Best Bets For Pets

Listen to Episode #321 Now:

Transcript:

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Announcer: This is Pet Life Radio!

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Announcer: Let's talk pets!

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Michelle Fern: Welcome to Best Bets for Pets.

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Michelle Fern: I'm your show host, Michelle Fern.

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Michelle Fern: So today, we're gonna talk about something that I've never heard of before regarding doggy toothpaste.

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Michelle Fern: But even more importantly, we're going to talk about this wonder food for your dog.

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Michelle Fern: Now, wonder food is coming out, hear about it for people.

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Michelle Fern: Now, there's something great for your dog.

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Michelle Fern: So stay tuned, we'll be right back.

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Announcer: Take a bite out of your competition.

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Announcer: There is no other pet-related media that is as large and reaches more pet parents and pet lovers than Pet Life Radio.

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Announcer: For more information on how you can advertise on the number one pet podcast and radio network, visit petliferadio.com/advertise today.

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Announcer: Let's Talk Pets on petliferadio.com.

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Michelle Fern: Welcome back, everyone.

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Michelle Fern: I'd like to welcome Jonathan Willbanks.

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Michelle Fern: He is the founder of Arterra.

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Michelle Fern: Welcome, Jonathan.

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Jonathan Willbanks: Hi Michelle.

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Jonathan Willbanks: It's great to be here.

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Jonathan Willbanks: Thanks for having me on.

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Michelle Fern: Wonderful to have you on.

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Michelle Fern: So tell us, what is Arterra?

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Jonathan Willbanks: Well, let me first start with our mission and why we exist.

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Jonathan Willbanks: We are here to elevate canine wellness and longevity through science-backed nutrition while simplifying the lives of pet parents.

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Jonathan Willbanks: Our product is a simple, all-in-one daily dog supplement for a healthier, longer life with 63 science-backed ingredients designed to support your dog's entire body at both the structural level and at a cellular energy level.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And I look forward to diving in in more detail as our conversation unfolds.

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Jonathan Willbanks: But we really believe that the pet wellness space is on the verge of an innovation supercycle, really focused around longevity and extending the amount of high quality of life years that owners have with their pets.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And so to that end, we're on a mission to redefine the essence of what pet supplements are by focusing on a comprehensive full body solution rather than the narrow condition specific formulas that have dominated the market to date.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And with our science-backed veterinary and formulated products, we are really here to champion full spectrum wellness and longevity targeting joint health, cognition, mood, the immune system, allergy response, gut health and organ health all in one product.

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Michelle Fern: Let me tell you, you know, what this reminds me of, and I'm going to name a product for humans out there.

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Michelle Fern: You know that product that's green?

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Michelle Fern: I think it's A1G or AIG?

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Jonathan Willbanks: A1G, yes, indeed.

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Michelle Fern: That's what this reminds me of.

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Michelle Fern: But this is for dogs, obviously.

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Jonathan Willbanks: I think that's a great comparison.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And from a market standpoint, we would love to be A1G for dogs, the all in one solution that dog owners can have in their cabinet to cover a lot of bases.

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Jonathan Willbanks: I think, you know, the analogy breaks down a bit when you zoom into the substance of our product.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And I think this is an important distinction, is that A1G is essentially a multivitamin, with a few functional foods included.

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Jonathan Willbanks: Their product is designed to fill in nutritional gaps that we might have in our diet.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And our product, you know, we assume if owners are feeding their dogs Arterra, that their dog is already on a nutritionally complete, you know, reasonably high quality diet.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And so while there are certain nutrients that we work to make sure dogs are getting a therapeutic dose of, we are really formulated around the idea of functional ingredients that can go beyond basic nutritional requirements and can really enhance performance, quality of life and well-being.

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Michelle Fern: Okay, and we'll go into more detail soon, but why did you create it?

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Jonathan Willbanks: So I think first and foremost, because I had a very privileged experience of living with a lot of extra years with my best friend, a rescue dog who I adopted in 2011 in my last year of college.

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Jonathan Willbanks: He was the, you know, I think a lot of dog owners can relate to this.

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Jonathan Willbanks: He was my first dog in my 20s, you know, not my childhood family dog.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And we grew up together and went through these really important years together.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And I think those that first adult dog that we adopt really holds the special place in our hearts.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And he certainly did in mine.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And as he started to age, you know, I'm a big believer and fan in functional medicine and started applying a lot of that tool set that I developed for myself, for my family, to my dog.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And in middle age, I began to get serious about putting him on a preventative supplement regimen.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And I looked around at the supplement landscape of the day and was pretty underwhelmed at what was available.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And so I took it into my own hands to build my own formulation for him and sourced human grade supplements and started mixing them in my kitchen.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And he was a golden retriever pit bull mix with a life expectancy of 10 to 11 years.

