Omri Hillel designed a nose guard for his pitbull, Billie, after she was diagnosed with DLE, discoid lupus erythematosus, an autoimmune condition where the immune system attacks the skin on the nose and sunlight makes it worse. The vet explained there was no quick fix, only management: ointment twice a day, keeping Billie out of UV light, and expecting flare-ups for life. The ointment was the problem, since Billie licked it straight off as soon as it was applied.
Hillel spent thirteen prototypes refining a cover called Doguard. Once it worked, he uploaded the design to Maker World and shared the process on Reddit, free for anyone to print. Then the messages started, with people asking if he could sell them one. He first tried helping others make their own, but found that most owners simply wanted a solution quickly. On October 1st last year, he built a small website. Sixteen days later, his first customer placed an order.
The business grew quickly. Hillel renamed the product Snout Cover and still prints every one himself on a single printer in his studio shed, cutting and assembling each strap and packing each envelope. As of today, Snout Cover has helped more than 500 dogs. Of these, 395 orders have shipped to 16 countries, and the rest wear covers their owners printed and assembled themselves.
Shipping proved the hardest part. When some parcels got stuck in transit, Hillel sent replacements at his own cost. He says he never planned to sell the cover, and he made it first for Billie.
Source: Hacker News · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing