Native Pet - Gut Health Goes to the Dogs

The Story of a Brand Show

Ramon Vela

Business, Entrepreneurship

5 • 145 Ratings

🗓️ 5 August 2025

⏱️ 61 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

I had a blast sitting down with Dan Schaefer, Founder & CEO of Native Pet.

We kicked things off with gratitude. Dan shared how his wife was his “first angel investor,” backing his leap from BCG into entrepreneurship while raising a young family. From there, we got into the big idea behind Native Pet: “around-the-bowl nutrition.” Instead of trying to replace what’s in your dog’s bowl, Native Pet helps pet parents customize it with clean-label, effective supplements dogs actually love to eat.

Dan walked me through their earliest wins, such as transforming messy canned pumpkin into a shelf-stable powdered pumpkin with a smart fiber blend, and their breakout hit, The Daily (an all-in-one scoop inspired by human greens routines). We also dug into hard-earned lessons (hello, Target packaging panic) and a huge upcoming launch that brings today’s human gut-health wave into pet wellness.

Highlights

* Gratitude that fuels the journey: Dan credits his wife and co-founder Pat’s family for believing early, packing boxes, cheering them on, and making “zero to one” possible.

* The Native Pet thesis: Focus on supplements to personalize health “around the bowl,” so pet parents can keep their preferred food and add targeted support.

* Simple, smart innovation: From powdered Pumpkin to Omega Oil, clean-label formats and taste are non-negotiable—if dogs won’t eat it, nothing else matters.

* Breakout product: The Daily—their one-scoop daily multivitamin—became Native Pet’s best seller and even hit #1 in multivitamins on Amazon right after Prime Day.

* Where to find them: Online at nativepet.com, Amazon, Chewy, and nationwide at Target, Petco, PetSmart, Whole Foods, Sprouts, Tractor Supply, Meijer, Pet Supplies Plus, and more.
Plus, try the website quiz to get the right plan for your dog.

* One more thing I’m excited about: Native Pet’s new GutWell line (launching August) targets specific outcomes through the microbiome—Clean Breath, Trim Down, Stress Support, Itchy Skin, and Power Poop—in a tasty, clean-label, cold-pressed pellet with bold, premium packaging.

Join me, Ramon Vela, in listening to the episode:
If you care about helping your dog live a happier, healthier, and longer life—and want practical ways to personalize their nutrition—you’ll love this conversation. Hit play to hear the full story, the lessons learned, and what’s next for Native Pet.

For more on Native Pet, visit: https://nativepet.com/

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Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	There's tons of scientific research on the canine microbiome.
0:03.8	They're a little easier to study than humans.
0:06.3	That by using these specific set of ingredients in each product, we can drive specific health outcomes.
0:12.6	We're really the first brand to take this approach to say this isn't just a generic, global gut health supplement. This is a gut health supplement that's
0:23.7	going to do something specific. We're going to tell you what it's going to do, and we're going to help
0:28.5	you use this to improve your dog's gut health and drive the specific health outcome you need.
0:34.1	I'm probably most excited for Trimdown. I am, you know, obviously passionate about
0:40.0	dog health. If you look at the number one most pervasive health issue in dogs today, people
0:46.3	think of cancers. They think of a bunch of different other stuff. In my opinion, it's really obesity
0:50.3	in dogs. Over 50% of dogs in the United States are considered obese. And obesity is one of the
0:57.3	biggest comorbidities in our pets. It can help, you know, create joint health issues. It helps
1:03.4	create, you know, it leads to cancers or, you know, heart issues, liver issues, organ issues.
1:10.3	And so I think if you really want to focus on how to help your dog live better, you know, heart issues, liver issues, organ issues. And so I think if you really want to
1:11.8	focus on how to help your dog live better, live healthier, live longer, really comes down to
1:17.1	managing weight. And gut well, trimmed down is going to be first of its kind product. That's
1:23.6	going to help dogs control their weight naturally. And I'm really, really stoked.
1:28.7	That product line is going to launch in August.
1:30.8	It's called Gutwell.
1:32.1	It has five unique products, clean breath, trim down, stress support, itchy skin, and power poop.
1:38.5	It's going to launch first on our digital channels.
1:43.1	And so try it out.
1:45.1	You know, come find me.
	...

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