MISSION

We’re working on the cutting edge of nutritional science, microbiome research, and pet health, developing proprietary methods and integrating strain-level microbiomic compositional data, broad categories of functional analysis, and deep health assessment metadata. Our goals are to advance microbiome and nutritional science and develop personalized treatments and nutritional interventions for dogs and cats.

Meet the science team

Dr. Justin Shmalberg

Chief Scientific and Medical Officer

Dr. Shmalberg is one of fewer than 100 Board Certified Veterinary Nutritionists in the US, as well as a clinical associate professor at a leading veterinary college. He guides Nom Nom in all recipe formulation and advises on pet nutrition. Always an advocate for better nutrition = better health, Justin decided to go to veterinary school for the well-being of his dog Liberty, and all dogs.

Dr. Ryan Honaker

Director of Microbiology

An expert in microbiome manipulation, infection therapeutics, and microbial community profiling, Dr. Honaker holds a PhD from the University of Colorado at Denver, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Dept. of Microbiology and Immunology at Stanford University.

Dr. Caitlyn Getty

Scientific Affairs Veterinarian

Dr. Getty is a Board Certified Veterinary Nutritionist and scientist, serving as Nom Nom's Scientific Affairs Veterinarian. Earning her BS in Animal Science, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and PhD from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, she went on to complete her Residency and Fellowship in Small Animal Clinical Nutrition at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Experienced in both pet illness and nutrition optimization, Dr. Getty brings a deep, holistic understanding of better health at the bowl.

Dr. Roshonda Jones

Senior Bioinformatics Scientist

Roshonda received her PhD in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, continuing her postdoctoral training at University of Southern California and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. As a trained expert in the gut microbiome, Roshanda’s research focuses on using statistics and informatics to pinpoint the effects of diet on the microbiome as it relates to obesity across both humans and their pets.

Dr. Boo Boo Tanprasertsuk

Scientist

Boo Boo received his PhD in Biochemical and Molecular Nutrition at Tufts University where his research focused on the relationship between nutrition and cognitive health in older adults. At Nom Nom, he is very excited to expand the scope of the investigation to dogs and cats, including nutrition's roles in health maintenance and disease prevention.

Dr. Matt Brooks

Small Animal Nutritionist

Dr. Brooks earned his MS in Nutrition at Texas A&M studying fat metabolism. He then earned his PhD in protein and carbohydrate digestion and microbial efficiency in cattle and deer from the University of Missouri – Columbia. He followed this up with a postdoctoral fellowship at NC State University working with trace mineral ingredients in animal feed. He is an expert in comparative animal nutrition that has worked with both domesticated and zoo animals across the country. He is committed to the continued improvement of animal health and well-being through nutritional understanding.

LeeAnn Perry

Bioinformatics Analyst

LeeAnn received her BA in Molecular Biology from Washington University in St. Louis and her MSc in Neuroscience from Stanford University. She uses statistical and machine learning approaches to uncover insights about pets and their diets.

Devon Tate

Associate Scientist

Devon received her BA in Chemistry from Goucher College and her Masters in Nutrition Science and Policy from Tufts University, where she engaged in public health research examining the role of nutrition in health promotion. Here at Nom Nom, she is enthusiastic about bringing her experience and passion for nutrition education to the pet world, and helping to discover new insights about pet health.

ASHLEY SIPE

PET HEALTH AND RESEARCH ADVOCATE

Passionate about improving the lives of pets through excellent nutrition and compassionate care, Ashley Sipe earned her BA in Zoology from Michigan State University. As a former small business owner with years of experience caring for both pets and animals in zoos and aquariums, Ashley’s distinct professional background supports our research team at all levels, specifically research logistics, customer experience and scientific collaboration.

PUBLICATIONS

We believe in the work we’re doing, and that it is scientifically sound and beneficial to the field of pet health in general and not just our customers. Which is why we publish the results of our studies in preprints and open-access peer-reviewed journals. Here’s what we’ve done so far as well as what’s coming soon:

Published

  • Characterization of gut microbiomes of household pets in the United States using a direct-to-consumer approach

    Jha AR, Shmalberg J, Tanprasertsuk J, Perry LM, Massey D, Honaker RW (2020) Characterization of gut microbiomes of household pets in the United States using a direct-to-consumer approach. PLoS ONE 15(2): e0227289

    Our findings

    In one of the largest pet microbiome studies to date, we characterized the gut microbiome of pet dogs and cats, describing details about the bacterial phyla that are most commonly found as well as details about the diversity of bacteria (did you know it’s higher in cats than in dogs?) The findings also indicate that deeper sequencing resolution, such as those provided by newer sequencing approaches, will lead to a better understanding of the microbiome and its functions.

