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.
MPM Products recertifies as a B Corp under B Lab's audited new standards
The owner of Applaws, Reveal and Encore is one of 20 UK companies in the first cohort to certify under B Lab's rewritten standards, which add third-party assurance and a five-year cycle. With the EU's sustainability label rules applying from September 27th, 2026, B Lab says an assured B Corp badge now qualifies as a valid label.
Zoom Room returns to franchising with 18.2% same-store sales growth
Zoom Room reported 12.0% and 18.2% same-store sales growth in Q2 and Q3 after pausing development in late 2025, and 15.1% for units open more than a year. It now resumes franchise sales with two quarters of operating data, and a 550-gym target that implies about 120 openings a year.
Nutramax takes its Consil brand from bone grafts to wound dressings
Nutramax Laboratories Veterinary Sciences launched Consil Matrix, a silica-fiber wound dressing for dogs, cats and horses, through a relationship with SiOxMed, whose human silica-fiber wound matrix holds FDA 510(k) clearances. The release does not say the two are the same material. Animal devices need no FDA premarket review, and no published veterinary study of the material turned up in our search.
Vet AI use hit 83.7%, and the biggest returns go to practices with a plan
AI use among veterinary professionals jumped from 39.2% to 83.7% in two years, according to a Digitail and AAHA study released October 1st. Most practices added AI without changing workflows, and the ones that built strategy and governance report six times the business outcomes.
A Free Pet Memorial Builder Puts Grief Care on the Pet Industry's Map
Jasper, a pet loss grief community founded in 2024, launched The Forever Space, a free and shareable online memorial builder. With more than 1,000 members and a closely engaged community, it gives families a place to remember their pets and gives the pet industry a reason to think more carefully about the end of life.
Whisker spins its house litter out as a standalone brand
Whisker is retiring the GreatLitter name and relaunching its unchanged Wyoming clay as Lit, a standalone premium litter at $30 per 20-pound bag. That is about 2.1x a mass-market clumping box per pound, and the price appears unchanged from before the rename. For now Lit sells only on Whisker's own sites while Tidy Cats holds the retail shelf.