SunBright Wellness: “Personalized Nutrition for Thriving Pets”
DeliveryRank chats with Dani Dominguez, founder of SunBright Wellness, and a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist specializing in pet nutrition and holistic pet care. Inspired by Foxy, a resilient rescue dog, Dani combines her expertise in nutrition and education to help pet parents provide tailored, health-supporting diets for their furry companions. Through personalized consultations, SunBright Wellness empowers pet owners to enhance their pets’ well-being at every stage of life. Dani also earned a Master’s Degree in Nutritional Sciences, further enhancing her expertise in nutrition.
SunBright Wellness integrates Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM) with contemporary nutritional science to promote pet health. Can you elaborate on how you blend these two approaches in your practice, and what advantages this combination offers for managing chronic conditions in pets?
To fully answer this question, I believe it's important to provide some background on how a registered dietitian nutritionist like myself found her way into the field of pet nutrition.
With my foundation in human nutrition, I have always believed in the healing power of food. My journey into pet nutrition began with Foxy, a foster dog I took in at a pivotal moment in her life. She had just completed chemotherapy treatments at an animal shelter, and I agreed to foster her to provide a safe and nurturing environment for her recovery. Foxy was underweight and had lost much of her fur due to the treatments, but over time, she captured our hearts, and we decided to adopt her, knowing the significant health challenges she had already overcome.
Given my background as a dietitian, I was determined to support her healing through nutrition. This commitment led me to pursue certifications as a Pet Nutrition Coach through the North American Veterinary Community (NAVC) and a Holistic Pet Health Coach specializing in Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine. I earned this certification through Dr. Ruth Roberts, a veterinarian with over 30 years of experience in holistic veterinary medicine. She personally trained me in TCVM and holistic health.
At SunBright Wellness, we integrate over 2,000 years of TCVM wisdom with the latest advancements in modern nutritional science to create personalized care plans that truly transform pets’ health. TCVM takes a holistic approach, utilizing food energetics to identify organ imbalances while modern nutrition science helps determine precise nutrient needs, such as the appropriate levels of calories, protein, fat, carbohydrates, and essential vitamins and minerals for dogs and cats.
Unlike conventional approaches that primarily treat symptoms, TCVM focuses on identifying and addressing root causes, promoting long-term, sustainable health. In a way, this method allows pets to "speak" through their symptoms. If a pet exhibits low energy, skin issues, or digestive problems, we use food as medicine to restore balance.
In today's world, as you’ve likely observed through your own research, we are seeing a rise in chronic illnesses among pets. This is where TCVM plays a crucial role—by addressing imbalances before they develop into full-blown diseases and alleviating symptoms of existing chronic conditions.
Your approach emphasizes creating tailored nutrition plans based on a pet's unique needs, life stage, and health profile. Could you discuss the process you follow to develop these individualized plans and how they differ from standard feeding recommendations?
At SunBright Wellness, we approach the development of individualized nutrition plans for pets in two distinct ways. The first approach involves leveraging modern science to address the specific nutrient needs of your pet, including calories, protein, fat, and carbohydrates. We ensure that your pet's diet meets the standards set by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), which regulates essential nutrition for pets. It's important to us that we meet these requirements to promote your pet's health.
The second approach integrates Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine, which focuses on maintaining your pet’s internal balance. TCVM looks at how specific foods can support their unique body elements and help correct any imbalances. I’ve noticed that many pet owners often feel overwhelmed by the variety of food options available for their pets. When you walk down the pet food aisle, it’s easy to get lost in the array of kibble, cans, fresh cooked meals, freeze-dried, air-dried, and raw diets. And even after selecting a category, it’s still difficult to determine if the food, based on its nutrition or marketing, truly supports your pet's health without doing thorough research.
To help navigate this complexity, we offer a service called the Review of Current Diet Consultation. This package allows us to assess exactly what you're feeding your pet and whether it aligns with recommended standards. We start with a full calorie count to ensure it matches your pet’s life stage requirements. We also conduct a macronutrient analysis to evaluate the balance of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, comparing these percentages to what’s optimal for their age and activity level. Following this, we offer a 45-minute virtual consultation to break down the findings and assess whether your pet’s needs, including treat allowances, are being met. Many pet owners are often surprised to learn that the feeding charts on commercial pet foods are merely starting points. Factors like age, breed, weight, activity level, and spay/neuter status can all impact your pet’s nutritional needs.