    Why is it important?

    Characterizing gut microbes is the first crucial step to better understand how they affect pets' health. It also demonstrates that sequencing with the help of interested pet parents is an effective way to do important science.
    Full Text Read More

  • Longitudinal fecal microbiome and metabolite data demonstrate rapid shifts and subsequent stabilization after an abrupt dietary change in healthy adult dogs

    Lin CY., Jha A.R., Oba P. M., Yotis S.M., Shmalberg J., Honaker R.W., Swanson K.S. Longitudinal fecal microbiome and metabolite data demonstrate rapid shifts and subsequent stabilization after an abrupt dietary change in healthy adult dogs. Animal Microbiome, 4, 46 (2022)

    Our findings

    In this study the gut microbiome and metabolite profiles of healthy adult dogs were monitored for two weeks following a diet change to either a high-fiber or protein-rich diet. The diversity and composition of the microbiome were found to shift within days of a diet change, stabilizing around day six. Likewise metabolite profiles were found to dramatically change and stabilize within only a few days following a diet change. The findings also indicate functional changes in the gut microbiome resulted from a diet change. Key microbe-metabolite relationships were also identified that were unique to the high-fiber and protein-rich diets.

    Why is it important?

    While we know that diet change results in changes in the gastrointestinal environment of dogs, how quickly these changes occur and stabilize had previously not been well studied. This study highlights that drastic changes occur within days of diet change, stabilize well within a two-week time frame, and are unique to diet type.
    Full Text Read More

  • Roles of plant-based ingredients and phytonutrients in canine nutrition and health

    Tanprasertsuk, J., Tate, D.E., Shmalberg, J. Roles of plant-based ingredients and phytonutrients in canine nutrition and health. J Anim Physiol Nutr (Berl), 2022 May;106(3):586-613.

    Our findings

    This review article examines current published evidence on the relationship between consumption of plant-based foods and phytonutrients (such as plant-derived fibers, carotenoids, flavonoids) and biomarkers of canine health and diseases. We also highlight current research gaps in existing studies and provide future research directions to better understand the impact of incorporating plant-based ingredients in canine diets.

    Why is it important?

    Many consumers don't understand the benefit of vegetables and plant-based ingredients in dog food. This review highlights the nutritional and health benefits of including these ingredients as a part of a balanced canine diet.
    Full Text Read More

  • Apparent total tract nutrient digestibility and metabolizable energy estimation in commercial fresh and extruded dry kibble dog foods

    Tanprasertsuk J, Perry LM, Tate DE, Honaker RW, Shmalberg J (2021) Apparent total tract nutrient digestibility and metabolizable energy estimation in commercial fresh and extruded dry kibble dog foods, Translational Animal Science, Volume 5, Issue 3, txab071

    Our findings

    We demonstrated that the digestibility (apparent total tract digestibility of dry matter, protein, fat, nitrogen-free extract, and calories) of a kibble diet with a comparable macronutrient profile was significantly lower than Nom Nom’s fresh diets. The results also suggest that canine fresh diets should be assessed using calculations similar to those used in human nutrition (standard Atwater factors).

    Why is it important?

    While commercial fresh diets are rapidly gaining in popularity, there is a somewhat limited understanding of their digestibility and metabolizable energy, both of which are crucial measures when planning a diet regime. Our findings expand the knowledge on these two measures for Nom Nom fresh food and others similar to it.
    Full Text Read More

  • Heterogeneity of gut microbial responses in healthy household dogs transitioning from an extruded to a mildly cooked diet

    Tanprasertsuk J, Shmalberg J, Maughan H, Tate DE, Perry LM, Jha AR, Honaker RW. (2021) Heterogeneity of gut microbial responses in healthy household dogs transitioning from an extruded to a mildly cooked diet. PeerJ 9:e11648 

    Our findings

    In this study, healthy dogs were switched from various brands of kibble to Nom Nom’s fresh diet for four weeks. Pet parents all reported either improvement or no change in health, and the diet change led to a significant shift in the gut microbial composition. Interestingly, the magnitude of the microbial shift was associated with baseline gut microbiota as well as baseline dietary protein content.

    Why is it important?

    The gut microbiota is associated with canine health in numerous ways, and can be heavily affected by diet. Fresh diets have become increasingly popular in the U.S. but their impact on the microbiome and overall health remains largely unknown. Our findings help lay the groundwork for an understanding of both, and may provide a basis for personalized nutrition in pet dogs.
    Full Text Read More

  • The microbiota of healthy dogs demonstrates individualized responses to synbiotic supplementation in a randomized controlled trial.

