Best Bets For Pets

Listen to Episode #332 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: Hello, pet lovers, 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: I'm so excited about today's show.

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Michelle Fern: We have Dr.

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Michelle Fern: Kwane Stewart.

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Michelle Fern: He is the Chief Veterinary Officer for an amazingly nutritious and fresh food that is created by two of the most amazing people in show business who love dogs.

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Michelle Fern: I mean, they have four.

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Michelle Fern: So stay tuned, this is gonna be a fun show.

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Michelle Fern: We'll be right back.

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Michelle Fern: Hey, Michelle Fern here and you know, saving cats is near and dear to my heart.

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Michelle Fern: Did you know that there is an estimated 70 to 100 million free roaming cats in the United States?

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Michelle Fern: And without spay neuter, that number will keep growing.

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Michelle Fern: Not only does spay neuter mainly reduce the community cat population, but it also keeps cats healthier.

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Michelle Fern: Scooter, the neutered cat is on a mission to give cats an extra life by making it hip to be sniffed.

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Michelle Fern: Visit his website, givenimten.org, to help pioneer a better world for cats.

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Michelle Fern: That's GiveNimTen, spelled out T-E-N, dot org.

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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 Dr.

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Michelle Fern: Kwane Stewart.

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Michelle Fern: He is the Kismet Chief Veterinary Officer.

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Michelle Fern: Welcome, Dr.

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Michelle Fern: Kwane.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: Hello, thank you for having me.

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Michelle Fern: I'm so excited to have you.

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Michelle Fern: So before we talk about Kismet, can you tell us a little about yourself?

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: Oh, geez, where to start?

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: I'll give you the short version.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: I've been a veterinarian now for 27 years.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: It is Zoomed by, and I've worked in so many different areas of the profession.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: Starting out when I was just a youngster, I was an associate vet and I did emergency work for about five years.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: I was a county veterinarian, which is just a glorified title for shelter vets in Northern California.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: Then on to nonprofits and running my own practice for a while.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: And my biggest passion, though, I have to say over the last 13 years, is a charity I formed called Project Street Vet.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: And the mission is very simple.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: Myself and my volunteer veterinarians, we go out in the streets, we walk the streets, we find unhoused folks with pets, and we deliver free veterinary care.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: And that has really become my life passion.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: I was so honored to be recognized by CNN as their Hero of the Year in December of last year, and that has kicked off a very fun and crazy life for me.

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Michelle Fern: Wow, I have goosebumps.

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Michelle Fern: So it almost sounds like Doctors Without Borders, but for pets.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: Pretty much, yeah.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: I created the concept just sort of serendipitously after meeting a homeless man outside of 7-Eleven.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: And it was funny enough, it came at a low point in my career.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: He probably saved me as well, because I was a shelter vet.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: We were dealing with a very high euthanasia rate.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: It was during the recession.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: And I was considering walking away from the profession altogether.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: Not just quitting the shelter, but I considered just stepping away from being a vet.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: And I encountered this man outside of 7-Eleven.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: He had a dog.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: And sadly, I'd seen this man before, but just walked by him.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: But on this day, I stopped and stepped over and saw his dog had a skin issue.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: And I just asked him, I said, I'm a veterinarian, my name is Kwane, and it looks like your dog has what looked to be just chronic fleas.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: And if dogs have fleas long enough and bad enough, they can destroy the skin.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: And the poor man was exasperated.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: He said, yes, I don't know for how long she's been suffering, itching, I'm suffering.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: She doesn't seem very happy.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: And I said, if you're here tomorrow, I'll return with something that I think will work.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: I did, as promised.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: And it was just $3 out of my pocket and maybe five minutes of my time.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: I treated the dog and then I saw the same dog about 12 days later and she was transformed.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: Her skin before was red and bumpy and infected on her rear end.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: And when I saw her this time around, the hair was growing back, the infection was gone.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: She was wagging her tail.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: She jumped up and gave me a big kiss.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: And the man sitting in the same spot looking up at me with tears in his eyes just said, thank you for not ignoring me.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: And that was the kickoff moment for the street vet.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: That was 13 years ago.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: And I made a pledge to him that I was going to keep walking the streets and find more people like him.

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Michelle Fern: Okay, I'm going to try to get it together and go on.

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Michelle Fern: That is some story.

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Michelle Fern: That is one of the most incredible things I've heard in all these shows.

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Michelle Fern: I mean, that's amazing.

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Michelle Fern: And for people that are in situations that are homeless and have a pet, the pet could be their everything.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: The pet is their world.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: And that's what I learned.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: I was talking about the charity.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: I knew what I was doing.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: I really didn't know what I was doing.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: I just said, I'm going to go out and walk the streets and find more folks like you.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: And it's been a journey for me too.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: I dispelled a lot of the pre-judgements that I had.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: I think that a lot of us carry about the unhoused that maybe shouldn't own a pet because they're not in a position to care for a pet.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: I found that is largely untrue.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: They do a remarkable job at looking after their pets.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: They're short on resources, yes, but never short on love and companionship.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: I go to work every day for eight, 10 hours.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: I'm away from the house and my dogs just pine for me.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: They're either peeling back the curtains when his dad coming home.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: They have this reaction when they hear the garage door opening.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: She just wants to be with me.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: I think Cora could care less if I had a big home and a nice car.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: She just wants to be with me.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: That is the one area that these people have me.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: They're even better pet parents in that regard than I am.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: They're with each other all the time and there is this bond, this unbreakable bond that you witness between them, that I just don't see very often.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: It's one of the reasons I just love going out and meeting new people and doing this.

