Please welcome our guest, Anthony Holloway, CEO of K9Cuisine, online source for premium dog food, organic dog food and treats. Here he tells us how an adopted dog helped inspire a whole new business.Q- Hi Anthony! I hear that your dog played an instrumental role in influencing your business. Tell us a little bit about Daisy.
A.-We adopted an 11-month-old pup that had been returned by her family due to behavioral problems. Her name was Trouble. She appeared to have some nervous issues. In her final antic, she had completely demolished her family’s leather couch. Upon adoption, we changed her name to Daisy and set out to determine what triggered the negative behavior.
It was quickly apparent that Daisy was an ultra-sensitive dog. She would chew her feet, quiver and shake, throw up, and hide and the cycle would repeat. While we were not admonishing her, she clearly was stressed out. We believed that she really did want to please, and if we could stop the cycle, she could be a wonderful pet.
Q. I'm glad you changed her name! How did you help Daisy?
A.- Finally one day at the Vet with yet another ear infection, we began to piece together her symptoms. (Chronic ear infections, chewing of the feet, chronic nausea) The vet suggested we begin a battery of allergy tests. Not wanting to add to Daisy’s stress, we set out to research and obtain information on pet allergies. Due to the nausea, we were especially concerned with food related allergies.
Q.- How did you discover what food would help Daisy?
A.- Research suggested we isolate ingredients to determine her tolerance. We switched to a food with a single carbohydrate and a single source protein. We started with Burns Health Chicken and Brown Rice. She improved for a while and then the nausea began again. We tried the Burns Ocean Fish and Brown Rice. Again, she improved for a while. Ear infections and chewing of the feet were better, but the nausea started again. So we finally eliminated all grains and began feeding Orijen. We immediately noticed a difference. Daisy no longer suffered from nausea or the anxiety she had from messes created by her vomiting. She became a different dog. Always aiming to please, she was finally comfortable in her own skin and able to relax.
Q.- So how did all this start K9Cuisine?
A.- Our experience identifying Daisy’s dietary needs coupled with our frustration in sourcing the higher quality foods which we knew she so desperately needed, led to our launching K9Cuisine.com. We started our web based pet food store with only a few of the highest quality all natural dog foods.
Our business immediately took off. After three years and substantial growth, we now offer over 4,000 different products. We specialize in premium all natural pet nutrition – no corn, no wheat, no soy, no glutens. Our dog and cat foods, treats, and chews must pass rigorous scrutiny before we offer them to our customers. But what truly sets us apart from our competition is our level of customer service. 98% of our orders ship the same day and we offer free shipping on orders over $50. And we welcome opportunities to assist our customers in their buying decisions by offering live chat and answering our own phones.
We know firsthand what a difference an all-natural, healthy diet can make on our pet’s life and our own lives. We feel fortunate to be able to work with others to find a solution that works for them.
Do you have any questions for Anthony? Ask them here, or leave a comment. Thanks!
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*Anthony was born and raised on a farm in rural Kentucky where he learned to love and care for animals of all kinds. He graduated with a business degree and lives in Illinois. Dogs in his life have been a mutt Jetta, cocker spaniels Sport and Tiff, and English pointer Murphy, and a rescue lab Daisy. He and his wife have three children. Be sure to stop by and visit his pet blog.
