However, there are ways for us to change the way we treat those diseases for the better.
While it’s true that dogs and cats in Ireland are generally being treated better than before, that doesn’t come without consequences. Integrating your dog or cat into the family does improve their standard of life, but also means they are more susceptible to the same diseases as their owners.
Before TriviumVet, a company founded by Tom Brennan and Louise Grubb, animals’ medicine came from vets simply compounding the human equivalent. The idea for the company came to them on a plane home from Philadelphia, and they haven’t looked back since.
Speaking to host Tadhg Enright on The Architects of Business podcast, in partnership with EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™, Louise and Tom spoke about how Ireland can change the way we treat our pets.
Louise and Tom are both veterans of the pharmaceutical world, who turned their attention to helping veterinarians treat small animals. They both have already had several successful business ventures, including Louise’s founding of 2016 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Finalist Q1 Scientific.
“With serious diseases for dogs and cats, and for your companion animals in general, there are not approved treatments available for many of the conditions they get later in life,” Tom says.
“This is the area where we’re fitting into with TriviumVet. In that, there aren’t the drugs specifically registered for dogs and cats for these types of diseases, so we’re developing those drugs,” Louise adds.
When the idea was first pitched, Louise says it was laughed at. Seeing as both herself and Tom boast an impressive portfolio of business ventures, it didn’t take them long to know they were on to a winner.
It isn’t always plain sailing for those who take a leap of faith with their new idea, as they’ll both tell you. Tom says, however, that it’s important people have the courage to not only push an idea out there, but also to be as ambitious as you can.
“No matter how bad you think you’ve had it in terms of your own start-up war stories, when you talk to somebody else, you know there is probably a lot worse,” Tom says.
“Even the most successful entrepreneurs that I know through the (EOY) network. I don’t know any of them that haven’t had, you know, really tough times at some stage of their company’s evolution.”
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