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Jonathan Willbanks: Ultimately, I got him to 16 and a half and almost perfect health.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And with outstanding quality of life until his last week with us.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And so he ultimately exceeded his lifespan by over 50% and made it to the human equivalent of 117.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And every time after about the age of 12, I would take him into the vets.

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Jonathan Willbanks: His vets were just floored that they weren't seeing almost any of the signs of degenerative aging that they were used to seeing in dogs his age.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And I credit a lot of that to the formula that I developed for him.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And it was an iterative process.

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Jonathan Willbanks: You know, it started with a handful of simple ingredients.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And then as he aged, anytime I would see a sign of degenerative aging starting to creep in, maybe he was getting tired on walks a little faster or starting to hesitate to go up the stairs or we were seeing early signs of cognitive decline or low energy.

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Jonathan Willbanks: That was my sign to either add something to his formula or to tweak the dose and increase the dose of something that was there.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And we reached terminal velocity with that formula by, you know, the time he was about 13 and had about 40 different ingredients in that formula.

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Jonathan Willbanks: My partner and I bought an industrial pharmaceutical powder mixer to be able to put this together at our home.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And we're spending several hundred dollars a month to do this, which sounds nuts, but we were seeing the results on his lab work, in his vet visits, in his quality of life.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And on the rare occasions where we missed his supplement because we were on vacation or out of town, we could see an immediate drop off in his quality of life.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And so we knew that it worked, and that formula became the nucleus of what we've launched commercially with Arterra.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And while I'm a total nerd for this stuff, I will spend a lot of my weekends reading medical journals and veterinary journals for fun.

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Jonathan Willbanks: I am not a vet, so one of the things before we commercialized this product that I wanted to do was make sure that we had some real white lab coat experts in the room.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And so I recruited the leading integrative veterinarians here in Austin, Texas.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And by integrative, I mean, you know, fully trained, fully licensed doctors of veterinary medicine who can prescribe drugs, perform surgery, but are also well trained in naturopathic medicine, in diet and nutritional interventions.

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Jonathan Willbanks: To help me go through this formula with a fine tooth comb and really with the mandate when we all sat around the table of I want you to help me design your absolute dream supplement that you wish to exist for your patients but didn't.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And they were able to take a red pen to a couple things that I had done and help us change the dose.

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Jonathan Willbanks: They were able to add some really cool and valuable ingredients that I hadn't occurred to me that I hadn't thought of.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And then together we worked to launch, you know, what I believe is objectively and something we can substantiate an order of magnitude, the most sophisticated and comprehensive dog supplement that's ever been brought to market.

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Michelle Fern: So my next question fits right in here.

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Michelle Fern: What makes it unique?

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Jonathan Willbanks: Great question.

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Jonathan Willbanks: So I think there are a few things that really set our product apart.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And the first is the incredible breadth of our ingredients.

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Jonathan Willbanks: So as I mentioned, we aim to support the entire body.

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Jonathan Willbanks: So we break down systematically each of the key systems in a dog's body with an emphasis on those that tend to fail as we age.

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Jonathan Willbanks: So a strong emphasis on joint and gut health, a strong emphasis on cognition and mood on immune and allergy response on gut health, and then on individually supporting all the major organs within the body.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And within those kind of sub formulas of our product and across the 63 ingredients, we rely philosophically on what I call the entourage effect, the idea that by putting ingredients together in a thoughtful and synergistic way, the effect can be greater than the sum of its parts.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And so I'll use one example of this.

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Jonathan Willbanks: In our 63 ingredients senior formula, we have 11 ingredients dedicated to hip and joint support.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And this accomplishes several things.

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Jonathan Willbanks: But one of the big things that it does is it solves for a major problem in the supplement industry, which is the idea of bio variability, the idea that every body is different.

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Jonathan Willbanks: Pharmaceutical drugs have the same problem.

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Jonathan Willbanks: Something that works for me might not work for you.

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Jonathan Willbanks: It may not respond to your specific genetics, either specific metabolic pathways at play.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And so with our 11 hip and joint support sub ingredients, there might be three or four of those that your individual dog doesn't respond to.

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Jonathan Willbanks: But that's okay.

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Jonathan Willbanks: My dog might respond to those, but yours may not.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And that's okay because we have seven others in the formula designed to support that system.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And in parallel, all of these ingredients are supporting the same systems, but they're doing it through different biological pathways within the body.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And we believe that when we take that approach, it's more of a two plus two equals five situation where we're able to exert better and more holistic, positive benefits and outcomes over time.

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Jonathan Willbanks: In addition to that breath, we're also very much differentiated by the quality and form factor of the ingredients we use.

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Jonathan Willbanks: I think a lot of supplement customers don't necessarily understand that the inputs to supplements are not all created equal.

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Jonathan Willbanks: A couple examples of this, functional mushrooms, we have six of them in our formula, are very popular right now.

