Pet Industry News
The deals, launches, and strategic moves behind the brands and operators shaping the industry.
Pets will shape travel plans for 68% of owners, Subaru survey finds
A Subaru-commissioned Talker Research survey of 2,000 pet-owning drivers, released October 13th, 2026, says 68% expect their pet to affect travel plans this year and 73% would drive instead of fly to bring the pet. New in this release, 10% may host, 10% may shorten a trip and 8% may skip gatherings. In our view, the trip-length and planning numbers are the ones sitters and kennels can use.
FDA Clears Zoetis Drug for Screwworm as Outbreak Spreads North
The FDA granted Zoetis an emergency use authorization for Simparica Trio to treat New World screwworm in dogs, the first product cleared specifically for the threat. Texas has already begun requiring treatment before dogs cross certain lines, putting boarding facilities, transporters, and border-state vet practices under a new compliance mandate.
DOJ Sues Darwin's Pet Food Over a Decade of Ignored Contamination Warnings
The Department of Justice is suing Darwin's Natural Pet Products, seeking a permanent injunction over contamination findings dating back to 2017 and a child's E. coli-linked hospitalization. It's a harsher, rarer enforcement path than the recalls that usually settle pet food safety cases, and it raises the bar for every raw feeding brand with open FDA warnings of its own.
Wolters Kluwer's New Database Signals a Retail Push Into Vet Meds
Wolters Kluwer introduced Medi-Span Vet Meds, a veterinary drug database built to let retail pharmacies safely dispense pet prescriptions. The launch targets a $13 billion market where dispensing errors and a shortage of certified veterinary pharmacology expertise have kept most retail chains out. No launch retail partner has been named yet.
Salmonella Recall Hits a Raw Dog Food Brand That Hadn't Had One Since 2015
Oma's Pride is recalling 639 bags of frozen raw chicken dog food across 11 states after testing found Salmonella in a single lot, the family-owned brand's first FDA recall since 2015. The event adds to a rough 2026 for raw and frozen pet food safety, where two of the year's three tracked pathogen recalls already involved the category.
A Smart Bed Takes On the Pet-Wearable Crowd, No Collar Required
WoafMeow closed a pre-seed round under $1 million, backed by a Hong Kong family office, to build a passive smart bed for aging and sick pets instead of a wearable collar. The platform ambition it's chasing, AI guidance, a vet marketplace, local services, and end-of-life support, is bigger than the check funding it.
Boehringer Ingelheim Buys a Second Vaccine Startup Without Disclosing Terms
Boehringer Ingelheim acquired Evax AG, a Swiss biotech developing a therapeutic vaccine for horse allergic skin disease, without disclosing deal terms. It's the company's second unpriced vaccine-platform acquisition since 2024, a pattern that makes it harder for founders and rivals to benchmark what these deals are actually worth.