From Crafting Lattes to Healing Shih Tzu as a Canine Nutritionist

Some careers are chosen.

Others find you when you’re just trying to heal the dog you love.

This is the story of how healing my own Shih Tzu led to a complete career switch.

How I Became a Certified Professional Canine Nutritionist

I used to spend my days pouring latte art, training baristas, and designing the next Instagrammable drink in the heart of Hong Kong’s café culture. 

It was fast-paced, creative, and full of energy.

My world revolved around hospitality, service, and the joy of crafting something tasty for someone else.

I truly thought I had found my path. I was proud of what I built.

If you had told me back then that a tiny Shih Tzu named Billy would flip my life upside down and lead me into the world of canine nutrition…

I would’ve smiled politely and gone back to steaming oat milk.

Yet here I am.

A Certified Professional Canine Nutritionist (CPCN) for your Shih Tzu.

And this is the story I never thought I’d be writing.

The Turning Point

When my husband and I brought Billy into our lives, we had no idea how this tiny Shih Tzu would change our lives. 

Billy is nothing but joy.

His warm snuggles and hilarious obsession with pacifiers made our hearts full.

But very soon, within the first year, something started to feel… off.

Billy developed tear stains, struggled with tummy upsets, and showed signs of food sensitivities that we couldn’t make sense of.

I felt helpless watching him suffer and guilty for not knowing how to help.

Like many dog parents, we visited one vet after another.

We tried all the “premium” kibble, supplements… but nothing truly worked.

Billy was still uncomfortable. 

That’s when something inside me shifted.

I looked at him and realized I couldn’t keep blindly guessing.

I needed to find out the truth on my own. I needed to learn how to truly nourish him properly by myself. 

From Coffee Science to Canine Nutrition

Growing up, I was that child who stopped to pet every dog on the street.

I loved animals deeply and dreamed of becoming a vet.

But as life often does, it nudged me down a different path…one that led to coffee counters, creative spaces, and a thriving career in hospitality.

I ended up following a different path, building a career around coffee and creativity. 

Still, that love for animals never left me.

It just quietly waited in the background until the day Billy needed me to show up for him in a bigger way.

With my background in product development and beverage innovation, diving into research wasn’t foreign to me.

I’d spent years obsessing over the coffee flavor, water science, and making sure every drink wasn’t just delicious, but also a work of art.

That same part of me, the part that’s driven to get things right, kicked in full force when it came to Billy’s health.

I didn’t want surface-level answers.

I wanted to understand the biology, the root causes, the nutrients, and the healing power of food.

I started cooking for Billy from scratch.

It wasn’t perfect. I made mistakes. Lots of them… 

But I kept going. I kept improving, one meal at a time.

The Moment I Took It Seriously

In 2023, I created Billy’s Paw as a love letter to my dog and everything he had taught me.

I wanted to share what I had learned through tears, trials, and tiny triumphs. 

What began as a personal blog slowly started to grow.

I started receiving messages from Shih Tzu parents around the world.

Some grateful, some desperate, some simply searching for answers like I once was.

And with every comment, every thank-you, I felt the weight of responsibility grow.

I realized this was bigger than just me and Billy.

That’s when I made the decision to go deeper.

I enrolled in the Professional Canine Nutrition Certification (CPCN) with the Feed Real Institute to truly understand the science behind what I was already practicing.

It wasn’t a checkbox.

It was a promise to myself, to Billy, and to every dog parent who had placed their trust in me.

This was me saying, “I’m all in.”

What I Do Today (And Why It Matters)

Today, I help dog parents, especially those with Shih Tzu, navigate the confusing world of dog nutrition.

As a certified canine nutritionist for Shih Tzu, I’ve built my work around their unique needs.

Through Billy’s Paw, I offer:

But more than anything, I’m here to remind you that you have the power to change your dog’s life, just like I did with Billy.

To Anyone on the Fence…

Maybe you’re where I once was.

Unsure. Overwhelmed. Wondering if your dog’s issues are “just normal.”

I want you to know: they’re not. And you don’t have to settle.

You don’t need to be a vet to make better decisions.

You don’t have to do it alone.

If you ever feel stuck, I’m just a message away.