Welcome to Wear Wag Repeat Podcast Episode 35: Amanda Rose of Holistic Pet Radio knows a lot about pet wellness and nutrition. Do you include probiotics and phytoplankton in your dog’s diet? Listen to find out why you should! All this advice and much more is coming from Amanda who owns a natural pet food store and offers holistic pet wellness consultations. We also talk about why it’s so important to stay authentic in the pet business. Let’s dive in!

INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS

Amanda Rose is a mom, pet parent, business owner, and podcaster who is obsessed with all things pet wellness & nutrition. She helps pet owners improve the lives of their companions by sharing knowledge about healthier food alternatives, chemical-free cleaning options, compassionate training, emotional mindfulness, and much more! She’s written articles for several pet health magazines including Dogs Naturally Magazine & Healthful Dog. Amanda lives in Alberta, Canada with her partner Travis and their toddler, along with their 3 dogs, 2 cats, and 1 horse.

(00:00) Intro
(00:30) Introducing Amanda Rose of Holistic Pet Radio
(02:25) How Amanda got into the holistic pet wellness space
(04:55) Why Amanda started Holistic pet radio
(06:07) The top questions Amanda gets around holistic pet nutrition
(07:47) Amanda’s recommendations for finding a great vet
(11:16) How Amanda juggles the pet food store, health consultations, and a podcast
(15:14) Why Amanda decided to go with a franchise versus her own independent store
(18:27) Her top recommendations of food and supplements
(25:14) Meet Amanda’s dogs
(29:03) Where to find Amanda

Tori: How did you get into holistic pet wellness?

Amanda: Well, I had two basset hounds growing up, Bonnie and Clyde, and Clyde actually passed away at 8 from old age. My mother did a ton of research and uncovered the raw food diet and switched all of our future family pets to that diet. I was predisposed to holistic pet rearing and went into animal science at university to become a vet. However, I switched to an English major because I didn’t believe in half of what was being taught in school. So I thought that pets would become my hobby. A few years after university, I bought a natural pet food store, which then brought on Holistic Pet Radio and the rest is history.

Tori: You’ve turned your passion and expertise into a business. You own a pet food store, do health consultations and have a podcast. How do you juggle it all?

Amanda: Well at first, I didn’t make any money at all. My partner spends more time in the store than I do as I have a baby now. But anyone who has a brick and mortar store knows that it’s a journey with all the overhead. Tons of inventory, price margins aren’t great, and building consistent customers is a challenge. So Holistic Pet Radio came from a ton of the conversations I was having in the store. I love giving away a ton of information for free and if they want more, they can come down to the store or sign up for a consultation. Everything I do points back to the store.

Tori: You offer Pet Wellness Consultations, in doing those I bet you hear a lot of similar concerns from pet owners. If you could give pet parents around the world just one piece of advice what would it be?

Amanda: Actually sit down, bring two cups of coffee and talk with your vet. Don’t bring your dog and just ask for a consultation. You want to know you are on the same level and they are open-minded. They don’t need to know everything about raw eating or holistic medicine, but you do need to find someone who’s at least open-minded to hearing what you say.

Tori: What are your favorite superfoods and supplements to give your own pets?

Amanda: My first recommendation would be high quality probiotics to promote healthy gut bacteria. Love Bugs by the Adored Beast Apothecary is one of my favorite brands. Phytoplankton is another one that I recommend as they have antioxidants and are actually where fish get their omega 3’s. Adding in whole foods like blueberries and bell peppers are also great while also incorporating whole rabbit with the ears and feet. It is kind of gross at the beginning, but you get over it.  And lastly oysters – look for them in a can with water and BPA free lining obviously. They are a great source of magnesium, zinc, copper and iodine.

FIND AMANDA:

www.holisticpetradio.ca
https://www.instagram.com/holisticpetradio/
https://www.facebook.com/HolisticPetRadio/

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