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Jonathan Willbanks: But the vast majority of functional mushroom supplements on the market today are not what we would conventionally think of as a mushroom, the stem and the cap that grows above the ground.

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Jonathan Willbanks: Most commercial mushroom supplements are actually mushroom mycelium, the network that grows under the soil that's designed to shuffle nutrients into the mushroom.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And those are much cheaper and faster to cultivate.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And while they do have some beneficial ingredients to call mushroom mycelium, for let's say lion's mane mushroom, for example, to call that mycelium lion's mane is, I think akin to calling an apple, to calling an apple tree bark an apple.

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Jonathan Willbanks: So they're both parts of the same plant, but have fundamentally different makeup and constituency.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And you wouldn't, you know, you wouldn't want to put slices of apple tree bark in your kid's school lunch.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And so, you know, we formulate and source using entirely fruiting body mushrooms for the six functional mushrooms in our blend.

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Jonathan Willbanks: Another great example is our form of magnesium.

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Jonathan Willbanks: Magnesium is essential to over 400 cellular and metabolic processes within the body.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And if we don't have enough of it, we can eventually die.

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Jonathan Willbanks: But the most common supplemental form of magnesium is something called magnesium oxide, which has terrible bioavailability, exerts an incidental laxative effect, which can actually decrease the absorption and effectiveness of everything else in your formula.

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Jonathan Willbanks: But our form of magnesium is actually the most expensive ingredient in our product.

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Jonathan Willbanks: It's called magnesium L3N8, and it was developed by a team of MIT researchers, including one Nobel laureate, and is licensed under patent.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And our form of magnesium is bound to a carrier molecule that allows it to uniquely penetrate the blood brain barrier and elevate magnesium concentrations directly in cerebral spinal fluid, which has the downstream effect of increasing synaptic density.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And so that was a lot of jargon to say that there are high-quality studies in not just animals, but also humans, that show that this form of magnesium can dramatically improve cognitive performance.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And so when we pair that with things like high-quality lion's mane mushroom that increases things like BDNF and nerve growth factor in the brain, and with things like ginkgo biloba that can increase circulation within the brain, we are really aggressively going after cognitive health in a way that no supplement ever has before.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And I'm just talking about one component of our formula here.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And the last thing I think that sets us apart is dosage and potency, is many dog supplements on the market are really, I think, boxed in by the idea of fitting the entire supplement into a treat form factor.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And this would certainly have been an easier approach for us, but it's one that, as a matter of principle and the impact that we aim to have, we chose not to take.

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Jonathan Willbanks: Because in a treat supplement, only about 20% of that treat can be the active ingredients in your product.

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Jonathan Willbanks: The other 80% ranges more like 50 to 80%, depending on how you do it.

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Jonathan Willbanks: But the majority of that treat is binder and filler and flavoring agents and empty calories.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And our formula appears in such a large dose.

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Jonathan Willbanks: We've got our senior formula is about a 20 gram dose.

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Jonathan Willbanks: For us to put everything in this formula that we want to in a treat form factor, it would have had to be an unreasonable serving size of north of 40 or 50 treats a day, which would have introduced a lot of junk calories and a lot of junk filler into a dog's diet.

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Jonathan Willbanks: But the scale of that shows, I used the phrase earlier, an order of magnitude, a 10x gap shows how much more aggressive our formula is in dosing and getting medically and clinically relevant amounts of these ingredients into our product.

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Jonathan Willbanks: A lot of dog supplements will do what I call pixie dusting.

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Jonathan Willbanks: They'll have one or two hero ingredients.

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Jonathan Willbanks: Think of this as most of the glucosamine joint chews on the market.

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Jonathan Willbanks: One or two hero ingredients, and then they'll sprinkle in four or five other sexy sounding ingredients that look really good on a label, but aren't present in clinically meaningful amounts to actually move the needle on health outcomes.

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Jonathan Willbanks: So it's more of a placebo effect for the owner's benefit than the dog's.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And for every ingredient in our formula, we've worked to find clinical guidance and protocols wherever possible to dose for efficacy and make sure that your dog is getting the amount that is going to really drive the benefit and the outcome that you and we are looking for.

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Michelle Fern: Wow.

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Jonathan Willbanks: So summing that up, it's breadth, form and quality of the ingredients and potency is what sets us apart from the pack.

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Michelle Fern: And we're going to stop for a break, but we're audio only, but I know what you look like and I know that you practice what you preach probably all.

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Michelle Fern: You know, some people talk good about all this help for their dogs, but them themselves are not in shape or don't follow a good diet and all that stuff.

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Jonathan Willbanks: Sure.

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Michelle Fern: I think you practice what you preach for your dogs.

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Michelle Fern: I can imagine the vitamins or the supplements you take.