    Tanprasertsuk J, Jha AR, Shmalberg J, Jones RB, Perry LM, Maughan H, Honaker RW (2021). The microbiota of healthy dogs demonstrates individualized responses to synbiotic supplementation in a randomized controlled trial. Animal microbiome, 3(1), 36. https://doi.org/10.1186/s42523-021-00098-0

    Our findings

    This study demonstrates the ability of our Nom Nom Full Spectrum Probiotics for Dogs to impact the gut microbiome of healthy pet dogs. We found a significant enrichment of probiotic strains, among other beneficial bacteria, after four weeks of probiotic use. Interestingly, the magnitude of microbial shift was also associated with the composition of the gut microbiome before beginning the study, and the gut microbiome also largely returned to baseline two weeks after stopping the probiotics. Dogs given the probiotics also tended to have lower diarrhea incidence, which we talk about more in-depth here.

    Why is it important?

    The role of probiotics in health maintenance and the effect on healthy dogs is poorly understood, and these findings advance our knowledge. Also, we observed that the magnitude of response to the supplement was associated with microbial profile at baseline. To our knowledge, this is the first study documenting such an effect in companion dogs, and increased understanding of this will help pave the way for more personalized treatments for all pets.
    Full Text Read More

Preprint

  • Risk factors associated with canine overweightness and obesity in an owner-reported survey

    Perry LM, Shmalberg J, Tanprasertsuk J, Massey D, Honaker RW, Jha AR (2020) Risk factors associated with canine overweightness and obesity in an owner-reported survey. bioRxiv 2020.01.06.896399

    Our findings

    In one of the largest and most detailed studies of its kind, we found that feeding kibble, alone or in combination with other types of food, was a risk factor for canine overweightness. We also identified feeding fresh food, limiting treats, and supplementing with probiotics as potential protective practices.

    Why is it important?

    Obesity is a growing problem in companion dogs, with one-third of dogs reported to be overweight and 8% of dogs reported to be clinically obese. Proactively identifying dogs at risk for weight issues and implementing lifestyle changes can prevent overweightness and obesity, and improve overall health.
    Full Text Read More

Conferences

We believe it’s important to play an active role in the research community and keep current on the progress of all fields to which we contribute. Here are some things that we’re up to:

Upcoming

Petcare Innovation Summit

December 6-7, Boston

Dr. Ryan Honaker will give a talk entitled “Increasing Awareness and Collection of Microbiome Data”.

2022

Veterinary Innovation Summit

September 27-28, Portland, OR

Dr. Ryan Honaker attended to meet with colleagues from across the Mars family and catch up with what's happening in the veterinary space.

5th Microbiome Movement Animal Health & Nutrition

October 11-13, North Carolina

Devon Tate gave a talk titled “A randomized controlled trial to evaluate the impact of a novel probiotic and nutraceutical supplement on symptoms of canine atopic dermatitis and the fecal microbiota in privately-owned dogs”.

12th Comparative Animal Nutrition Symposium

July 3-Aug 5, Salt Lake City

Dr. Matt Brooks attended as a secretary on the Board of Directors.

Read more

Annual American Society of Animal Science

June 27-30, Oklahoma City

Dr. Matt Brooks was unable to attended, but his talk "The Raw Truth: Feeding Zoo Carnivores" was presented by his co-author.

Read more

American College of Internal Veterinary Medicine Forum

June 23-25, Austin

Dr. Caitlyn Getty attended several research presentations surrounding gastroenterology and veterinary nutrition, as well as selected talks involving other specialties. She also networked with members of several different specialties within the ACVIM.

Read more

AAVN's 22nd Annual Clinical Nutrition and Research Symposium

June 21-22, Austin

This annual symposium features novel research findings regarding veterinary clinical nutrition, diet formulation, and animal nutrition basic science. Dr. Caitlyn Getty attended and networked with members of the academic and industry nutrition communities.

Read more

5th Microbiome Connect: Animal

May 21-22, Boston

Dr. Boo Boo Tanprasertsuk chaired the companion animal track and gave a talk titled "Developing microbiome products with the direct-to-consumer approach".

Read more

7th Annual Translational Microbiome Conference

April 13-14, Washington DC

Dr. Roshonda Jones networked with professionals at this conference which focused on addressing health needs at a commercial level. As a result of these conversations, a companion animal track was added in which she will give a talk about how our D2C approach can lead to scientific findings that can give insights to pet health.

Read more

9th Microbiome & 6th Probiotics R&D & Business Collaboration

March 29-30, San Diego

Devon Tate presented a poster titled "A randomized controlled trial to evalulate impact of a novel probiotic and nutraceutical formulation of symptoms of canine atopic dermatitis (CAD) in privately-owned dogs".