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Michelle Fern: Well, it's no surprise why.

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Michelle Fern: Well, we'll find out why or how, but how did you become involved with Kismet?

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: Yeah.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: This was also serendipitous and it was great.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: John and Chrissy reached out after hearing about the CNN award and the accolades, and explained they were in the process of starting a dog food business.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: And they wanted me to consider coming on as their chief vet and being a part of the brand and the growth.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: And after we met for lunch and start talking about our dogs, and I realized that their dogs are their family.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: And if that's the case, then you're my people.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: And then about the vision of the company and how it could help and promote my street work as well.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: It was an easy match.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: And I knew right away this was a fit for me.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: Again, I've been a vet for 27 years.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: I've never endorsed or worked with a dog food company in all this time.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: And when they came along, I just knew it was a fit.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: I knew it was right.

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Michelle Fern: I could tell after just hearing your story a few minutes, and when you had mentioned how they found out about you, I thought, oh yeah, they made the right choice.

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Michelle Fern: So now we'll talk.

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Michelle Fern: We haven't even talked about Kismet yet.

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Michelle Fern: So Kismet, and you said Chrissy and John.

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Michelle Fern: So for those that, for everyone, that's not as familiar, because Kismet is fairly new.

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Michelle Fern: It's Chrissy Teigen and John Legend.

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Michelle Fern: They have, what, four dogs, three kids?

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: Four kids.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: Four dogs, two cats.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: I think I'm getting that right.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: There's a lot going on in the house, and I've been there.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: There's a lot going on.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: It's a happy household, but it's busy.

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Michelle Fern: And, you know, I don't know them, but they always come across as very personable and down to earth.

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Michelle Fern: So you know them.

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Michelle Fern: So, you know, we're not up here to talk so much about their personalities and all that, but they just seem, I mean, if you have four dogs and four kids and two cats, you have to be good people, right?

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: I think just, yeah.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: I mean, as I said, people who love pets, I mean, sincerely love them and incorporate them into their family, just like their children.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: I just, in my experience, yeah, you have a good soul.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: And yeah, at their core, they just, they're very good people.

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Michelle Fern: They give off that vibe is what I was trying to get out there.

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Michelle Fern: So let's talk about Kismet, because there's a lot of foods out there on the market.

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Michelle Fern: And you said you never endorsed a dog food product before.

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Michelle Fern: What is special about Kismet?

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: I believe, and I can give reasons why, but I believe it is the best food on the market.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: And I'm comparing that to fresh food too.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: I know that sort of the new rage is fresh human grade food, but I would stack our food against that every day.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: And you don't have to necessarily take my word for it.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: I'm not a veterinary nutritionist.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: I'm a veterinarian.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: We have nutritionists in my field who go to school for a few more years and do this for a living, who help formulate our food.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: And working with us, of course, on the recipe and the formulation.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: But yeah, it is some of the best ingredients you can put into a food.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: It starts with real animal protein, in this case, chicken and salmon.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: Those are our two different formulations.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: And then it includes all the things that are necessary these days.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: And we have a lot of knowledge in the food world, things.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: I learned, yes, back in school in the 90s, but it's evolved so much in 20 years, along with human health, that is, by extension, dog health, when it comes to things like, and I love this topic here.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: I'm gonna touch briefly on just one important thing, gut health.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: Gut health, as we know, is critical for longer life and a healthy life.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: And it's because, and this is a little factoy of the day, Michelle, 70% of our immune system is locked up in our gut.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: So you think about our immune system, responsible for warding off infectious disease.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: Our immune system, responsible for identifying, destroying cancer cells before they gain traction.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: So much of that comes from maintaining a healthy gut.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: So when you think about nutrition and what you're putting in your body, it comes to the superfoods.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: Obviously, pre and probiotics get a lot of love these days.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: The prebiotics are just as important as the probiotics.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: The probiotics are the bugs, right?

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: The healthy bugs we want in our system.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: But the prebiotics feed the bugs.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: These are things like high quality fiber, like bee pulp, for example.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: So we've taken great care to include these very important ingredients in the food, as well as no preservatives, there's no corn or wheat, and it's highly digestible.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: We want a food that by analysis, and it's been tested, it's very digestible in the system.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: We're talking upwards 90 percent.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: Some of the other benchmarks are closer to 80 percent.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: And when you have a very digestible food, you're extracting all the nutrients, you're having those small, nice, compact stools that you want to see.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: And it'll cross the board, as I said, never endorsing a food before.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: I knew this food was hitting on all marks.

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Michelle Fern: So this food is freeze-dried?

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: No, this food is shelf-stable, dry kibble.

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Michelle Fern: Okay.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: Not to be confused with there is freeze-dried, that's formulated by a different method, sublimation.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: We do have some freeze-dried nuggets in the food, because they are compact with nutrients.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: But the food is a kibble.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: It's a traditional dry kibble that you see on most shelves in the pet store.

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Michelle Fern: My tester loved it, by the way.

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Michelle Fern: And my tester is used to getting, Tilly is used to having her meals hand-cooked.

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Michelle Fern: In my household, there's cats.

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Michelle Fern: So we'll talk about cat food maybe coming up in the next, maybe next year or something.

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Michelle Fern: Kismet might think about that.

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Michelle Fern: But my dog tester is Tilly and she, like I said, her human cooks food for her all the time.

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Michelle Fern: And I said, you have to try this.