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Jonathan Willbanks: That's very kind of you.

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Jonathan Willbanks: Yes.

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Jonathan Willbanks: I think the part of the mission here was I want to take all the things that I'm taking for myself and for my family and make them available to to our furry family members as well.

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Jonathan Willbanks: So I think you're spot on there.

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Michelle Fern: Yes.

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Michelle Fern: What I'm saying for everyone listening is he is very in shape and you got what I'm saying.

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Michelle Fern: I don't mean to embarrass you at all.

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Jonathan Willbanks: You're very kind.

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Michelle Fern: Important.

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Michelle Fern: I just started lifting weights the last year.

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Michelle Fern: And it's amazing how once you get started with this, how your body changes and can move better just after just a little bit.

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Michelle Fern: But this isn't about physical fitness.

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Michelle Fern: It's all about the pets.

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Michelle Fern: So we'll be back right after this break.

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Michelle Fern: Hey, everyone, Michelle Fern here.

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Michelle Fern: Are you looking to enhance your pet's health, wellness and longevity?

00:15:42.077 --> 00:15:46.997
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00:15:47.237 --> 00:15:53.197
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00:15:53.457 --> 00:16:00.577
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00:16:11.517 --> 00:16:14.477
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00:16:14.657 --> 00:16:20.977
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00:16:26.937 --> 00:16:30.157
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Michelle Fern: Welcome back, everyone.

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Michelle Fern: We're talking to Jonathan Willbanks, the founder of Arterra.

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Michelle Fern: So we want to talk about your toothpaste too, but we'll talk about that at the end because it's an anti-cavity toothpaste.

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Michelle Fern: And I didn't even know dogs could get cavities.

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Michelle Fern: So I've been to a doggy dentist before, but I didn't know they can get cavities.

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Michelle Fern: So you have two different formulas for dogs, an adult and senior.

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Michelle Fern: I'm sure it's pretty obvious what the difference is, but tell us what the difference is.

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Jonathan Willbanks: Absolutely.

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Jonathan Willbanks: Well, we have two supplement formulas.

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Jonathan Willbanks: We have an adult formula that contains 46 ingredients, and it is designed for healthy adult dogs with the intent of slowing down the degenerative aging process as much as possible and extending that health span runway out in front of your dog to delay the onset of degenerative aging as much as possible.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And so philosophically, we assume that your dog is already fairly healthy and active.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And our goal is then to support at a hardware level, all the key systems and structures in the body to help maintain that state of health as long as we can.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And then our senior formula contains 63 ingredients and it takes everything that's in our adult formula and we dial up the volume in potency where appropriate.

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Jonathan Willbanks: And then we add a second class of ingredients that are designed to treat the more acute symptoms of degenerative aging because we assume by the time your dog is 8 and up, and there's a little nuance for this depending on the breed, an 8-year-old chihuahua and an 8-year-old golden retriever are not biologically necessarily in the same life stage.

00:18:18.392 --> 00:18:24.692
Jonathan Willbanks: Once your dog is 8 and up, we assume that there are some almost universal symptoms of degenerative aging that are presenting.

00:18:24.732 --> 00:18:30.952
Jonathan Willbanks: So early signs of arthritis or joint discomfort, early signs of cognitive decline, dementia.

00:18:31.032 --> 00:18:36.252
Jonathan Willbanks: Dogs suffer from the same cognitive decline and dementia that we do as humans and their brain needs support as well.

00:18:36.892 --> 00:18:47.692
Jonathan Willbanks: We assume that their organs after many years under sustained load could use some additional support and some repair to the extent that is possible within the current natural pharmacopoeia.

00:18:48.272 --> 00:19:02.392
Jonathan Willbanks: And really, if I were to sum that up, the senior formula adds a second class of ingredients that are designed to ultimately make your dog more comfortable in their body in their senior years while we work in parallel to support and help maintain the underlying structures.

00:19:02.732 --> 00:19:03.992
Michelle Fern: Thanks for explaining that.

00:19:04.052 --> 00:19:06.752
Michelle Fern: How should you introduce your dog to Arterra?

00:19:07.052 --> 00:19:07.932
Jonathan Willbanks: Great question.

00:19:08.292 --> 00:19:11.772
Jonathan Willbanks: So, because our formula is fairly exotic, right?

00:19:11.792 --> 00:19:14.052
Jonathan Willbanks: 63 ingredients in one formula.

00:19:14.472 --> 00:19:24.952
Jonathan Willbanks: If your dog has a sensitive stomach or a reputation for a sensitive stomach, and I know your listeners, if this is your dog, you know who you are, I would absolutely recommend a slower introduction protocol.

00:19:24.972 --> 00:19:42.172
Jonathan Willbanks: So to introduce it for the first week or two at about half of our recommended dose, just so that your dog's system can adjust to these new ingredients that it may never have encountered before and kick on the right enzymes, the right microflora balance to help break those down and then increase to our full dose.

