Plenty of pet brands start in a boardroom. This one started with a couple of aging dogs and a slow-building frustration. Matt and Joanne were not people by trade. They were dog people who kept buying products off the shelf, reading the backs of the jars, and coming away unsure what they were actually feeding their animals. Paws and Whiskers, the dog supplement brand they later built with veterinarian Dr. Petar Petrov, grew straight out of that doubt. The plan fits in a sentence. Make a natural dog supplement that they would trust enough to give their own dogs, and hide nothing about what went into it.
Two Dogs and an Unconvincing Shelf
The push came from home. Matt watched his German Shepherd, Hans, slow down as the years added up, and Joanne saw the same thing creep into her Goldendoodles, Sandy and Minnie. Wanting to do something, the two of them went shopping, as any owner would. What they found left them flat. Loud claims, fuzzy ingredient panels, barely a word on why any of it belonged in a dog. The more labels they turned over, the more the whole aisle seemed designed to impress shoppers rather than inform them.
Why Bring In a Veterinarian From Day One?
Neither founder claimed to be a formulator, so they went and found one. Dr. Petar Petrov had already spent more than 20 years in animal nutrition, and his role was not a badge bolted on after the fact for marketing. He shaped the formulas from the beginning, deciding which ingredients earned a spot and how much of each one made sense for a dog. That single choice set the tone for everything that followed. A person can adore dogs and still get the science wrong. Pairing that affection with a vet who does this for a living is how Paws and Whiskers avoided turning into one more hopeful label.
What Matt and Joanne Wanted on the Label
Transparency was the founding rule rather than a feature added once sales mattered. Matt and Joanne wanted every ingredient named and measured, the sourcing stated plainly, and the filler simply gone. The first Paws and Whiskers products turned that thinking into something you could hold. Their joint-support chew put glucosamine, MSM, and collagen right out in the open, and the calming soft chew did the same with chamomile, melatonin, and L-theanine. No proprietary mystery. No padding the recipe with soy or corn. An owner who wanted to know exactly what their dog was getting found the answer on the package.
How That Start Still Shapes Paws and Whiskers
Years on, the origin still shows. Paws and Whiskers tends to describe its products by what sits inside them and what they are made for, and it leaves the overpromising to other companies. The restraint is not an accident. It goes back to two owners who got tired of being sold to and chose to build the thing they had wanted as customers. For a younger brand, that is the slower road. Trust earned through plain disclosure takes longer to build than attention grabbed with a bold headline, though it tends to last once it is there. Matt and Joanne appear to have made their peace with that trade.
Disclaimer: This article is for general informational purposes only and should not be taken as veterinary, medical, or professional advice. Pet owners should consult a licensed veterinarian before giving any supplement to their dog, especially if the dog has an existing health condition, is taking medication, is pregnant, nursing, or has known allergies. Product information, ingredients, and claims should be reviewed carefully before use.