For instance, when calculating Foxy’s caloric needs during her kibble phase, I discovered that I was unintentionally underfeeding her by a full cup per day based on the guidelines provided on the food packaging. Another important service we offer is the analysis of ingredient lists to identify any potential red flags that could negatively impact your pet’s health. For example, if we find a macronutrient imbalance, such as excess carbohydrates—which can contribute to insulin resistance and inflammation—we can recommend alternatives. One of our services, Personalized Commercial Food Selection, helps pet parents by doing the heavy lifting of researching foods that better align with their pet’s specific nutritional and health needs.
While ensuring that your pet is consuming the right number of calories is crucial, it's also essential to feed them the right types of nutrients. This is where our Holistic Health Check Consultation comes in. We delve deeper into the types of proteins, carbs, and fats that best support your pet’s organs and overall well-being. For instance, if a dog is associated with a TCVM element of fire, they may benefit from cooling foods to maintain balance. If you’re feeding a warming food like chicken, you may not be supporting their body as effectively. This consultation goes beyond simply checking calorie counts and macronutrient ratios—it ensures that the quality and energetic properties of the foods you feed your pet are in harmony with their health needs, and that’s where TCVM truly shines.
Preventive health care is a key focus, particularly in managing chronic conditions like obesity, diabetes, and digestive issues. How do you educate pet owners about the importance of preventive nutrition, and what strategies do you recommend for maintaining long-term pet health?
Educating pet parents is a core aspect of my mission as the founder of SunBright Wellness. At SunBright, we believe in the power of prevention—catching imbalances before they even have the chance to manifest as disease. Nutrition, to me, is like making an early investment—it’s much easier to prevent issues like obesity, diabetes, or digestive problems than to treat them later on, along with the mounting veterinary bills. Think of it in human terms, like eating more vegetables or cutting back on sugar to prevent diabetes. Small changes, whether for humans or pets, can add up over time.
With today’s highly processed pet foods and the rise in chronic diseases, preventive nutrition is more crucial than ever for promoting longer, healthier lives. Our goal at SunBright Wellness is to help pet owners recognize the subtle signs of imbalance in their pets, then adjust their nutrition accordingly. One of the key elements in this process is teaching pet parents how to listen to those signs. This helps them become their pets' biggest advocate and even their voice—something that TCVM uniquely enables us to do. Since our pets can’t directly tell us when something is wrong, like saying "I’m too hot" or "My stomach hurts," we have to pay attention to their behaviors, which can speak volumes. TCVM helps us decode that language.
One of the strategies I rely on is tailoring each pet’s diet based on their TCVM constitutional element. What makes this approach so powerful is that each element can predict potential health issues, which makes it invaluable when creating a holistic health plan. For example, an earth-element pet might be more prone to obesity, so we would adjust their nutrition plan to include higher fiber or lower-calorie foods. For a water-element pet, we would focus on extra hydration support, as this element is linked to the kidneys.
We also take food energetics into account, which classifies foods as warming, cooling, or neutral. This classification helps pets achieve balance. For instance, a dog with recurring digestive issues may benefit from warming foods like chicken—much like humans use ginger tea to soothe an upset stomach. TCVM also allows us to identify and correct early imbalances by recommending foods that restore balance and promote healing from the inside out.
As part of our prevention-focused approach, I encourage pet owners to revisit their pet’s nutrition plan regularly. This review should account for not only seasonal changes but also shifts in age and health. This dynamic approach ensures that pets stay in optimal health over the long term, adapting their nutrition as their needs evolve.
One of your services is the Holistic Health Check Consultation Package, which provides personalized TCVM-based dietary insights. Can you provide more details about what this consultation entails and how it benefits pets with specific health concerns?