00:19:42.232 --> 00:19:53.232
Jonathan Willbanks: Now, if your dogs are like my dogs, I think my dogs could probably eat cardboard if I gave it to them like it was a treat and not have any issues, then no need to wait, go for broke and start with the full dose.

00:19:53.232 --> 00:19:58.212
Jonathan Willbanks: But we constantly are trying to balance between efficacy and simplicity for owners.

00:19:58.612 --> 00:20:02.672
Jonathan Willbanks: At the end of the day, we want your dog to get one full serving size per day.

00:20:02.752 --> 00:20:06.192
Jonathan Willbanks: So for a large dog, that's one scoop a day, and it doesn't really matter when they get it.

00:20:06.612 --> 00:20:17.232
Jonathan Willbanks: If we want to refine at the margins, I personally would like to see that split in half into a morning and evening dose, because it allows us to maintain more stable and consistent plasma concentrations throughout the day.

00:20:17.632 --> 00:20:27.172
Jonathan Willbanks: But ultimately, the feeding schedule that works for you the best and it's going to be easiest for you to adhere to and maintain is the one that's going to be right for you and your dog.

00:20:27.432 --> 00:20:30.212
Michelle Fern: And what about if your dog is sensitive?

00:20:30.512 --> 00:20:39.692
Michelle Fern: Should you check with your vet first or is it you know your dog, if your dog is more likely to have sensitive stomach or be allergic to a lot of things?

00:20:40.152 --> 00:20:42.032
Michelle Fern: Is it necessary to check with your vet?

00:20:42.572 --> 00:20:56.972
Jonathan Willbanks: Yeah, so I would say if you know that your dog is particularly sensitive and we're not talking like a life-threatening allergy or something, but that just has a bit of a sensitive stomach, then I think you're probably fine just doing a slower introduction of the product and working up to the full dose.

00:20:57.372 --> 00:21:01.912
Jonathan Willbanks: If you give it to them at half of our dose and observe and they do fine for a few days, you're fine to ramp up.

00:21:02.232 --> 00:21:08.432
Jonathan Willbanks: If they have a slightly runny stool or don't quite know what to make of it, then stay the course at that lower dose.

00:21:08.892 --> 00:21:15.452
Jonathan Willbanks: In regards to allergies, we have very carefully formulated our product to avoid the most common canine allergens.

00:21:15.792 --> 00:21:24.792
Jonathan Willbanks: That said, there are 63 ingredients in here, and so the law of large numbers means that someone's dog is going to be allergic to some plant or ingredient that occurs somewhere in here.

00:21:25.832 --> 00:21:30.152
Jonathan Willbanks: So if you see any sort of severe reaction, obviously stop and consult with your vet immediately.

00:21:30.632 --> 00:21:48.132
Jonathan Willbanks: The situation where I would want customers to proactively consult with their vet are if your dog is on any serious chronic medication, particularly for any sort of psychotropic medication for brain or mood issues, or if your dog is on any sort of blood thinner, MAOIs, those fall into the original class that I listed.

00:21:48.152 --> 00:21:53.692
Jonathan Willbanks: And we do have a list on the actual label of precautions because there are a handful of heavy pharmaceuticals.

00:21:54.592 --> 00:21:58.672
Jonathan Willbanks: That we are best not mixed with or that need to be done under veterinary supervision.

00:21:58.692 --> 00:22:02.832
Jonathan Willbanks: But I would say that that list is fairly short and more the exception to the rule.

00:22:03.012 --> 00:22:09.852
Jonathan Willbanks: So if your dog is generally otherwise healthy, you're fine to start on our normal protocol.

00:22:10.272 --> 00:22:15.912
Jonathan Willbanks: And if you see a mild GI reaction, just pull back on the dose until your dog adjusts and work your way back up.

00:22:16.252 --> 00:22:16.792
Michelle Fern: Thank you.

00:22:17.052 --> 00:22:19.472
Michelle Fern: How long before you see results in your dog?

00:22:19.672 --> 00:22:21.412
Jonathan Willbanks: Well, you're going to see results in waves.

00:22:21.892 --> 00:22:26.212
Jonathan Willbanks: So part of the answer to this depends on whether you're giving this to a young dog or a senior dog.

00:22:26.492 --> 00:22:44.072
Jonathan Willbanks: And this is a bit of a, you know, as a young brand, this is actually a communication challenge for us that we're working through, which is that, you know, if you have a happy, healthy, energetic four-year-old dog who's a ball of energy and loves long walks and you give them our preventative adult formula, it's going to be a lot harder to tell what it's actually doing because we're coming from such a healthy baseline.

00:22:44.472 --> 00:22:49.992
Jonathan Willbanks: Now our sweet spot where you'll absolutely know and see that the product is making a difference is in our senior formula.