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Michelle Fern: And she said, well, I only use this.

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Michelle Fern: I said, no, you have to try this.

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Michelle Fern: Her dog went crazy over it.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: Wow.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: Well, thank you for sharing that.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: And that's been largely the response we've got.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: I have my own testers in my backyard, Cora and Bentley, my dogs.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: Wenzel Golden and Cora is a rescue for my old shelter, the shelter I mentioned earlier.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: She's a Husky-German Shepherd mix.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: And they've been on Blue Buffalo for the past three years.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: And I did my own little three-day taste test transition period.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: I laid down Blue Buffalo on one side and then Kismet in a bowl next to it.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: Every time without hesitation, went to the Kismet bowl and ate it.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: So I know the taste is there, but when you talk about the nutrients, the ingredients, the profile, we knew that was top-notch as well.

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Dr. Kwane Stewart: But my dogs, yeah, my dogs were crazy for it.

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Michelle Fern: So we know the taste is there, but what do you say to those that say, well, it's kibble, kibble, we have to have raw food and it has to be fresh.

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Michelle Fern: Kibble is, are those naysayers that say that?

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Michelle Fern: I don't agree.

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Michelle Fern: I mean, my cats get wet and dry.

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Michelle Fern: That's how I've always been.

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Michelle Fern: My dog's the same.

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Michelle Fern: That's just how I roll.

00:13:07.897 --> 00:13:08.857
Dr. Kwane Stewart: And I don't agree either.

00:13:08.857 --> 00:13:16.877
Dr. Kwane Stewart: I've never fed, you know, obviously a dog under my whole life, but as a vet for 27 years of dogs I've had, they've owned me probably, I should say.

00:13:16.877 --> 00:13:18.297
Dr. Kwane Stewart: Never fed fresh.

00:13:18.297 --> 00:13:26.777
Dr. Kwane Stewart: Again, it's getting a lot of attention now because that is what you shared, I think is our argument that, you know, they have to eat this way and they should be eating fresh.

00:13:26.777 --> 00:13:28.637
Dr. Kwane Stewart: Here's the challenge with that.

00:13:28.637 --> 00:13:42.677
Dr. Kwane Stewart: Since fresh has become a much bigger thing, we've seen, I can speak from personal experience, an uptick in emergency cases and cases in my hospital, experiencing vomiting and diarrhea from food borne illness.

00:13:42.677 --> 00:13:50.757
Dr. Kwane Stewart: And it's because if it's not shipped properly, if it's not stored properly, if you place the fresh food in their bowl and they don't eat it all and it sits for a few hours, it's going to grow bacteria.

00:13:50.757 --> 00:13:52.077
Dr. Kwane Stewart: They're ingesting that.

00:13:52.077 --> 00:13:55.557
Dr. Kwane Stewart: So the risk for food borne illness just goes up dramatically.

00:13:55.557 --> 00:14:04.497
Dr. Kwane Stewart: Myself and some of my colleagues I've talked to have just seen a lot more intestinal ailments and challenges coming from people who feed fresh.

00:14:04.497 --> 00:14:05.837
Dr. Kwane Stewart: So that's one.

00:14:05.837 --> 00:14:09.837
Dr. Kwane Stewart: The other, it's pretty much for a lot of people cost prohibitive.

00:14:09.837 --> 00:14:10.137
Dr. Kwane Stewart: It is.

00:14:10.137 --> 00:14:11.377
Dr. Kwane Stewart: It gets expensive.

00:14:11.377 --> 00:14:16.897
Dr. Kwane Stewart: I've known people that have tried it for three to six months, get to a point where they just can't afford to do it anymore.

00:14:16.897 --> 00:14:26.517
Dr. Kwane Stewart: And then again, the challenge of storing it, if you're traveling with your pet, if you're on the move, I can pack up kibble any day and take it, but how do you travel with their fresh food?

00:14:26.517 --> 00:14:33.497
Dr. Kwane Stewart: If you're not going to travel with the fresh food, you're going to take kibble, then you're dealing with the transition period because they've been used to eating the fresh and now suddenly eating the kibble.

00:14:33.497 --> 00:14:36.537
Dr. Kwane Stewart: So you run into barriers there.

00:14:37.057 --> 00:14:41.497
Dr. Kwane Stewart: Those, in my opinion, make kibble as an option superior.

00:14:41.497 --> 00:14:47.977
Dr. Kwane Stewart: And then the other thing, again, you just think about what I do, where my passion is these days, it's serving the people in the streets.

00:14:47.977 --> 00:14:49.457
Dr. Kwane Stewart: These are in-house people.

00:14:49.457 --> 00:14:52.017
Dr. Kwane Stewart: They don't have the wherewithal or the money to buy fresh.

00:14:52.017 --> 00:15:01.457
Dr. Kwane Stewart: I'm an advocate for them and their dogs and providing them dry kibble they can carry with them that is highly nutritious is the best option.

00:15:01.457 --> 00:15:11.797
Michelle Fern: Well, speaking of, and then right before we go to break, speaking of when you said cost prohibitive, I did some research and there's a popular one, and I'm not going to mention names, but I was shocked.

00:15:11.797 --> 00:15:14.357
Michelle Fern: It was like three, 400 a month.

00:15:14.357 --> 00:15:15.697
Dr. Kwane Stewart: I don't know if I can afford that.

00:15:15.697 --> 00:15:16.577
Dr. Kwane Stewart: It's expensive.

