Pet Labs ™ stands where veterinary science meets innovation, founded by Dr. Romela Salgado to turn research-driven insight into smarter diagnostics and stronger animal care standards.
Before meaningful innovation reaches the shelf, it starts in the lab, guided by science, restraint, and long-term thinking.
In this PETBIZS Founders’ Interview Series, we speak with Dr. Romela Salgado, a veterinarian, veterinary nutritionist, and formulation scientist whose work centers on building nutritionally sound, minimally processed, and future-ready pet products.
As the founder of Pet Labs ™, she collaborates with pet food and supplement brands on formulation, ideation, and reverse engineering, bringing clinical insight into every development decision. Her perspective resonates strongly with founders, DVMs, and pet industry professionals seeking credibility in a crowded market.
Let’s start the conversation.
Thank you Dr. Romela for joining the PETBIZS Founders’ Interview Series. To begin, could you share your professional journey as a veterinarian, nutritionist, and formulation scientist, and how these roles shaped the creation of Pet Labs ™?
I am a practicing veterinarian with over seven years of clinical experience, alongside specialized training in veterinary nutrition and formulation science. For the past six years, I have run my own veterinary clinic in Ja Ela, Sri Lanka, where I work closely with companion animals across all life stages and health conditions.
My clinical exposure deeply shaped my professional direction. Treating pets with chronic and lifestyle-related diseases made me realize that nutrition is not just supportive care — it is foundational medicine.
This realization, combined with my scientific training and entrepreneurial mindset, led to the creation of Pet Labs ™ in 2024, a science-led pet nutrition solutions. Pet Labs ™ was built to bridge the gap between clinical nutrition science and commercial pet product development, and it is the work behind this mission that led to my recognition as the Skilled Youth Entrepreneur of Sri Lanka 2024
Building on your background, what specific gaps in pet food and supplement development motivated you to launch Pet Labs ™ as a science-led formulation business?
The most significant gap I observed was the disconnect between pet health outcomes and how products are formulated. Many products are trend-driven rather than problem- driven. As a veterinarian, I saw pets suffering from chronic conditions that could have been prevented or better managed with appropriate nutrition.
In addition, there was also a lack of deep nutritional reasoning behind many formulations — ingredients were selected based on popularity or marketing appeal rather than metabolic relevance, safety, or long-term exposure.
Pet Labs ™ was created to address this gap by offering evidence-based, clinically informed, and formulation-focused consultancy that prioritizes pet health outcomes over trends.
Many brands use the term “nutrition science.” From your standpoint, what defines scientifically credible formulation versus trend-driven product development?
Well, I believe that scientifically credible formulation is rooted in mechanism, evidence, and context. Every ingredient must have a clear purpose, validated inclusion levels, known interactions, and relevance to the species and physiological state of the pet.
Trend-driven development, on the other hand, often involves mixing popular ingredients without understanding bioavailability, synergy, antagonism, or metabolic consequences. If a formulator cannot explain why an ingredient is included, how it works in the body, and what risks it may pose long-term, the formulation lacks scientific credibility.
Pet Labs ™ focuses on minimally processed, long-term safe nutrition. How do you evaluate the impact of processing methods on nutrient integrity and metabolic health?
Processing directly influences nutrient stability, bioavailability, and metabolic response. My evaluation considers how different processing techniques affect heat-sensitive nutrients, functional compounds, protein structure, and digestibility.
Beyond nutrient loss, I assess how processing impacts metabolic load, gut health, and long-term physiological adaptation. The goal is not minimal processing for its own sake, but appropriate processing that preserves nutritional function while ensuring safety and consistency.
When a founder approaches Pet Labs ™ with an early-stage idea, what is your structured process for assessing nutritional viability, safety, and scalability?
The process begins with understanding the story behind the brand — its mission, vision, and the problem it aims to solve. Alignment here is essential.
From there, I evaluate feasibility at a high level by assessing:
- Whether the nutritional concept is biologically sound
- Whether the idea can meet safety and regulatory expectations Whether the business model is scalable and practical
While I cannot disclose proprietary methodologies, the assessment is framework-driven, evidence-based, and iterative. As an entrepreneur myself, I also guide founders on scalability and long-term sustainability without compromising scientific integrity.
Ideation is one of your core services. How do you combine market analysis with species-specific nutritional biology during concept development?
Usually, I start by identifying unmet or poorly solved problems in the market. Then, I evaluate whether these problems are biologically valid and nutritionally addressable in the target species.
Market demand alone is never sufficient. A viable concept must sit at the intersection of consumer need, biological feasibility, and nutritional science. Only when all three align does ideation move into formulation and execution.
In supplement formulation, how do you address bioavailability, nutrient synergy, and delivery systems to achieve measurable outcomes?
Supplement formulation requires a systems-based approach. Rather than focusing on individual ingredients in isolation, I evaluate how nutrients behave within the biological environment of the pet.
This includes considering appropriate nutrient forms, interactions between actives, and delivery formats that support consistent absorption and utilization. Outcomes are defined upfront, and formulation decisions are made to support those outcomes while maintaining safety and regulatory compliance — without relying on unnecessary complexity or unsupported claims.
