First veterinarian-formulated supplement aims to slow down the clock in healthy adult dogs and to turn back the clock in senior dogs.
Arterra, an Austin, Texas-based dog supplement brand that committed to helping dogs live happier, healthier, longer lives, announces its availability today – and we’re delighted to be the first to publish the news.
The veterinarian-formulated line includes adult and senior formulas designed to slow down the clock in healthy adult dogs and to turn back the clock in senior dogs already experiencing the signs of degenerative aging. The startup, which is VC-backed by industry veterans like Boulder Food Group and Gestalt Idea Group, is hoping to redefine pet supplement standards by prioritizing actual efficacy over label appeal.
Arterra is an all-in-one formula which has been designed to support the dog’s entire body; it aims to lead to a higher quality of life by supporting the underlying structural health and function of all key systems involved in degenerative aging. Containing no fewer than 63 ingredients, it aims to promote whole body healthspan, supporting joint health, cognition, mood, immune system, gut and organ health support. Delivered in one daily scoop, it contains many active ingredients which can also be found in human supplements, including berberine, collagen, quercetin, turmeric, taurine, CoQ10 and green tea extract. And it’s bacon-flavored.
Longevity.Technology: As with human longevity supplements, the market for products that can improve the lifespan and healthspan of man’s best friend is booming, with global financing for pet longevity firms more than quadrupling between 2019 and 2021 [1]. And, just like our supplements, products that prioritize style over substance, or claims over clinical data compete with those based on science and study. Arterra has decided to eschew the low-cost, low-benefit model of condition-specific formulas that have saturated the market, opting instead for products that are backed by research and target full body healthspan and longevity.
Jonathan Willbanks, founder and CEO of Arterra, told Longevity.Technology the company believes the pet health category is on the cusp of an innovation supercycle similar to where the human food industry was circa-2008.
“Mainstream awareness around health and longevity has exploded over the past decade. This is converging with a multi-generational high in pet ownership and a shift in public mindset toward viewing them as members of our family, rather than just pets. And because dogs’ lifespans are so much shorter than ours, our awareness of their aging process and mortality is heightened relative to our own; for many of us, our own mortality is an distant abstraction, but our pets’ mortality is timely and unavoidable.
“As our holistic understanding of the aging process and how to mitigate it evolves, we foresee an explosion of interest in animal healthspan expansion in the decade ahead, and have positioned Arterra to drive the crest of that wave.”
Willbanks’ inspiration for Aterra came from a best friend of his own.
“When I was in college in Los Angeles, I adopted a stray dog; he was emaciated, abused and desperate for a good home,” he says. “I named him Arturo and he became my best friend. As I noticed him starting to age, I began applying my knowledge of health and wellness to his daily life – first optimizing his diet, then one by one adding premium supplements to his regimen.
“He ended up living to be 16-and-a-half and in nearly perfect health – 6 years older than the average lifespan for his breed. We’ve taken his formula and worked with leading integrative veterinarians to enhance it, bringing the high quality of care my best friend received to dog owners everywhere.”
Arterra is designed to leverage the ‘entourage effect’; originally coined in cannabinoids research, it means compounds and ingredients working synergistically so the whole effect is greater than the sum of its parts. Arterra is formulated to support each system through multiple directions rather than a single vector. Willbanks cites the example of a best-selling hip and joint supplement which contains just three active ingredients, whereas the joint component of Arterra’s formula contains 11 ingredients, all at significantly higher potency.
“Our mission with Arterra is to bring the care Arturo received to all dog owners, with none of the work and at a fraction of the cost,” added Willbanks.
We’ll be catching up with Jon Willbanks to find out more about Arterra and its plans for the future soon – stay tuned!
[1] https://www.wsj.com/health/wellness/dog-longevity-anti-aging-loyal-a1f39cb2