00:15:16.577 --> 00:15:17.017
Dr. Kwane Stewart: It is.

00:15:17.017 --> 00:15:24.977
Dr. Kwane Stewart: And again, I think, you know, this somewhat economic challenging times to do that month in month out, I think it becomes a strain for a lot of people.

00:15:24.977 --> 00:15:29.777
Michelle Fern: Yeah, unless you're multi-millionaire or millionaire, then okay.

00:15:29.777 --> 00:15:30.717
Michelle Fern: We're going to take a break.

00:15:30.717 --> 00:15:31.557
Michelle Fern: We'll be right back.

00:15:34.377 --> 00:15:37.657
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00:16:27.717 --> 00:16:30.297
Michelle Fern: Welcome back, everyone, for talking to Dr.

00:16:30.297 --> 00:16:31.917
Michelle Fern: Kwane about Kismet.

00:16:32.591 --> 00:16:39.071
Michelle Fern: So, what made Chrissy Teigen and John Legend decide that they need to create Kismet?

00:16:39.071 --> 00:16:47.051
Michelle Fern: We talked about early in the first half how great Kismet is, but why did they decide they needed to create a food that was just amazing?

00:16:47.051 --> 00:16:52.491
Dr. Kwane Stewart: You know, in talking with them, I remember that first conversation I had during lunch, that was a question I asked as well.

00:16:52.491 --> 00:16:55.911
Dr. Kwane Stewart: And they immediately just started sharing stories about their dogs.

00:16:55.911 --> 00:17:07.591
Dr. Kwane Stewart: They didn't give a direct answer, they just started talking about PD and Penny, and how dogs have been a part of their relationship and in their lives for as long as they can remember.

00:17:07.591 --> 00:17:15.011
Dr. Kwane Stewart: Their dogs or their pets are part of their family, and they just wanted to find a way to get involved, right?

00:17:15.131 --> 00:17:21.611
Dr. Kwane Stewart: To be a part of this very, you know, it's a profession, it's an industry that is so far reaching.

00:17:21.611 --> 00:17:24.791
Dr. Kwane Stewart: I think it's a thread that connects so many of us just as Americans.

00:17:24.971 --> 00:17:32.851
Dr. Kwane Stewart: When you think about 75% of households have a pet, we're a pet living nation, they're a pet living family, and I think they just want to get into the category.

00:17:32.851 --> 00:17:43.651
Dr. Kwane Stewart: What I also found interesting is that obviously as big celebrities, they have separate businesses and they're into a lot of things, but they've never done anything as a joint venture together.

00:17:43.651 --> 00:17:45.611
Dr. Kwane Stewart: And Kismet has become that.

00:17:45.611 --> 00:17:51.171
Dr. Kwane Stewart: It has become a joint venture, business venture between the two of them, something they're passionate about and they love.

00:17:51.571 --> 00:17:52.491
Michelle Fern: Well, that's great.

00:17:52.491 --> 00:17:55.631
Michelle Fern: And I know Chrissy does a lot of cooking.

00:17:55.631 --> 00:17:56.811
Dr. Kwane Stewart: Yeah, she's big foodie.

00:17:56.811 --> 00:17:57.371
Dr. Kwane Stewart: Yeah, so-

00:17:57.371 --> 00:17:59.231
Michelle Fern: Big foodie, that's a good way to put it.

00:17:59.231 --> 00:18:02.771
Dr. Kwane Stewart: Yeah, going into dog food was kind of just an extension of that, which was cool.

00:18:02.771 --> 00:18:04.011
Dr. Kwane Stewart: And she's so knowledgeable, it's funny.

00:18:04.011 --> 00:18:12.451
Dr. Kwane Stewart: When you start talking ingredients and food and, you know, some of the topics I hit on like probiotics and digestibility, it's like, it's part of her world too.

00:18:12.451 --> 00:18:15.291
Dr. Kwane Stewart: So she's very well-versed.

00:18:15.291 --> 00:18:24.431
Michelle Fern: So let's talk about, and you touched on this a little bit more, but there might be a little bit more to this, but how important is what a dog eats?

00:18:24.431 --> 00:18:26.491
Michelle Fern: How important is it to their overall health?

00:18:26.491 --> 00:18:36.811
Michelle Fern: We talked about gut health in the first half and that, I've never heard so much about prebiotics, probiotics for people, for fur babes than ever.

00:18:36.811 --> 00:18:40.811
Michelle Fern: I mean, over the last, say, year, it's like the buzzword.

00:18:40.811 --> 00:18:44.611
Michelle Fern: I mean, for humans, it's just, it's crazy.

00:18:44.611 --> 00:18:47.211
Michelle Fern: But what about for overall health?

00:18:47.211 --> 00:18:53.971
Michelle Fern: Because we're doing things now for ourselves, but for our fur babes that five years ago, somebody would have said, what are you?

00:18:53.971 --> 00:18:54.771
Michelle Fern: What?

00:18:54.771 --> 00:18:55.411
Michelle Fern: You know?

00:18:55.411 --> 00:18:55.751
Dr. Kwane Stewart: Yeah.

00:18:55.751 --> 00:18:59.331
Dr. Kwane Stewart: I mean, we are long past the days of old Roy.

00:18:59.331 --> 00:19:02.691
Dr. Kwane Stewart: And we were in this, it just evolved so much.

00:19:02.691 --> 00:19:05.591
Dr. Kwane Stewart: Pet food has evolved so much over the years.