Reverse engineering requires both precision and ethics. What principles guide your approach when improving existing pet food or supplement products?
I do not replicate formulations for competitive copying. Confidentiality and originality are core professional values for me.
When reverse engineering is used, it is strictly as a diagnostic and learning tool — to understand why a product performs the way it does and how an original or enhanced solution can be developed to better address the same problem. The goal is improvement, not imitation.
From your experience, which pet nutrition categories suffer most from formulation shortcuts, and why?
Pet supplements are the most affected. The category is growing rapidly, and many products enter the market without adequate formulation science, stability studies, or professional nutritional oversight.
Ingredients are often combined without understanding interactions, effective dosing, or long-term safety. Endorsements may exist, but deep nutritional validation is frequently missing, which puts pets at risk over time.
Many startups rush to market. How do you educate founders on the risks associated with skipping stability studies, shelf-life testing, or nutritional validation?
Education is a core part of my work. I actively address these issues through one-on-one consultancy, social media, and in-depth blog articles where I discuss the often uncomfortable realities of the industry.
I explain how skipping validation may reduce short-term costs but significantly increases long-term risks — product failure, regulatory issues, and most importantly, harm to pets. Founders who truly care about impact usually understand that responsible science cannot be rushed.
Regulatory compliance often intimidates founders. How does Pet Labs™ support clients navigating AAFCO, FEDIAF, and international regulatory standards?
I emphasize that no matter how good a product is, non-compliance makes it impractical in the long run. At the same time, I do not blindly follow non-mandatory guidelines when they conflict.
My approach focuses on understanding the intent behind regulations and selecting pathways that prioritize long-term pet safety, global adaptability, and scientific justification rather than box-ticking alone.
Your work includes novel and patentable formulations. What scientific factors make a pet nutrition product truly defensible and innovation-driven?
True innovation is not about novelty — it is about problem-solving depth. Defensible products are built on:
- Clear biological rationale
- Demonstrated functional outcomes
- Safety across long-term exposure
- Reproducibility and consistency
When innovation is grounded in science rather than trends, it becomes both patentable and meaningful.
How has your clinical veterinary experience influenced your understanding of long- term dietary exposure and chronic health outcomes?
Seven years of mindful clinical practice taught me that nutrition-related damage is often slow, cumulative, and silent. Many chronic conditions reflect years of suboptimal dietary exposure rather than acute events.
This perspective fundamentally shapes how I formulate — always considering not just short-term benefits, but lifelong metabolic consequences.
Sustainability now influences formulation decisions. How do you evaluate alternative proteins or functional ingredients without compromising nutritional adequacy?
As long as the scientific basis is sound, exploring alternatives is not difficult. I assess alternative ingredients based on digestibility, amino acid balance, bioavailability, safety, and species suitability — not sustainability claims alone.
Sustainability must support nutrition, not replace it.
What role does data analysis and evidence review play in your formulation and ideation workflows?
Data and evidence form the backbone of every decision. Literature review, comparative analysis, and outcome-based reasoning guide ideation and formulation.
And, no doubt, experience helps identify patterns, but evidence ensures accuracy. Together, they enable confident innovation.
For veterinarians considering a move into product development, what technical and mindset shifts are most critical for success?
A shift toward growth-oriented, innovative, practical, and deeply scientific thinking is essential. Product development requires systems thinking, regulatory awareness, and long-term responsibility beyond individual patients or brands.
How do you differentiate formulation strategies for therapeutic diets versus general wellness products and supplements?
Therapeutic diets are condition-specific and require tighter nutritional control, safety margins, and outcome validation. Wellness products focus more on prevention and long- term support but still require scientific rigor.
The difference lies in precision, risk tolerance, and intended outcome, not in the level of responsibility.
Transparency matters to modern pet parents. How should brands communicate nutrition science responsibly without oversimplifying claims?
Responsible communication respects the intelligence of pet parents. Brands should avoid exaggerated claims, explain why ingredients are used, and acknowledge limitations.
Remember, transparency builds trust when it is honest, not when it is simplified to the point of being misleading.
Looking ahead, which trends in functional nutrition or precision feeding do you believe will shape the next generation of pet products?
Precision feeding, individualized nutrition, and metabolically targeted formulations will define the future. Products will move away from “one-size-fits-all” and toward pet- specific health needs, supported by science rather than trends.
Finally, for founders and professionals reading PETBIZS, what guiding principles should define responsible innovation in pet food and supplement development?
Pet-focused thinking, professional qualification, scientific depth, ethical formulation, regulatory responsibility, and a genuine commitment to long-term pet health over short- term profit.
When innovation is driven by responsibility, impact follows.
As this conversation comes to a close, Dr. Romela Salgado’s perspective leaves little room for shortcuts or surface-level innovation. Her work at Pet Labs ™ reflects a disciplined balance of clinical responsibility, scientific depth, and ethical decision-making that the modern pet industry urgently needs.
For founders, DVMs, and professionals navigating formulation, regulation, and long-term product impact, her insights reinforce a clear message: credibility is built in the lab, proven over time, and sustained by responsibility.
PETBIZS thanks Dr. Salgado for sharing a vision that prioritizes science, restraint, and lasting impact over fleeting trends.