At SunBright Wellness, we understand that every pet is unique, and a one-size-fits-all approach to nutrition simply doesn’t work. That’s why we begin every consultation with a comprehensive pet health questionnaire. This helps us gather detailed insights into what your pet is currently eating, their energy levels, digestive health, and any behavioral or physical signs that may point to imbalances.
An essential part of this process is identifying your pet's unique constitutional element. In Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine, we follow the Five Element Theory, which includes wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. Each element is connected to specific organs, behaviors, and even personality traits, which influence health tendencies. For example, a fire-element pet may have high energy but be prone to anxiety and heat imbalances, while an earth-element pet might struggle with weight issues.
TCVM goes beyond simply addressing symptoms—it looks at the root causes of imbalances. Even small signs like a dull coat or a sudden change in appetite could point to deeper imbalances within the elements. Additionally, TCVM assigns emotional and physical functions to paired organs: the liver is linked to anger, and the digestive system is associated with worry. If an organ is disrupted by emotions or environmental factors, dietary adjustments and herbs can help restore balance.
The beauty of TCVM is its individualized approach. No two pets are the same, and I’ve never created two identical nutrition plans. Just as no pet's needs are the same, their nutrition should be tailored to support their unique requirements. That’s where we focus on customizing plans that meet each pet’s specific health profile.
As a dietitian and pet nutritionist, my goal is to provide pet parents with actionable insights that help alleviate chronic issues and improve their pet's quality of life. The most rewarding part of my work is seeing pets thrive after implementing these personalized nutrition plans. That’s what truly makes this journey so fulfilling for me.
Addressing chronic illnesses such as obesity, cancer, diabetes, kidney disease, osteoarthritis, and hyperthyroidism is a central aspect of your practice. How does your nutritional approach address these conditions, and can you share any success stories where your interventions have significantly improved a pet's quality of life?
Chronic conditions can indeed feel overwhelming for pet parents, but what I truly love about TCVM is its integrative approach. It not only addresses the root imbalances but also works seamlessly alongside modern veterinary medicine. We've had many pet parents come to us after conventional treatments, and while those treatments may have worked to some extent, lingering symptoms still remained unresolved, especially for pets with chronic health issues. That’s where TCVM shines—it uses natural, non-invasive tools like food therapy and supplements to offer relief, restore balance, and support long-term health in a holistic way.
For instance, if a pet is struggling with their urinary health (e.g. bladder stones or UTIs), we may suggest moisture-rich meals with bone broth which can help flush the urinary tract. For skin allergies or sensitivities, we focus on elimination diets to avoid food and environmental triggers and support the system with anti-inflammatory ingredients. For kidney disease, we focus on hydrating and kidney-supporting foods. For pets battling cancer, we emphasize immune-boosting, antioxidant-rich ingredients to support healing and comfort during treatment or recovery. It's all about choosing foods that reduce imbalances and promote energy flow.
What makes this approach special, and what truly excites me, is how empowering it is for pet parents. After a consultation, they not only walk away with a tailored plan but also a deeper understanding of their pet's health and actionable steps to support them naturally. There’s nothing more rewarding than witnessing a pet transformation from struggling to thriving. It’s not just about managing illness; it’s about giving them a better quality of life. For me, my dog is family, and I know so many pet parents can relate to that feeling.
As for how long it takes to see a difference, it really depends on the pet and the condition being addressed. For example, with my dog Foxy—who inspired me to start this business—after her chemo treatments left her fragile, I tailored her diet to her TCVM element, and she started regaining energy. I noticed some changes immediately, but the most significant improvement came after about a month.
Some pets can show noticeable changes in as little as a couple of weeks. One of my clients had a dog suffering from back pain and arthritis, and after incorporating TCVM foods and anti-inflammatory ingredients, the pet showed dramatic improvement. He was even running around like a puppy again, despite being in his older years. Seeing that transformation was incredibly heartwarming and a perfect example of how powerful this approach can be. It’s the kind of change that truly makes my work so fulfilling.
If you would like to find out more about Dani Dominguez MS, RDN, please visit https://sunbrightwellness.com/
Dani also provides substantial pet nutrition education on her social media channels (Instagram @sunbright.wellness, TikTok @sunbright.wellness and Facebook @SunBright Wellness).