tissue, or offers monthly / annual options:

So what is the takeaway here? 🥡

The cost isn't nothing and results aren't guaranteed. BUT, if you are comfortable with the risks, stem cell therapy could be a big benefit to your dog.

So we recommend finding a vet who is already aware of stem cell therapy to help learn more about options for your specific pooch. Also, it's important to have realistic expectations since positive outcomes can't be guaranteed.

2023 DOG PRODUCT PREDICTIONS 🔮

The pandemic pet boom has dramatically shifted the dog industry. With an estimated 23 million American households adopting a pet in the last few years, it's no wonder that change may be coming.

So that got us thinking, how will this new wave of owners affect the landscape of products and services for our dogs 🤔?

We did some internet sleuthing and rounded up some predictions from experts at companies like Rover, Exploding Topics and more.

#1 - More flexibility 〰️

The combination of lack of access to services (trainers, vets, etc) due to quarantine, and growing demand from the amount of new owners has created a need for more flexible options.

We believe this need will translate to more virtual and hybrid type of service products.

It will become more normal for training to be done via zoom, or for your vet questions to be handled with a telemedicine 📱🩺 type approach.

#2 - Pet supplements will be big 💊💥

Supplements are a mainstay when it comes to human health. As dogs are more and more seen as a part of the family, attention to their health has increased.

Supplements play a key role in overall health, and we expect to see a continued rise in products for pooches, such as fish oils, probiotics, and CBD supplements (Zesty Paws 👀).

#3 - Growth of new categories 🆕❗

Did you know there are "dog wipes"?

Chances are if you own a smoosh face breed (e.g. pug, bulldog, frenchie) then you have used wipes to get in between their folds.

This is one example of new product categories we expect to become more mainstream with more product variants (moisturizing, antiseptic, calming, etc.)

Other examples would be pet toothpaste 🪥, litter robots 🤖, and health trackers 🫀🖥️.

What do you think will be big in 2023?

Hit us back (just reply to this email) and let us know what you think will be a big product this year, or something new you've started to try!

KIBBLE BITS:

• Dogs & cats reducing child allergies: A new study is suggesting that children who live with cats or dogs during fetal development and early infancy may be less likely to develop food allergies.

• Dog catches home run ball: At a Dodgers spring training game, a dog snagged a home run ball from fans scrambling to try and snatch it off of the lawn.

• Journalist covers story about dogs in a shelter and adopts one: A journalist went to do a story about dogs in a shelter needing adopted and one dog hugged his leg and refused to let go, so he adopted him!

Every week we love to shoutout a pooch that has made another trip around the sun. Happy 2nd Birthday 🎂 to Leeloo and that chocolate malt ball of a face!

That's all there is to bark about this week.

If you want more, be sure to follow our Twitter (@dogonomist).