00:19:06.191 --> 00:19:07.431
Dr. Kwane Stewart: And that was a vision for Kismet.

00:19:07.431 --> 00:19:17.891
Dr. Kwane Stewart: We also, just to touch on this part real quick, because this also pulled me in, is you think about pet parenting and how it's changed over the past 20 years.

00:19:17.951 --> 00:19:20.991
Dr. Kwane Stewart: And I've been a part of this movement, obviously, as a vet.

00:19:20.991 --> 00:19:23.911
Dr. Kwane Stewart: The pet parents these days are so savvy and educated.

00:19:25.391 --> 00:19:27.051
Dr. Kwane Stewart: They have fun, they're silly with their pets.

00:19:27.051 --> 00:19:31.311
Dr. Kwane Stewart: Social media, obviously, has been a big part of this, sharing stories, being so expressive.

00:19:31.511 --> 00:19:34.871
Dr. Kwane Stewart: And we wanted to create a food company that was also fun.

00:19:34.871 --> 00:19:44.951
Dr. Kwane Stewart: So in addition to having the best product we could potentially make, we just wanted to have fun with it and merge and tell stories and share this on our side as well.

00:19:44.951 --> 00:19:46.171
Dr. Kwane Stewart: But of course, the driver is the food.

00:19:46.431 --> 00:19:53.551
Dr. Kwane Stewart: And to answer your question, I've taken, as a side note, I've taken a funny interest in longevity.

00:19:53.731 --> 00:19:55.871
Dr. Kwane Stewart: I follow this doctor, his name is Dr.

00:19:55.871 --> 00:19:57.231
Dr. Kwane Stewart: Peter Attia.

00:19:57.231 --> 00:19:59.931
Dr. Kwane Stewart: He's known for his longevity knowledge.

00:19:59.931 --> 00:20:11.171
Dr. Kwane Stewart: The thing that he keeps coming back to, and I learned this back in school as well, but now we know, is what you're putting in your body is paramount, paramount to living longer, to longevity.

00:20:11.171 --> 00:20:11.611
Dr. Kwane Stewart: We know that.

00:20:11.611 --> 00:20:12.391
Dr. Kwane Stewart: We know exercise.

00:20:12.391 --> 00:20:14.451
Dr. Kwane Stewart: We've known these things for a long time.

00:20:14.951 --> 00:20:25.811
Dr. Kwane Stewart: But the exact ingredients that sometimes the timing of when you eat, how much you eat, caloric restriction, all these things, they play such a major role in our lifespan.

00:20:25.811 --> 00:20:31.171
Dr. Kwane Stewart: You talk about the buzzwords, it's superfoods, it's pre and probiotics, it's a type of protein.

00:20:31.171 --> 00:20:34.751
Dr. Kwane Stewart: These are all special considerations these days in diet.

00:20:34.751 --> 00:20:41.551
Dr. Kwane Stewart: Again, we took great care to make sure going down the entire list, all these things were included, the best of the best were included.

00:20:42.411 --> 00:20:48.331
Dr. Kwane Stewart: Because at the end of the day, it's really one mission, that is to get our dogs to live as long as we can.

00:20:48.331 --> 00:20:50.191
Dr. Kwane Stewart: And if they live 20 years, it still isn't long enough.

00:20:50.191 --> 00:20:58.971
Dr. Kwane Stewart: I get that when I've had some very sad moments, obviously, as a pet parent, but to get them to not only live longer, but to live better.

00:20:58.971 --> 00:21:12.351
Dr. Kwane Stewart: I mean, so that they're not struggling with chronic diseases those last two or three years, that, you know, really in the lifetime, they're still mobile and feeling good and active, and nutrition is such a big part of that.

00:21:12.351 --> 00:21:13.891
Michelle Fern: Well, thank you for that.

00:21:13.891 --> 00:21:16.851
Michelle Fern: I have to ask this because this has been the trend.

00:21:17.091 --> 00:21:21.211
Michelle Fern: I think it's been the trend for so long that it's almost out of trend.

00:21:21.211 --> 00:21:23.411
Michelle Fern: You hear a lot about plant food.

00:21:23.411 --> 00:21:30.671
Michelle Fern: And, you know, when it comes to our fur babes, well, for cats, it's no good at all because it's toxic if they, they're carnivores.

00:21:31.231 --> 00:21:34.691
Michelle Fern: But some people are into, you know, making their dog vegan.

00:21:34.691 --> 00:21:36.391
Michelle Fern: What's your opinion on that?

00:21:36.391 --> 00:21:37.991
Dr. Kwane Stewart: No, no.

00:21:37.991 --> 00:21:39.871
Michelle Fern: I like that answer.

00:21:39.871 --> 00:21:40.691
Michelle Fern: It comes up.

00:21:40.691 --> 00:21:43.751
Michelle Fern: I've gotten, I've received my share of emails on that.

00:21:43.751 --> 00:21:46.271
Michelle Fern: And, you know, people saying, do a show on this and this.

00:21:46.271 --> 00:21:50.351
Dr. Kwane Stewart: They don't thrive without proper amino acids, proper protein.

00:21:50.351 --> 00:21:56.331
Dr. Kwane Stewart: The protein profile in plants is not equal to that of animal protein.

00:21:56.331 --> 00:21:59.051
Dr. Kwane Stewart: And that's just a fact.

00:21:59.051 --> 00:21:59.951
Dr. Kwane Stewart: Cats can't survive.

