OUR MISSION
The mission of CARE for Pets™ (a leading consumer advocate for the PET CARE INDUSTRY) is to advance the health, safety and wellness of all pets by improving transparency and accountability; and seeks to strengthen the human-animal bond to improve the lives of people and their companion animals.
BETTER CARE FOR PETS™
The corporatization of the pet care industry: The growing corporate influence in the pet care industry has accelerated over the last few years — largely invisible to many pet owners because corporate entities view the corporatization of a business as a marketing liability and may purposely avoid corporate ownership identification and hide ownership. In the last six years, the market share of corporate-owned veterinary practices has increased approximately 300 percent — nearly 1 out of 3 animal hospitals in the u.s. are now owned by corporate consolidators. Common complaints among employees of veterinary consolidators say their employer prioritizes profits over patient care. By sharing trusted and unbiased information with consumers, CARE for Pets™ seeks to empower pet owners to effect positive change in the pet care industry in order to provide the best care for all companion animals.
Buying Pet Medications Online
It’s estimated that 71% of pet medication sales for cats and dogs were sold by veterinary hospitals in 2022 according to market research firm Packaged Facts. Average sales at veterinary hospital online stores doubled from 2021 to 2023 — growing number of hospitals “no longer approve requests from outside pharmacies by phone, fax, or email.” Practices typically outsource their online pharmacy to a prescription management service — third-party pharmacy provides individual practice websites with a clinic-branded online store that offers home delivery of pet prescription medications. Pharmacy sales can make up over 25% of a practice’s revenue.
Find The Best Pet Health Insurance
Today, in the pet insurance marketplace, several brands are owned by the same holding company(s). These entities may own and or control other companies in the pet care space (vertically integrated) and have access to large amounts of consumer spending data that may impact the price of insurance premiums. Approximately 4.85 million pets were insured in the u.s. at the end of 2022 according to the North American Pet Health Insurance Association (NAPHIA). The average accident and illness premium for dogs in 2022 was $640 — 9.6% annual increase and $387 for cats — 12.9% annual increase. Several pet insurance companies were seeking annual premium rate increases of 30 to 56 percent in 2023.
Locate Veterinary Hospital Near You
A growing number of pet owners looked for an accredited hospital the last time they chose an animal hospital. Unlike human hospitals, not all veterinary hospitals are required to be accredited. Word-of-mouth is still the primary factor for selecting a new veterinary practice. A recently published first-of-its-kind study reveals “veterinarians working in corporate practices reported feeling more pressure than those in private practice to generate revenue and see more clients per shift” — doctor at one of the largest corporate consolidators says “vets were feeling pressure from management to make a certain amount of money from every appointment.” Always verify the current ownership status with your veterinarian.
COMPANION PLATFORM™
CARE for Pets™ launches COMPANION,™ a pet health platform to help pet owners find the best care for their companion animals. Our research shows that many general practices fail to provide a complete list of emergency and urgent care providers for emergencies and after-hours care — competing hospitals located nearby are often not displayed (referred) on individual practice websites that can provide immediate care. In some cases, it’s not disclosed that the referred hospital is also owned by the same hospital group that owns the individual practice.