After surgery and other medical treatments, pets cannot be bathed and must avoid getting wet for several days because the wound may get infected and would take longer to heal. What follows is unwanted odours from our furry friends.
In order to keep pets clean without being bathed, Teerapong Yata, lecturer at the Biochemistry Unit, the Department of Physiology at the Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, created We-Serum, a hydro-nanogel bath-substituting product to solve the problem.
"After the Covid-19 pandemic, the pet market expanded because people spent more time at home. An entrepreneur in the pet industry was looking for a new cleaning product and consulted with me. In the past, pet caregivers had to purchase bathing products, disinfectant products and mosquito repellent products separately which cost them a lot of money. However, this new hydro-nanogel bath-substituting product is multi-purpose which uniquely combines three functions -- cleaning, disinfecting and repelling mosquitoes," explained Teerapong.
In 2014, according to positioningmag.com, the pet market was classified into food (60%), snacks (30%), cleaning products (5%) and clothes and accessories (5%). N.C.C. Exhibition Organiser reported that the pet market size has grown 5-10% each year because the number of single people, married couples without children, LGBTI couples and elders have increased. These pet-loving people spend money taking care of their beloved pets. Last year, the pet market was valued at 36.7 billion baht and by the end of last year, the N.C.C. Exhibition Organiser estimates that the number will reach 38.5 billion baht.
Teerapong, who earned his doctorate in Clinical Medicine Research from Imperial College London in the United Kingdom, spent two years developing the product and testing the market before launching this pet-friendly product.
Teerapong Yata. Photos: Teerapong Yata
"At first, we used many herbal extracts, but pets are sensitive to scents. If there were scents that they disliked, they ran away. A herbal like curcumin is good for reducing inflammation, but it cannot be used in the product because it changes the fur colour of pets to yellow. Pet caregivers did not like it. Also, we designed the product package as a pump bottle because our research found that pets tend to be frightened of spray products," said Teerapong.
Hydro-nanogel, the main substance in the product, is a polymer that can absorb water and makes the product different from others. In the market, other brands add active ingredients to their products directly that can reduce their effectiveness or those active ingredients can be damaged from environmental factors such as sunlight. We-Serum puts active ingredients into hydro-nanogel which protects the active ingredients from being damaged and can slowly release the ingredients to be absorbed into the pets' body. Teerapong also designed the product in a way that would release the active ingredients differently.
"I designed the product in order for the active ingredients to remain or absorb through the skin surface. Substances to reduce inflammation, irritation and disinfected bacteria must absorb through skin. Substances to repel mosquitoes and other insects must remain on the skin surface. Substances that have a pleasing smell were also designed to stay on the skin," said Teerapong.
In order to prevent pets from having heartworms which are caused by the bite of a mosquito, many pet-loving people apply mosquito repellents on their pets, whichs can cause irritation. However, Teerapong said icaridin, an active ingredient in the hydro-nanogel product, is safe.
"Many products use an active ingredient called deet, which can cause irritation. Instead, the hydro-nanogel product uses icaridin which is safer than deet. Icaridin does not cause irritation and allergy, can control microbes including bacteria and fungus growth, and can repel mosquitoes effectively. It is recommended for use with children in the US and many countries in Europe. Application of the hydro-nanogel product to pets can keep mosquitos away for seven to eight hours," said Teerapong.
Currently, pet owners like to keep their pets in their houses, so owners want to keep pets clean by bathing them often.
"A veterinarian recommends not giving baths to pets daily because it can cause negative effects to their skin. Pets can have a bath once a week and during the week, pet caregivers can use dry shampoo, wet tissue or the hydro-nano product to keep the pet clean. Pet owners who take their pets to grooming services should choose a store that can be trusted and is clean and free from ticks, fleas and lice," said Teerapong.
We-Serum, a hydro-nanogel bath-substituting product Teerapong Yata
"Customers who use the hydro-nanogel product gave positive feedback that their pets do not have an unpleasant smell after using the product. People who take their dogs for evening walks also reported that the product can protect the dogs from mosquito bites," he added.
Teerapong wears several hats. As a scientist, he has more than 20 products including fish vaccine and animal feed supplement that are registered for patents at the Department of Intellectual Property, Ministry of Commerce. As the chief technology officer of Naïve Innova Company in which Chulalongkorn University is a shareholder, he has often had to create challenging new products.
"Chulalongkorn University aims to become an entrepreneur university which can push academic research to be used in commercial aspects as much as possible. Any entrepreneur who wants to add value to their products by using nanotechnology can talk with us," said Teerapong.
From the hydro-nanogel pet product, Teerapong has extended the research to a hydrogel bath-substituting product for bedridden and/or elderly patients, but it will take a couple of years to complete the research.
"Since bedridden elderlies have to stay in bed and have trouble with mosquitoes, we would like to extend the product for use with people. We received a grant from the National Research Council of Thailand and an entrepreneur is interested in this product. It will take about one to two years to finish the research," said Teerapong.