Read more

7th Annual “Animal Health, Nutrition, and Technology Innovation, Europe

February 21-23, London

Dr. Ryan Honaker chaired a panel entitled “An Emerging Opportunity: The Creation of Microbiome Products for Companion Animals”.

Read more

2021

Animal Microbiome Congress

March 2021
From mouth to gut - Improving pet health by microbiomes modulation

Read More

Petfood Forum

September 2021
Fresh/human-grade pet food research and executive roundtable: Why digestibility, the microbiome and other factors differ

Read more

4th Animal Gut Health & Nutrition Summit

October 2021
What Lessons Have Companies Learnt from Commercializing Their Products?

read more

2020

Petfood Forum 2020

Dr. Justin Shmalberg and Dr. Ryan Honaker gave a presentation titled “A Path to Personalization: A Direct-to-Consumer Scientific Experience”.

Read More

Animal Microbiome and Nutritional Health Congress

Dr. Aashish Jha gave a talk titled “Developing Insights on Health, Disease and Products from Companion Animal Microbiomes Using Shotgun Metagenomics and Direct to Consumer Tests”

read more

Nutrition 2020

Dr. Boo Boo Tanprasertsuk presented our work on the effect of our probiotics on the gut microbiome and health outcomes in healthy dogs.

read more

Gates Foundation Microbiome Meeting

Dr. Aashish Jha attended to stay updated on the newest science in the microbiome research field.

read more

Microbiome Movement: Drug Development Europe

Dr. Ryan Honaker attended the conference and learned about the best ways to turn microbiome insights into products for pet parents.

Read more

2019

The 36th Annual International Canine Sports Medicine Symposium

Dr. Justin Shmalberg talked about the nutritional needs of working and sporting dogs.

read more

Microbiome Movement: Animal Health and Nutrition

Dr. Boo Boo Tanprasertsuk attended the conference to stay updated on the newest science on animal health and nutrition.

read more

Petfood Forum Europe

Dr. Justin Schmalberg and Dr. Ryan Honaker discussed Nom Nom’s approach to data and science.

read more

The 4th Annual Microbiome Summit

Dr. Aashish Jha and LeeAnn Perry presented our work on the characterization of gut microbiome in household pets in the USA.

read more

Animal Microbiome Congress Europe

Dr. Ryan Honaker talked about the exciting things in the microbiome sphere and how Nom Nom contributes the advancement of science.

read more

Outreach and Education

We’re excited about what we’re discovering and developing at Nom Nom. We love to talk about it, and people are listening. Here is a sampling of invited talks, podcasts, press, and other buzz.

Interview with Nom Nom’s Chief Nutrition Officer, Dr. Justin Shmalberg.

Justin talked about the nutritional needs of working and sporting dogs

Today’s Veterinary Practice

Justin’s perspectives on the evaluation of fresh diets for cats and dogs

Alicia’s Holistic Pet Wellness Podcast

Sarah Ondrako podcast

Molecules, Microbes, and Multiomics Podcast, DNA Genotek (8/2020)

Driving Microbiome Science to Improve Animal Nutrition and Quality of Life (sponsored by DNA Genotek)

Diversigen

Here are some highlights

Research partnerships

Are you a veterinarian, pet health company, or research team? Do you have a microbiome project you’re interested in running? Have a product you’d like to see tested? We’re always looking to improve pet health and we love collaboration. Drop us a line at research@nomnomnow.com.

We have some ongoing partnerships with groups that share our passion. Here’s who we’re currently working with:

Professor Kelly Swanson, PhD

A Kraft Heinz Company Endowed Professor in Human Nutrition at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Dr. Swanson is an expert in companion animal nutrition, nutrigenomics and microbiomics. We have partnered with his group on several studies, adding microbiome sequencing and analysis to several beautifully designed studies in dogs and cats. See our publication section for more details.

Professor Aashish Jha, PhD

Dr. Jha is currently an Assistant Professor of Biology at New York University Abu Dhabi. His research focuses on genomics and microbiomics of humans and companion animals and how they influence health. Aashish was our first head of bioinformatics and currently is serving on our Scientific Advisory Board, and we continue to pursue various studies and analyses with him.

Diversigen

We utilize Diversigen’s cutting-edge metagenomic sequencing techniques for every sample. This partnership provides accurate and in-depth customer-facing microbiome profiling, powers our pet health-focused microbiome studies, and drives our product development and validation.

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Current products

You can keep up with what we’re up to on our R&D blog

Data and Methods at Nom Nom

Our scientific breakthroughs are made possible by the data we collect and the methods we use to analyze them. At Nom Nom, the way we collect, process, integrate, and analyze our data distinguishes us from others in academia and industry spaces and enables us to make discoveries impossible with more conventional methods. Take a peek into our unique proprietary database, and see the results in action. Read More