In conversation with Natalia Doshi, Founder of Doctor Petlittle, she delves into the serious gaps lacking in the grooming sector, importance of probiotics in pet skin health, and their different ranges for dogs and cats.
Question: How has the trajectory of your brand been so far in the Pet Industry? What are the major gaps that exist in the grooming sector?
Answer: The response has been incredible. The love from pet parents and the recent launch of our cats range, has validated everything we set out to do. The core gap we are solving is the complete lack of regulation in India’s grooming space where sub-standard and harsh products face no accountability. With that, layer on our climate with the heat, humidity, hard water, dust, and pollution, and you have a recipe for rising skin infections and allergies that most pet parents are unprepared for.
Doctor Petlittle was born to bridge that gap, made for India, priced for India, and built to genuinely care for every pet here.
Question: Probiotics in pet grooming is still in its nascent stages. What steps are you taking to educate pet parents on the science behind balancing skin microbiome and what is the importance of the same?
Answer: The most common question we still get is if they have to eat it, and that is our cue to start from scratch. A pet’s skin has its own microbiome a living ecosystem that needs nurturing, not stripping, and that the itching, redness, and odour most pets experience is a direct consequence of products that do the latter. We position it as skincare for pets. It is not a medicine, but is rooted in consistent and preventative care, like humans. We reinforce this through vets, groomers, pet parents, and community content, with one goal: shifting mindsets from reactive grooming to proactive skin health.
Question: A range that is vegan, cruelty-free, sulphate free, pH balanced, and designed for tropical climates requires complex formulas and R&D. How was the process like for you and how long did it take?
Answer: It was a long and humbling road. We tried benchmark against the best international brands, while I was living overseas, and that became our quality baseline. We started formulating in the US, but shifted manufacturing to India, which meant restarting the process entirely. The hardest challenge was stability. Probiotics are a delicate ingredient, and getting them to hold their efficacy in Indian heat and humidity was a challenge. We were originally set to launch dogs and cats together, but we weren’t satisfied with the cats’ formulations and had pushed it back. We only want to put our name on something we’d be proud to use ourselves.
Question: You recently expanded from dogs into cats with the launch of Doctor Catlittle. What drove that decision, and how different was the formulation process for felines compared to your existing canine range?
Answer: We always set out to build a brand for all pets, but this expansion was as much about product integrity as ambition. Most brands use the same formulations across dogs and cats, which is genuinely problematic. Cats have more delicate skin, need gentler cleansing, a different pH, and are far more sensitive to fragrance, even from natural ingredients. Cats also self-groom constantly, so every leave-in product had to be formulated with ingestion safety front of mind. That’s why our dry shampoos are non-foaming: foam residue contributes to matting and poses real risk for cats that lick frequently. Every decision came from listening to what pets actually need, not just adapting what already existed.
Question: The Indian pet care market is growing rapidly but is also becoming increasingly crowded. What is Doctor Petlittle’s core differentiator and how do you ensure that “premium, science-backed, ethical grooming” is a message that cuts through the noise for today’s pawrents?
Answer: Most pet parents want the best for their furbabies, they just do not always know what’s available. The moment we explain what probiotics do for a pet’s skin, something clicks, and almost every parent we’ve spoken to has chosen to give us a shot. When they do, they come back and that retention is the product working, not marketing.
In a crowded market full of generic claims, we lead with science and specificity: made for Indian conditions, formulated for the pet’s actual skin biology. We win by earning trust through education and results, and that’s what creates loyalty.
Question: Looking ahead, what does the next chapter of Doctor Petlittle look like? Are there new product categories, international expansion, or innovations in the pipeline that pet lovers can look forward to?
Answer: A lot is in motion. We are now officially Doctor Petlittle, the parent brand housing both Doctor Doglittle and Doctor Catlittle, giving each the space to grow in their own right. Our immediate priority is accessibility we’ve been online-first, but too many pet parents tell us they can’t find us near them, so we’re actively building for offline retail.
We are also constantly in conversation with pet parents, groomers, and vets, and those conversations directly shape a product pipeline that’s fuller than ever for both ranges. I cannot say too much just yet, but the best of Doctor Petlittle is still ahead!