✨ Has your pet ever changed your plans for the future?
“One night she was on the floor and I was just petting her. She was having a hard night and I could tell the chemo was still kind of going through her…
And then I had a thought. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I know the healing power of food from a human standpoint and what that can do for our bodies… Why can't I do that for Foxy?’”
Seeing an animal in distress is never easy. And when that animal is our beloved pet, we do everything in our power to ease discomfort and bring them a sense of relief.
That could mean vet visits, medications, therapies, and anything else we can get our hands on for them.
When Dani Dominguez, MS, RDN–Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Certified Holistic Pet Nutritionist, and founder of SunBright Wellness–was helping her new dog, Foxy, heal from multiple chemotherapy treatments, she had a different idea.
Caring for Foxy’s fragile health through a “food is medicine” approach, she was able to witness her sweet dog slowly come back to life…
But Foxy’s life wasn’t the only one impacted by her holistic healing.
She swore she’d never foster fail…
“When they asked me to foster her, I was like, ‘Absolutely, I'm happy to do that.’ I wanted to give her some space outside of the shelter to heal and then bring her back when she was ready to be adopted…
I had fostered a lot of dogs and I really wanted my space to be open for these other dogs… But after just a couple of days, I was like, she’s my soul dog.”
When Foxy came into Dani’s home, she was in bad shape.
On her way to chemo treatments
After being transported from a rural shelter she had developed a medical issue, and the quick surgery they thought would address it didn’t work.
Instead, she ended up going through chemotherapy, causing her to lose weight and fur… And the shelter wasn’t the right place to heal.
The staff at the shelter knew Dani was the perfect foster to reach out to.
Up to this point, she had helped the shelter by caring for multiple dogs, most of which had special medical or reactivity issues she could address while in her home.
Caring for animals came as second nature to her. Since childhood, there’s never been a time of her life when animals weren’t in it.
Besides the more common dogs and cats, her family had their fair share of “odd” pets: a sugar glider, a peacock, chickens, “turkens,” and fish, to name a few. She even spent time on a cattle farm.
But the passion for pets didn’t stop at her own. Throughout college and after graduation, she had a pet sitting business.
She then switched gears and worked in other areas involving pets, including taking on management roles at animal shelters.
Part of her role was to travel to rural shelters, sometimes to give them resources, other times to bring back dogs who may need special medical attention.
In Foxy’s case, Dani identified her as a highly adoptable dog who likely wouldn’t get the visibility she needed if she stayed where she was.
At that point, Dani didn’t even think that this was her dog.
It wasn’t until she became ill, had her failed surgery, and went through chemotherapy that Dani even considered bringing her home.
It only took a couple days for her to realize Foxy was meant to be in her life.
“It wasn’t even a question. It was like, she is my dog and we are supposed to live life together… I didn't initially want to do this because I wanted to be able to help other animals, but we're meant to be together. So I ended up adopting her.
It was just so divine how all of it happened. I think our paths were supposed to cross.”
The incredible shift back to good health
Once Dani had decided she would be adopting Foxy, she started to realize something.
When fostering, many of the resources (food, vet care, supplies, etc.) are provided by the shelter. Once the adoption was final, she would be 100% responsible for Foxy’s food…
And that’s when she had a lightbulb moment.
“At that point, I had seven year’s worth of nutrition education and a Masters Degree in Nutritional Sciences. I was an exam away from being a licensed dietician… Then I went full force into getting trained under a veterinarian to learn more about holistic pet nutrition.”
What sparked the determination to learn more about pet nutrition?
She quickly realized that, even with her vast knowledge in food and nutrition, trying to navigate the world of pet food labels felt impossible.
The nutrition was imbalanced, the feeding guidelines didn’t account for the unique variables within each pet’s life… And she was left with a dog who couldn’t put on weight and still lacked energy.
By taking her formal training and pairing that with what she learned under the vet, she started preparing nutritionally-balanced home cooked meals for Foxy.