00:22:00.011 --> 00:22:07.751
Dr. Kwane Stewart: If you point it out, if you try to put a cat on a vegan diet, the cat would die over the course of probably a few weeks to a month and a half or so.

00:22:07.751 --> 00:22:08.871
Dr. Kwane Stewart: They just, there are certain elements.

00:22:08.871 --> 00:22:10.511
Dr. Kwane Stewart: They need amino acids to survive.

00:22:10.511 --> 00:22:20.451
Dr. Kwane Stewart: And dogs, dogs, while they're not strict carnivores, like cats are still fairly close and they require animal protein again, to be healthy and thrive.

00:22:20.451 --> 00:22:23.271
Dr. Kwane Stewart: So I know, as you said, it's a little bit of a trend.

00:22:23.271 --> 00:22:27.711
Dr. Kwane Stewart: Grain free was a trend for a while because people were doing it and then we discover this just isn't healthy for them.

00:22:28.231 --> 00:22:30.731
Michelle Fern: Okay, had to ask that because that comes up.

00:22:30.731 --> 00:22:33.611
Michelle Fern: As you mentioned before, Kismet, it's different.

00:22:33.611 --> 00:22:36.111
Michelle Fern: Your package is colorful.

00:22:36.111 --> 00:22:42.071
Michelle Fern: There's a lot of interesting info and pictures and a lot of knowledge on the website.

00:22:42.071 --> 00:22:46.751
Michelle Fern: I know it's still in the early stages and there's going to be a lot more information.

00:22:46.751 --> 00:22:54.091
Michelle Fern: I found this interesting because on your website, it mentions a diverse community united by a shared love of dogs.

00:22:54.091 --> 00:22:55.151
Michelle Fern: What did they mean by that?

00:22:55.671 --> 00:23:03.991
Dr. Kwane Stewart: Well, I think it goes back to what I was saying is the community we're trying to form is, at its core, we're just dog lovers.

00:23:03.991 --> 00:23:22.091
Dr. Kwane Stewart: I mean, it sounds so simple and a little cheesy, cliche perhaps, but we're just trying to bring in people that love their dogs, want to share their experiences, and then I guess, oh, by the way, feed them a highly nutritious dog food so that they feel better and they live longer.

00:23:22.091 --> 00:23:30.911
Dr. Kwane Stewart: But we're trying to make, and again, this is what drew me in, we're trying to form a community of people who want to share stories and pictures.

00:23:30.911 --> 00:23:40.271
Dr. Kwane Stewart: And what I love about being a pet parent, just to share something a little private about me and my dogs, is I find myself talking to my dogs when no one else is around, right?

00:23:40.471 --> 00:23:45.231
Dr. Kwane Stewart: You're watching TV and Cora's sitting next to me, and I'll just start talking to her like she's one of my kids.

00:23:45.231 --> 00:23:46.891
Dr. Kwane Stewart: How would I do that?

00:23:46.951 --> 00:23:52.251
Dr. Kwane Stewart: We all do that, but it's sort of the silly nature of being a pet dad or a pet mom.

00:23:52.251 --> 00:23:53.811
Dr. Kwane Stewart: That is fun.

00:23:53.811 --> 00:24:00.511
Dr. Kwane Stewart: And we just wanted an element of that in the company, and as a driving force of what we're trying to do.

00:24:00.511 --> 00:24:03.171
Michelle Fern: What is in the Kismet line now?

00:24:03.171 --> 00:24:04.931
Michelle Fern: Because I know you're just starting.

00:24:04.931 --> 00:24:07.791
Dr. Kwane Stewart: We have chicken and barley, so that's a dog food.

00:24:07.791 --> 00:24:12.071
Dr. Kwane Stewart: These are kibble, dry food, chicken and barley, and then salmon and brown rice.

00:24:12.071 --> 00:24:13.791
Dr. Kwane Stewart: My Cora, I've tried them both.

00:24:14.231 --> 00:24:17.991
Dr. Kwane Stewart: My dog's Cora and Bentley prefer the salmon and brown rice.

00:24:17.991 --> 00:24:19.671
Dr. Kwane Stewart: But they're both very high quality.

00:24:19.671 --> 00:24:21.331
Dr. Kwane Stewart: And then we have treats.

00:24:21.331 --> 00:24:23.051
Dr. Kwane Stewart: We have salmon and beef treats.

00:24:23.051 --> 00:24:25.131
Dr. Kwane Stewart: They come in sticks and squares.

00:24:25.131 --> 00:24:27.291
Dr. Kwane Stewart: And those are my training treats.

00:24:27.291 --> 00:24:29.811
Dr. Kwane Stewart: Those are my reward treats for my dogs.

00:24:29.811 --> 00:24:33.111
Dr. Kwane Stewart: I talk about this funny concept called dessert for dogs.

00:24:33.111 --> 00:24:35.691
Dr. Kwane Stewart: Again, we try and humanize our pets so much.

00:24:35.691 --> 00:24:39.491
Dr. Kwane Stewart: And I love a little, we all have a little dessert, something sweet after dinner.

00:24:39.491 --> 00:24:41.631
Dr. Kwane Stewart: You know, for me, it's like a little piece of chocolate.

00:24:41.631 --> 00:24:49.851
Dr. Kwane Stewart: Of course we never give our dogs chocolate, but the beef squares and the beef sticks, I just break off a little piece before bedtime for the dogs.

00:24:49.851 --> 00:24:55.151
Dr. Kwane Stewart: And I don't know why it's so satisfying to me as well, but when I treat them, it's like, yeah, I feel good also.