00:22:50.012 --> 00:22:51.652
Jonathan Willbanks: If you give our formula to a nine-

00:22:51.672 --> 00:22:59.092
Jonathan Willbanks: or ten-year-old dog who is starting to slow down, you're going to see changes in their energy levels and in their movement within a couple weeks.

00:22:59.592 --> 00:23:12.672
Jonathan Willbanks: And really at 30 days, we expect that you're going to see improvements in energy, mood, mobility, a healthier skin and coat, and probably some relief from environmental and seasonal allergies, as well as improved gut health and stool quality.

00:23:12.772 --> 00:23:28.312
Jonathan Willbanks: Now long term, really the 90-day mark is where we expect results to basically peak because we're working in parallel at a symptomatic level to provide acute relief of degenerative aging and some of the maladies that come with that.

00:23:28.832 --> 00:23:44.532
Jonathan Willbanks: But longer term, we're also working at a structural level to make the ligaments, the tendons healthier, to increase hydration and the synovial fluid within joints, to increase dendrite growth and synaptic density within the brain, and those take longer to reach peak effect.

00:23:44.992 --> 00:24:01.252
Jonathan Willbanks: But ultimately, our product is a premium product, it is an expensive product, and we believe when formulating this that the onus was on us for owners to be able to see and tell the difference within the first month of using it, or we assume that they're probably going to cancel on us, and rightly so.

00:24:01.632 --> 00:24:15.172
Jonathan Willbanks: And so to create an added layer of peace of mind, and I think also communicate to you and your listeners how confident we are in our product, we're one of the very few pet supplement brands on the market who offer a 30-day results you can see guarantee.

00:24:15.232 --> 00:24:23.252
Jonathan Willbanks: And so if you can't see a positive difference in your dog within 30 days of giving them our supplement, we'll refund your money, no questions asked.

00:24:23.332 --> 00:24:28.472
Jonathan Willbanks: And since we hit the market about four months ago, we've had less than a 2% take rate on that offer.

00:24:28.472 --> 00:24:43.632
Jonathan Willbanks: And I think given the comparably high price point of our product relative to other supplements in the category, the fact that less than 2% of customers have taken us up on that offer says a lot about what we've developed and the tool that we have to offer to dog owners here.

00:24:43.872 --> 00:24:44.692
Michelle Fern: Certainly does.

00:24:44.892 --> 00:24:50.052
Michelle Fern: Now you also created a toothpaste, which is a re-mineralizing toothpaste.

00:24:50.732 --> 00:24:54.212
Michelle Fern: Why did you create it and what makes it different?

00:24:54.232 --> 00:24:56.012
Michelle Fern: Also that it's anti-cavity.

00:24:56.492 --> 00:24:58.132
Michelle Fern: Who knew dogs had cavities?

00:24:58.472 --> 00:24:59.632
Jonathan Willbanks: I am so glad you asked.

00:24:59.672 --> 00:25:00.872
Jonathan Willbanks: I love our toothpaste.

00:25:00.892 --> 00:25:01.632
Jonathan Willbanks: I'm very proud of it.

00:25:01.632 --> 00:25:05.792
Jonathan Willbanks: So a couple of things about canine dental health to just set the stage here.

00:25:05.932 --> 00:25:13.052
Jonathan Willbanks: So first, as a general rule, dogs are more prone to periodontal disease, gum disease, than tooth decay.

00:25:13.172 --> 00:25:18.852
Jonathan Willbanks: But tooth decay is an important part of the equation, and especially so for a number of really popular breeds.

00:25:18.852 --> 00:25:42.032
Jonathan Willbanks: So virtually all of the brachycephalic breeds, pugs, French bulldogs, English bulldogs, boxers, a lot of the smaller breeds like Chihuahuas, any dog with a smaller mouth like a Greyhound, I think a few others on that list, dachshunds, poodles, Maltese, Chinese crested, Cavalier King Charles, and I'm probably forgetting a few others, are actually prone to tooth decay itself.

00:25:42.692 --> 00:25:51.552
Jonathan Willbanks: Now collectively about 70% of dogs have some form of dental disease, and dental disease is related to basically every other system in your body.

00:25:51.572 --> 00:25:56.632
Jonathan Willbanks: It can cause bacterial overgrowth and inflammation in organs like the heart and the brain.

00:25:57.392 --> 00:26:00.332
Jonathan Willbanks: So we should not think of the mouth as an isolated system.

00:26:00.672 --> 00:26:05.392
Jonathan Willbanks: But zooming in on this, yes, dogs absolutely can get cavities.

00:26:05.672 --> 00:26:12.372
Jonathan Willbanks: And unfortunately, the veterinary field doesn't have a great set of clinical options to manage this.

