Meet Lily

The Inspiration for all this

Meet Lily – my sweet companion of over a decade and the inspiration behind this venture. When my senior girl (around 13 y.o. now) started experiencing arthritis, I refused to accept the standard veterinary "hospice patient” approach of "making her comfortable" with medications that could harm her other organs. You probably know the brands I'm talking about. Though for legal reasons, I won't name them here.

From stem cell therapy to diet. What began as a personal mission, influenced by my own experience with nutrition and inflammation, turned into piecing together what now seems obvious: research, consultations with nutritionists, hunting down premium ingredients, and perfecting meal preparations.

Looking at Lily, I realized other pet parents should have this option too – but without all the headaches I went through. And so, our concierge service was born.

Problems this project is addressing:

1. Most pet food brands, even boutique ones, treat AAFCO standards as sufficient. However, AAFCO themselves state that their primary goal is to “ensure pet food meets the basic nutritional needs of animals.” This means survival, not thriving. When it comes to individual needs, they’re only offering general solutions.
2. While many boutique brands claim they can address specific health needs, finding the right food for your pet isn’t that simple. The vast majority don’t offer true customization. Instead, they typically have just a few recipes that they apply to a wide variety of pets.
3. Ingredient quality is a major concern. In our research of the 10 largest boutique dog food brands, we found only two products total that offered premium quality proteins and organic produce – and only in freeze-dried form, which many dogs find unpalatable. Why does it matter to have premium proteins like 100% grass-fed beef? So many reasons, but here’s a few. Research shows that cattle fed grain at any point in their lives develop excess omega-6 fats, which promote inflammation. As opposed to 100% grass fed beef being full of anti-inflammatory omega-3. So while you might think you’re feeding your pet a healthy whole foods alternative to mass-market products, the inflammation persists – and now you know why. Most recipes contain questionable carbohydrate fillers that provide enough energy for survival. While they may be healthier than typical kibble, are they truly good for your dog? They can still cause inflammation. Some breeds may suffer nutritionally from these fillers more than others – Huskies, for example, need primarily animal-based diet. Non-organic produce mean exposure to farming herbicides, which have been linked to cancer in multiple successful lawsuits. The list goes on and on.
4. Product availability is unreliable. Even with premium brands in retail stores, supply is inconsistent. It’s not uncommon for all nearby stores to run out of specialty foods for a week or so. Getting your pet’s custom recipe the next day is rarely possible, let alone chance for the same-day service.
5. Shipping problems are too frequent to ignore. “Fresh” food often arrives spoiled. While waiting for replacements, dogs must eat whatever same brand product is available in stores or try new brands. Without a slow transition, this often leads to digestive issues. Late shipments are also common, creating the same problems.
6. Order management and client interraction is outdated. Most brands require you to navigate their website, make phone calls, or use a combination of texting and “old internet” interfaces to adjust things or resolve issuesFinally, there’s a crucial gap: no one is effectively matching nutrition to medicine and medical history. How can we meaningfully share and compare data about ingredient effects?.
7. Finally, there’s a crucial gap: no one is effectively matching nutrition to health and medical history. How can we meaningfully share and compare data about ingredient effects?

What it Takes to Do This on Your Own:

1. First, you commit to making the change.
2. Creating the right formula feels overwhelming at first. After countless hours of research, you discover there’s an entire veterinary specialty in nutrition – something that’s not common knowledge at all. These specialists aren’t easy to find, and while they’re passionate about their work, tracking them down is a challenge. Even then, you’ll spend considerable time finding one who’s either available for consultation or has solid, nutritionally complete formulas you can access.
3. Formula in hand, you face the next challenge: sourcing ingredients. Want that 10% fat, 100% grass-fed ground beef or pastured turkey? Your local store probably doesn’t carry it. That store 30 minutes away does? Great – until you drive there next week and they’re out. Most farms and online vendors don’t offer subscriptions or availability guarantees, forcing you to constantly hunt for backup options. And when these unwanted, unexpected diet changes happen? Your poor pup’s digestive system (and your carpet) pays the price.
4. Now for the cooking phase. If you’re doing it yourself- fantastic, assuming you have the time. Looking to outsource? Finding a reliable meal prep service is just the start. You’ll want to monitor ingredient deliveries to ensure everything arrives on time – even if the chef manages this too, double-checking prevents last-minute emergencies. Then there’s tracking their vacation schedules, handling unexpected cancellations, and having backup plans ready. One missed check-in, and your whole system can fall apart.

How We Handle Everything For You:

1. You Skip the Search, We Do the Work. All you need to do is send us a message. We’ll ask a few focused questions about your pet’s needs, then present you with choices tailored to your situation. Yes, this initial setup might take slightly longer than clicking “buy now” on a mass-market boutique brand. But it saves you weeks of research and years of managing complex logistics. Most importantly, you’ll never have to worry about maintaining this level of quality – we handle all of that.
2. Our Robust Marketplace Makes It Possible. Behind the scenes, we’ve built a comprehensive marketplace that powers our concierge service. It connects veterinary nutritionists, premium ingredient suppliers, local meal prep services, and supplement providers. But you’ll never have to navigate it yourself or vet multiple vendors. If something you need isn’t immediately available, we’ll track it down. Your only job is to tell us what you need – we handle the rest.
3. Building a Better Future for Pet Nutrition. With your permission, we’ll maintain your pet’s medical history alongside detailed meal and supplement records. Over time, this creates a valuable dataset that, through AI analysis, could reveal hidden patterns between specific ingredients, health conditions, and longevity. This means your pet’s journey helps improve nutrition for all pets.

Think about it: for the cost of one hour of personal assistance per week, you get a dedicated concierge handling every detail of your pet’s premium nutrition. Worth it?