Almost immediately, her hair started growing back. The expression and life in her eyes came back. She started gaining weight.
And once she really started tailoring the calories and nutrition to Foxy’s needs, people started to notice. They started asking questions. And they started asking for help with their dogs.
Better health means a better bond
“If they’re not feeling well, you might not see their actual personality because they’re just trying to live the best they can in the pain… Once they start feeling better, they have the energy to play with you and take that walk and start exploring things as a family…
The pet parent’s quality of life starts coming together when they don’t have to deal with those health issues and that human-animal connection happens just so much more naturally then.”
After Dani witnessed the transformation Foxy went through and people started asking for help, she knew she was onto something…
And it wasn’t the business appeal or the chance to make money. It was the fact that she could help others experience exactly what she did with her own dog.
For example, a pet parent approached her with a lingering issue she just couldn’t get answers for. Her two year old dog had been dealing with diarrhea their entire life.
After creating a personalized diet for this dog, messy bowel movements had cleared up after just a few months.
That meant, the dog was no longer in pain and discomfort every single day. That also meant the pet parent didn’t have to clean up messes in the house, also every single day.
As a result, their relationship started improving almost immediately.
These moments are impactful for Dani because she knows how emotionally rewarding it can feel to experience those changes.
Once Foxy started healing, her true colors started to shine… So much so that Dani jokingly asked herself, “Oh, what have I done?”
The endlessly-tired dog who would play for a little then just stop and go lay down was now demanding a ball be thrown to her all day, every day.
Even though she’s always been a happy dog, it was just her health holding her back.
The time she spent at the shelter and at the vet, and even the time she spent on the streets before being picked up didn’t affect her ability to be happy. It was simply her health.
By addressing it through food, Dani was already taking steps that would help her feel more connected to Foxy…
And Foxy was learning to trust that this human truly had her back.
Now, no matter how many hours Dani works or how busy she might be at times, Foxy knows exactly when to show up by her side to bring a smile to her face.
“She came into a season of my life where I just had a lot of personal stuff going on and I really needed her there. It was perfect timing for me…
Now we'll make cooking videos together, and she loves walking and cuddling with me, and she's just always by my side when I'm in my office. She's very much attached to me and looks at me in a way that she doesn't look at anyone else.”
A new direction in life
Before Foxy, Dani’s heart was already wide open to pets. Each experience leading up to her soul dog gave her a different perspective on the human-animal bond.
“I really feel like my childhood represented that companionship… Then with pet sitting, I learned how to take care of them and that sense of responsibility. Shelter work showed me how to advocate for pets who are in their most vulnerable moments… And the veterinary work showed me the health and medicine side of it.
…When Foxy came into my life, she didn't really create my love for animals–I think she brought together all the pieces that had been really developing for years.”
When Dani was working at the shelter, she often found herself wishing she could help the animals through nutrition.
At the time, it just didn’t seem feasible.
But seeing how a special diet literally changed Foxy’s life, she felt encouraged to pursue a path she never even considered before.
And because she saw the impact firsthand, she was confident she could make a difference in others’ pet’s health as well.
Working alongside vets to help create sustainable, effective, and holistic care plans for pets means more pet parents can experience happy, healthy moments with their own pets too.
“This dog changed my life. I honestly would not be where I am today without her... And not only did she help me through the hardest chapters of my life, but now I get to help people through some of the hardest chapters of their life as well.”
No matter the kind of pet you have, seeing them happy, healthy, and living their best life is one of the most rewarding feelings as a pet parent.
But if you had to step away for a few days, would someone know exactly what to do to keep them happy and safe?
If something happened, could someone confidently step in and take your place?
Putting a Cotl plan in place ensures your pet is taken care of, just the way they’re used to, no matter what.
Discover how the process works or book a call directly with Sean, our founder and CEO, to see what a plan could look like for you.