00:26:12.832 --> 00:26:23.592
Jonathan Willbanks: Because by the time a vet can visually identify a cavity in your dog's tooth, the unfortunate reality is that your dog has probably been in pain for at least a year or two.

00:26:23.612 --> 00:26:27.032
Jonathan Willbanks: And if you've ever had a toothache, you know how unpleasant that can be.

00:26:27.512 --> 00:26:29.592
Jonathan Willbanks: And then the clinical options are not good.

00:26:29.672 --> 00:26:34.672
Jonathan Willbanks: The only real option is to put your dog under under full general anesthesia and extract that tooth.

00:26:35.132 --> 00:26:43.632
Jonathan Willbanks: And so we set out to design a proactive solution that would give pet owners and vets a better option to stop tooth decay and tooth failure before it happens.

00:26:44.232 --> 00:27:00.772
Jonathan Willbanks: And so the way the tooth works, and this is actually true not just of dogs, but of all mammals, is that the outer layer of our teeth called dentin is under assault all the time from acids, from starches, and notably from the bacteria that feed on starches and sugars.

00:27:01.412 --> 00:27:06.852
Jonathan Willbanks: The more carb-heavy of a diet you give your dog, the more prevalent of a problem this is likely to be.

00:27:07.252 --> 00:27:13.872
Jonathan Willbanks: But that dentin layer is under assault all the time and is basically getting microcavities, tiny holes that are getting eaten in that outer layer.

00:27:13.892 --> 00:27:22.012
Jonathan Willbanks: And the body in that dentin layer has a built-in mechanism to be able to repair itself and basically remineralize and heal that tooth.

00:27:22.552 --> 00:27:33.232
Jonathan Willbanks: And in humans, in dogs, this process is working, you know, in the background most of the time, but it requires resources and nutritional support from other parts of the body, and it also has limits to how well it can work.

00:27:33.852 --> 00:27:48.152
Jonathan Willbanks: In human toothpaste, we, especially in the Western world, we use sodium fluoride as a remineralizing agent, as a grafting agent, to basically help fill in that hole in the dentin and act as a graft for the dentin to heal and repair itself.

00:27:48.772 --> 00:27:59.972
Jonathan Willbanks: But unfortunately, you cannot give sodium fluoride to dogs because it's toxic when you swallow it, and it's bioaccumulative, and you can't very well ask your dog not to swallow their peanut butter or chicken flavored toothpaste.

00:28:00.512 --> 00:28:09.452
Jonathan Willbanks: And so all dog toothpaste on the market to date are effectively, and this is maybe uncharitable, but I think also accurate, are effectively just soap for your dog's teeth.

00:28:09.792 --> 00:28:12.672
Jonathan Willbanks: But they don't do anything to actually support that remineralization.

00:28:13.332 --> 00:28:19.592
Jonathan Willbanks: We are the first dog toothpaste to use a fluoride alternative called nanohydroxyapatite that actually has a really cool background.

00:28:19.592 --> 00:28:37.892
Jonathan Willbanks: It was discovered by NASA in the 1970s when they were researching solutions for the loss of bone mineral density in extended zero-gravity environments, and they developed this nanoform of a mineral called hydroxyapatite, which is actually the most prevalent and common mineral in bones and teeth in basically all mammals.

00:28:38.352 --> 00:28:41.592
Jonathan Willbanks: They developed this nanoform of it but didn't have a direct use for it.

00:28:41.612 --> 00:29:00.592
Jonathan Willbanks: They didn't really know what to do with it, so they sold it to a Japanese biotech firm that ran with it and started using it in human dental care, first in oral surgery products and then in toothpaste in Japan, where it became a very popular or has become a very popular standard of care and a much more common alternative to fluoride in the Japanese market.

00:29:01.092 --> 00:29:14.872
Jonathan Willbanks: And nanohydroxyapatite has the benefit of actually working better than fluoride for helping remineralize teeth and reversing early stage tooth decay than fluoride with the benefit of being completely biocompatible, dog safe and non-toxic.

00:29:15.132 --> 00:29:19.352
Jonathan Willbanks: So our toothpaste is the first to contain that active remineralizing component.

00:29:19.712 --> 00:29:30.012
Jonathan Willbanks: In addition to the natural botanicals, astringents that help clean the teeth, clean the gums and reduce overall oral bacteria to freshen breath and improve dental health.

00:29:30.272 --> 00:29:30.652
Michelle Fern: Wow.

00:29:31.152 --> 00:29:37.332
Michelle Fern: Okay, we're almost out of time, but real quick, do you use it just like you use other doggy toothpaste?

00:29:37.752 --> 00:29:38.212
Jonathan Willbanks: You do.

00:29:38.212 --> 00:29:41.352
Jonathan Willbanks: So we recommend, I mean, I think that people can kind of overcomplicate this.

