4 Opportunities in The Billion-Dollar Pet Wellness Market

We’re pet people here at Trends, and we’ve sure covered the space a lot. But this recession-proof goldmine of business opportunities just keeps on giving.  

The secret sauce? Pet humanization — the more we treat them like our family, the more we’ll spend on new solutions to better their lives. 

Unsurprisingly, the biggest growth area is health and wellness. 

Source: Google Trends, six-month rolling average

The pet supplements market is worth $2.4B, and is forecasted to almost double by 2033. Last I checked, these two product categories are doing pretty damn well on Amazon: 

• Dog supplements: 74% growth in the past 5 years, with $2m+ revenue in the last month
• Dog probiotics: 115% growth, with $1m+ revenue 

This spike in dog supplements got us thinking: Will pet wellness go the same direction as human wellness?

The way younger generations view their pets — 30% of Millennials say they’d choose their pet over their significant other 🫠 — it appears the sky’s the limit.

Source: Bored Panda

Given that the global human health and wellness market reached $5.8T+ this year, we’d say you’re looking at some pretty sweet opportunities if the pet space goes even a fraction of that way.

Here are four established wellness trends that are great candidates for the pet space.

1. Personalized Supplements & Health Plans

If interest in generic animal options like Zesty Paws is anything to go by, personalized pet supplements will be next. 

Trendster Alex Bakula-Davis, who runs a dog-focused newsletter (more on that in a bit), agrees this niche is likely to take off. 

“More people are doing DNA tests for their animals (83k monthly Google searches), which could be great fodder to create personalized health or diet plans,” he told us.

You could also work with vets to develop in-depth questionnaires that lead to personalized supplement regimens, or develop lines for popular breeds. Some pooch examples with growing fan clubs from Reddit:

• Greyhounds
• Cane corsos
• Border collies
• Australian cattle dogs
• Newfoundlands

Creating a “dog dashboard,” where you can enter your dog’s info and get proactive health information, recommendations, and reminders (“like mint.com, but for your dog”), is another opportunity Alex pointed out.

2. Pet Mental Health

Did you know that ~3m dogs in America are on anti-anxiety medication? 

Help anxious pets (and their owners) manage their mental health with:

• Animal behavioral apps that deal with issues like separation anxiety and help pawrents (yep, this word is still a thing) better meet their pets’ needs.
• Pet calming tech: This dog separation-anxiety music video has 53m+ views. Imagine a portable speaker, similar to white noise machines for babies, that helps owners to calm their pets when they’re out.
• Blogs/newsletters that break down research in pet mental health and how to implement it. Two Trendsters, Alex and Collin, launched a newsletter called Dogonomist: “Think The Hustle meets The Economist, but with pooches!” per Alex. What more could you want? 

3. Alternative Therapies and Pet Spas

Give a dog a spa day. Source: Google Trends six-month rolling average. 

If pet spas are popular, what’s next — pet masseuses? Luxury fur care product lines?

You have to admit, it’s not so far-fetched.

Learn from wildly popular human products and put a furry spin on options like luxury shampoo bars and science-backed hair care.

Train a team to become certified canine massage therapists for $1.2k each, then charge $35-$50 a massage. (Did we just find our dream job?)

4. Exclusive Care Clubs

Vets don’t spend their days peacefully cuddling kittens; they’re some of the most burnt-out professionals in the world.

We wrote about private, concierge care clubs popping up for humans. These give you access to a dedicated “care team,” remove appointment wait times, and provide a range of benefits, like members-only lounges, networking events, and gyms.

Source: Google Trends six-month rolling average. 

The model also means that doctors take on a limited number of patients, and are ensured a monthly retainer and decent working hours.

Exclusive care clubs for pets could be next. If so, they may also accelerate niches like pet longevity medicine.

Benefits for the pet model could include exclusive access to in-demand services like:

• Dog trainers
• Agility courses
• Emergency vets
• Vetted pet sitters
• Private dog parks

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