00:24:55.151 --> 00:24:56.431
Dr. Kwane Stewart: And we all go to bed.

00:24:57.091 --> 00:24:58.711
Dr. Kwane Stewart: So those are the offerings now.

00:24:58.711 --> 00:25:00.431
Dr. Kwane Stewart: You mentioned cats.

00:25:00.431 --> 00:25:02.231
Dr. Kwane Stewart: So you have five cats.

00:25:02.231 --> 00:25:04.131
Michelle Fern: Well, I had five, now I have three.

00:25:04.131 --> 00:25:05.231
Dr. Kwane Stewart: Oh, you have, okay.

00:25:05.231 --> 00:25:06.011
Dr. Kwane Stewart: I'm sorry.

00:25:06.011 --> 00:25:06.771
Dr. Kwane Stewart: You have three.

00:25:06.771 --> 00:25:10.871
Dr. Kwane Stewart: So you are, I'm not gonna call you a crazy cat person, but you're a cat lover.

00:25:10.871 --> 00:25:11.751
Michelle Fern: Sort of, sort of.

00:25:11.951 --> 00:25:19.291
Michelle Fern: At one time, there was five cats and two dogs, but two of the cats were outside, were in Fort Lauderdale.

00:25:19.291 --> 00:25:24.491
Michelle Fern: They were outside because they were community cats, but they had a house, they had a heater.

00:25:24.491 --> 00:25:26.851
Michelle Fern: Yes, a heater for when it becomes a cold front.

00:25:26.851 --> 00:25:28.931
Michelle Fern: There was a cold front of 40 degrees.

00:25:28.931 --> 00:25:30.111
Michelle Fern: They had a water fountain.

00:25:30.111 --> 00:25:34.131
Michelle Fern: They had everything, but they were a pair, and one of them would not do good indoors.

00:25:34.131 --> 00:25:36.551
Michelle Fern: So there was a total of five.

00:25:36.551 --> 00:25:37.331
Dr. Kwane Stewart: I love that.

00:25:37.331 --> 00:25:41.171
Dr. Kwane Stewart: I mean, the modifications we make in our lives for pets, it's crazy.

00:25:41.791 --> 00:25:44.171
Dr. Kwane Stewart: We are talking about cat food in the future.

00:25:44.171 --> 00:25:45.811
Dr. Kwane Stewart: I mean, it only makes sense.

00:25:45.811 --> 00:25:49.931
Dr. Kwane Stewart: There are nearly as many cats in this country as dogs.

00:25:49.931 --> 00:25:50.571
Dr. Kwane Stewart: Actually, more.

00:25:50.571 --> 00:25:53.291
Dr. Kwane Stewart: There's more cats in our country than dogs.

00:25:53.291 --> 00:25:59.911
Dr. Kwane Stewart: So that is something we're going to turn an eye to, but we want to nail this down first and get this right, and then we're going to move on.

00:25:59.911 --> 00:26:06.471
Michelle Fern: Okay, because my cats are interested, and they're actually not too finicky, but they do like good food.

00:26:06.471 --> 00:26:08.091
Michelle Fern: So I'm interested.

00:26:08.091 --> 00:26:09.091
Michelle Fern: Let me know.

00:26:09.571 --> 00:26:10.991
Dr. Kwane Stewart: You'll be one of the first to know.

00:26:11.031 --> 00:26:15.191
Michelle Fern: What would be the best way to introduce Kismet to your dog?

00:26:15.191 --> 00:26:26.191
Dr. Kwane Stewart: Well, if you go to the website, we do have some just basic points on transitioning, because transitioning your dog from your old food to this one, you want to take care in doing that.

00:26:26.191 --> 00:26:27.691
Dr. Kwane Stewart: Some dogs are pretty resilient.

00:26:27.691 --> 00:26:40.531
Dr. Kwane Stewart: I mean, my dog, Cora, I could switch a dog from one day to the next, and you wouldn't notice a difference, but as a general rule, smaller dogs, smaller breeds, need to be transitioned a little bit slower than your larger breeds.

00:26:40.591 --> 00:26:44.951
Dr. Kwane Stewart: They seem to tolerate changes in food quite easily.

00:26:44.951 --> 00:26:48.971
Dr. Kwane Stewart: I mean, heck, my dogs eat the trash, and next day, they're still fine.

00:26:48.971 --> 00:26:50.731
Dr. Kwane Stewart: Small dogs, not so much.

00:26:50.731 --> 00:26:57.591
Dr. Kwane Stewart: There's a transition period where you're mixing the food over a period of a week or two to bring them fully over to the new food.

00:26:57.591 --> 00:27:01.431
Dr. Kwane Stewart: I do advise that, but we do have some pointers on how to do that.

00:27:01.431 --> 00:27:09.171
Dr. Kwane Stewart: I will say this real quick, John Legend and I hosted an event in Long Beach just this past week and it was remarkable.

00:27:09.311 --> 00:27:11.451
Dr. Kwane Stewart: John got to see what I do first hand.

00:27:11.451 --> 00:27:12.311
Dr. Kwane Stewart: He was actually a part of it.

00:27:12.311 --> 00:27:14.891
Dr. Kwane Stewart: I had him drawing up vaccines.

00:27:14.891 --> 00:27:25.951
Dr. Kwane Stewart: We also launched a free dog food pantry for that area, for the unhoused residents of that area to make sure their pets are getting the best nutrition as well.