00:29:41.372 --> 00:29:42.892
Jonathan Willbanks: A regular toothbrush is fine.

00:29:42.912 --> 00:29:44.872
Jonathan Willbanks: If you have a small dog, they have tiny toothbrushes.

00:29:44.892 --> 00:29:46.612
Jonathan Willbanks: They also have finger toothbrushes you can use.

00:29:46.972 --> 00:29:52.952
Jonathan Willbanks: And if your dog absolutely hates having their teeth brushed with a brush, it's a delicious peanut butter flavor.

00:29:53.232 --> 00:29:59.712
Jonathan Willbanks: Just getting some on your finger and applying it topically to their tooth is going to confer that remineralizing benefit.

00:29:59.732 --> 00:30:08.432
Jonathan Willbanks: So we absolutely recommend a gentle brushing, but barring that, just get the paste on there and let it sit for a minute or two, and it's going to be able to do some of its magic.

00:30:08.672 --> 00:30:09.632
Michelle Fern: Okay, wonderful.

00:30:09.992 --> 00:30:14.732
Michelle Fern: Jonathan, this has been incredible and you have created an incredible product.

00:30:14.752 --> 00:30:16.072
Michelle Fern: I wish you well with it.

00:30:16.952 --> 00:30:18.812
Michelle Fern: Where can people buy Arterra?

00:30:19.172 --> 00:30:24.512
Jonathan Willbanks: So today, the best place to buy Arterra is directly from our website at arterrapet.com.

00:30:24.532 --> 00:30:28.932
Jonathan Willbanks: That's arterrapet.com.

00:30:28.972 --> 00:30:38.912
Jonathan Willbanks: Our toothpaste is also available on Amazon, and we will be expanding distribution over the coming year of our supplements to the Amazon channel and eventually to brick and mortar retail, we hope, by the end of the year.

00:30:38.932 --> 00:30:55.612
Jonathan Willbanks: But arterrapet.com is the place to be, and your listeners are able, if they visit our website, to receive 30% off their first month's subscription so that they can try us out and we pair that with our 30-day results, you can see guaranteed, to make it a risk-free proposition for owners looking to upgrade their dog's health.

00:30:55.992 --> 00:31:05.932
Michelle Fern: Well, thank you so much, and I want to thank you very much for coming on Best Bets for Pets and sharing all of your story behind Arterra and the great benefits of your product.

00:31:05.952 --> 00:31:06.992
Michelle Fern: So thank you so much.

00:31:07.412 --> 00:31:09.072
Jonathan Willbanks: So thank you so much for having me on, Michelle.

00:31:09.092 --> 00:31:09.772
Jonathan Willbanks: I really appreciate it.

00:31:10.412 --> 00:31:12.112
Michelle Fern: I hope you all enjoyed this show.

00:31:12.292 --> 00:31:12.792
Michelle Fern: Wow.

00:31:13.112 --> 00:31:17.372
Michelle Fern: Can you imagine extending the life of your dog 50%?

00:31:17.632 --> 00:31:18.072
Michelle Fern: Wow.

00:31:18.252 --> 00:31:18.912
Michelle Fern: Amazing.

00:31:19.372 --> 00:31:26.612
Michelle Fern: I want to thank my guest today, Jonathan Willbanks from Arterra, for coming on Best Bets for Pets and telling us all about Arterra.

00:31:26.952 --> 00:31:30.792
Michelle Fern: I want to thank Tilly, who tested out Arterra.

00:31:30.992 --> 00:31:34.112
Michelle Fern: She's actually an adult dog, and she loves Arterra.

00:31:34.892 --> 00:31:36.132
Michelle Fern: She is doing well.

00:31:36.692 --> 00:31:40.692
Michelle Fern: And I've noticed that she seems like she has more pep in her step, you know.

00:31:41.032 --> 00:31:43.692
Michelle Fern: So I'm so happy we were able to try it.

00:31:44.272 --> 00:31:48.652
Michelle Fern: And thanks to my cat crew that simply watched Tilly gallivanting.

00:31:49.032 --> 00:31:52.872
Michelle Fern: That's thanks to Molly and Charlotte and Dennis.

00:31:53.352 --> 00:32:00.312
Michelle Fern: And of course, thank you so much to all my listeners for listening to Best Bets for Pets for 14 years.

00:32:00.352 --> 00:32:01.672
Michelle Fern: I so appreciate it.

00:32:02.152 --> 00:32:09.552
Michelle Fern: And of course, this show would not be worth hearing were it not for the magic of my producer, Mark Winter.

00:32:09.572 --> 00:32:11.192
Michelle Fern: So thank you so much, Mark.

00:32:11.612 --> 00:32:16.172
Michelle Fern: And remember, you never know what we're going to have next on Best Bets for Pets.

00:32:17.052 --> 00:32:22.552
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