About Us

Welcome to our story.   Get to know us.

On this page:

  • Who we are
  • Ethos
  • Process
  • Origin story
  • Our Team
  • Why Gussy's Gut?

  • “In dogs, we are seeing the largest disease and cancer rates in history due to the loss of microbiome diversity.  At the same time there are greater toxins in their environment.  We look to gut health to be our saving grace."  - Dr. Ian Billinghurst

    Who we are

    We started Gussy's Gut with a simple but goal.  To create the most nutrient dense and beneficial superfood formulas to sprinkle on every dog food on the planet. 

    We are the original fermented superfood company for dogs.  Each superfood formula we create provides hundreds of macro and micronutrients that include probiotics, vitamins, minerals, greens, and polyphenols -- in every teaspoon.

    Ethos

    • Real food nutrients are better than synthetic supplements
    • Clean, organic ingredients only
    • Environmentally sound packaging
    • Great customer service
    • If it's not bioavailable, it's not worth feeding

    Process

    Every formula goes through our 8-step painstaking process to provide our dog customers with a standard of product beyond human care.

    Every ingredient we use needed to be easy to digest and bioavailable too.  This meant they needed to go through our special fermentation process so that all the nutrients are adsorbable and assimilated by every dog - especially older dogs.

    Origin Story

    Millions of years before the pet food industry came along, dogs ate off the land.  And they are the stomach contents of their prey.  Rabbits, squirrel, lizards and more. 

    Those stomach contents were filled with vegetables and grasses that were fermenting and digesting.

    Our amazing dog’s guts have been hard wired to eat this over millions of years. 

    It’s still relatively recent that the concept of pet food came along.  The 1940s actually.  Too soon for our dogs digestive system to evolve out of millions of years of programming. 

    Dog food brands have become a huge advantage to human convenience.  But it’s certainly not changed the gut of a dog.   

    Fermented veggies unlock all of the valuable factors of vegetable matter to your dog.  It soaks up environmental toxins your dog encounters every day just being in the world.  And it supports their healthy microbiome and immunity. 

    Enter Gussy’s Gut…

    Gussy’s #1 human, Rob, was on a quest to find nothing less than the best fermented vegetables for Gus. 

    There was one big problem. 

    The formulas he saw were great for people but not for dogs. They had super high sodium content and vegetables and spices that were dangerous, even toxic for dogs.  Ingredients like onions, jalapeño, chilies, peppers and too much garlic — even sugar. 

    They were also not the best vegetables and herbs for dogs.

    So Rob set off on a path to work with farmers and Dr. Ian Billinghurst to create the safest and most nutritious fermented formulas made specifically for dog’s. 

    And that’s all we do.  And we do it at the highest level.

    Our Team

    Meet Dr. Billinghurst, Gus, and Rob.  Gus wanted improved digestion, better nutrient absorption, and improved gut health.  Rob wanted Gus to live longer and healthier as he aged.  Dr. Billinghurst knew just how to do it.  Together, Ian, Rob, and Gussy went on to create the best vegetables in the universe for dogs.   

    Dr. Ian Billinghurst, Veterinary Surgeon B.V.Sc. (Hons), B.Sc.Agr., Dip. Ed.

    For over 45 years, Dr. B has been a veterinary surgeon and advocate for the evolutionary diet for dogs.  He is considered a pioneer in animal nutrition and is known as the "father of raw".  He is the creator of the "BARF" diet ("Bones And Raw Food" and "Biologically Appropriate Raw Food"), author of the top 4 best selling books on raw diets, and lecturer on the topic. See Dr. Billinghurst's bio

    Gussy Ryan

    This wise black Labrador Retriever was born in 2017 on a beautiful Santa Ynez Valley farm near Santa Barbara, CA.  He now lives in the Rocky Mountains with his best friend, Rob.  Gus loves oversized toys (especially balls), long brisk walks in the morning and sleeping under the sheets in Rob's bed.  He's Rob's entire world.

    Rob Ryan, Founder

    As a little boy, Rob trained his two husky and collie mix dogs himself.  He spent hours by himself in the backyard every day learning how to communicate with them.  He developed that natural passion as an adult into training dogs.  Rob's love for his dogs kept him asking one central question, "how can I keep them here with me as long and as healthy as possible."  Over 20 years ago, Rob worked with Dr. Billinghurst on his first black English Labrador, Buddy's nutrition plan.  Buddy lived a vibrant and very happy 16 years.  Today, Rob works everyday to educate and inspire dog people that they have a profound impact on their dog's lifespan and healthspan.  You can see him training and playing with Gus in Colorado on the Gussy's Gut Youtube page.

    Why Gussy's Gut?

    We are the first company dedicated to one thing - the finest fermented superfoods you can add to all dog foods.

    Fermented Veggies for Dogs

    Dogs are carnivorous omnivores.  They have been designed over millions of years to eat meat at the core of their diet and the stomach contents of animals they ate. Those contents are typically vegetables that were pre-digesting and fermenting in the gut of the prey.  

    Superior Absorption

    Our vegetable’s are selected for their health benefits.  Their powers are unlocked by age old fermentation and freeze dried to lock in the magic. This makes digestion super easy for your dog and allow them to adsorb the full nutrient profile of all the vegetables, herbs and fruits in each of our formulas (natural probiotics, macronutrients, micronutrients, phytonutrients, and polyphenols).  We believe this is the key to your dog’s vibrant, healthy and happiest life.   We make it with passion and love, fresh.

    Powerful Food-Fueled Gut Support

    Each one of our products is made to support gut health from unique angles.  We believe in functional foods as medicine.  

    Gussy’s Gut Goes Beyond Probiotics

    The top veterinarians and medical experts agree that the goal of gut health is diversity and gut terrain integrity.  Probiotics do not support gut diversity.  There are just a handful of probiotics sold of the total 500 species and 1,000 subspecies in your pet's gut.  This does not support diversity.

    Gussy's Gut supports both gut terrain and diversity through the finest plant fibers, postbiotics, and over 180 bioavailable nutrients (polyphenols, fatty acids, terpenes, and many more).

    Add to Any Dog Food

    Each teaspoon magnifies the nutrition value of any dog food - raw, cooked, canned, or kibble.  We recommend raw pet food or real gently cooked foods for your pet.  Every dog can benefit from Gussy's Gut Daily.