00:27:27.131 --> 00:27:29.191
Dr. Kwane Stewart: I can't tell you how much that meant to me.

00:27:29.191 --> 00:27:35.531
Dr. Kwane Stewart: I knew when I first sat down and had lunch with them, we were going to explore this, but it's already happened and we're going to expand from there.

00:27:35.611 --> 00:27:36.511
Dr. Kwane Stewart: It feels really good.

00:27:37.051 --> 00:27:44.951
Dr. Kwane Stewart: Really, I say this now, anytime you're feeding your pets Kismet, you're also going to be feeding a pet on the streets and supporting my street vet mission.

00:27:44.951 --> 00:27:47.071
Dr. Kwane Stewart: So thank you in advance.

00:27:47.071 --> 00:27:50.291
Dr. Kwane Stewart: Thank you for those that are already doing that, but it does mean a lot to me.

00:27:50.291 --> 00:28:01.771
Michelle Fern: Well, thank you for doing this because I've had a lot of people on the show since 2010, and a lot of places will donate to shelters and so forth, but I've never heard of this.

00:28:01.791 --> 00:28:13.111
Michelle Fern: I've never heard of any one that said, we're going to the people that aren't housed and we're making sure their pets are okay, we're bringing them food, we're doing some veterinary medicine.

00:28:13.111 --> 00:28:14.411
Michelle Fern: That's new.

00:28:14.411 --> 00:28:15.171
Dr. Kwane Stewart: It's special.

00:28:15.171 --> 00:28:15.831
Dr. Kwane Stewart: Yeah, thank you.

00:28:15.831 --> 00:28:16.671
Michelle Fern: Very special.

00:28:16.671 --> 00:28:17.511
Michelle Fern: Very special.

00:28:17.511 --> 00:28:19.231
Michelle Fern: Thank you for doing that.

00:28:19.231 --> 00:28:21.111
Michelle Fern: Now, where can people buy Kismet?

00:28:21.111 --> 00:28:21.771
Dr. Kwane Stewart: It's online.

00:28:21.771 --> 00:28:32.631
Dr. Kwane Stewart: So you go to kismetpets.com, you order direct, and a lot of folks are just getting the subscription to make it easy, and it comes in a timely manner on a schedule, and the food is always there.

00:28:32.951 --> 00:28:39.771
Dr. Kwane Stewart: So, eventually, we'll probably go retail, but right now, the easiest way, the quickest way is to go online and order it up.

00:28:39.771 --> 00:28:42.851
Michelle Fern: Well, I want to thank you so much for coming on Best Bets for Pets.

00:28:42.851 --> 00:28:49.671
Michelle Fern: I wish you so much luck with the brand and with all you're doing to help the unhoused and their pets.

00:28:49.671 --> 00:28:51.091
Michelle Fern: So, you're amazing, Dr.

00:28:51.091 --> 00:28:51.391
Michelle Fern: Kwane.

00:28:51.391 --> 00:28:52.731
Michelle Fern: Thank you so much.

00:28:52.731 --> 00:28:53.531
Dr. Kwane Stewart: Thank you, Michelle.

00:28:53.531 --> 00:28:54.151
Dr. Kwane Stewart: Thank you for having me.

00:28:54.151 --> 00:28:55.071
Dr. Kwane Stewart: This is great.

00:28:55.071 --> 00:28:56.631
Michelle Fern: I hope you all enjoyed the show.

00:28:56.631 --> 00:28:58.391
Michelle Fern: It was so wonderful having Dr.

00:28:58.391 --> 00:28:58.871
Michelle Fern: Kwane on.

00:28:58.871 --> 00:29:01.831
Michelle Fern: Be sure to check out Kismet online.

00:29:02.071 --> 00:29:03.851
Michelle Fern: They have great food.

00:29:03.851 --> 00:29:05.711
Michelle Fern: My tester went crazy for it.

00:29:05.711 --> 00:29:09.371
Michelle Fern: So, thank you, Tilly, for trying out Kismet and the treats.

00:29:09.371 --> 00:29:11.051
Michelle Fern: Believe me, it was not difficult.

00:29:11.051 --> 00:29:12.131
Michelle Fern: She went nuts for it.

00:29:12.131 --> 00:29:13.091
Michelle Fern: She loved it.

00:29:13.091 --> 00:29:17.891
Michelle Fern: And thank you to my cat, Fru, for watching Tilly enjoy her Kismet.

00:29:17.891 --> 00:29:19.851
Michelle Fern: You'll have cat Kismet soon.

00:29:19.851 --> 00:29:22.831
Michelle Fern: Thanks, Molly, Charlotte and Dennis.

00:29:22.831 --> 00:29:27.591
Michelle Fern: And of course, thanks to everyone for listening to Best Bets for Pets for all these years.

00:29:27.591 --> 00:29:29.131
Michelle Fern: I hope you enjoyed today's show.

00:29:29.491 --> 00:29:30.651
Michelle Fern: I really did.

00:29:30.651 --> 00:29:38.931
Michelle Fern: And it's so nice to hear when people are creating good things for our pets and doing good things for the pet world.

00:29:38.951 --> 00:29:47.651
Michelle Fern: And a special thank you to my producer, Mark Winter, for working his magic in making me and my guests sound amazing.

00:29:47.651 --> 00:29:52.231
Michelle Fern: And hey, remember, you never know what we're going to have next on Best Bets for Pets.

00:29:53.011 --> 00:29:58.951
Announcer: Let's Talk Pets, every week, on demand, only on petliveradio.com.

 

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