Building on expert analysis presented in previous editions and other reports in Packaged Facts’ extensive pet market research collection, this comprehensive and data-rich market report explores every major category of the U.S. pet care services industry as well as important emerging ones. Marketwide the prospects remain strong, driven by technological and pharmaceutical advances in veterinary medicine, the ongoing penetration of PetSmart and Petco, the ever-widening range of pet care services, intense pet owner interest in preventive and therapeutic pet wellness, the all-important consumer benefit of time-saving convenience, the aging pet and human populations, and, of course, the all-important human/animal bond.

Following an in-depth discussion of market size, growth, composition, drivers and competitive dynamics, the report features expanded chapters devoted to veterinary, boarding/daycare, grooming, training and pet sitting/walking, focusing on such growth areas as mobile grooming, pet waste management and other at-home services as well as other promising areas including pet travel and funerary/bereavement services. Important market factors examined at length include the current and projected impact of the recession; industry “corporatization” via the ramped-up involvement of major companies and home-grown franchises with natural aspirations; service trends in the independent pet specialty channel; the cross-channel multiservice facility trend; trends in premium/luxury areas including pet hotels, daycare and spa-style grooming; and high-growth areas in the veterinary channel including pain management, senior care, cancer care and hospice care.

Read an excerpt from this report below.

Report Methodology

Featuring extensive profiling of the pet care services consumer based on a 2009 pet owner poll conducted by Packaged Facts, the report also profiles dog and cat owners more broadly, using data from Experian Simmons’ Winter 2008/2009 National Consumer Study. Additional key data sources include the Pet Care Services Association’s 2009 Pet Industry Survey, which tracks trends among boarding kennels and multiservice pet care facilities nationwide; the American Pet Products Association 2009-2010 National Pet Owners Survey; and the American Veterinary Medical Association’s 2007 U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographics Sourcebook. Companies profiled include Best Friends Pet Care, Pet Butler, PetSmart, Petco, Banfield, VCA Antech, Inc., Pet Paradise, Camp Bow Wow, Pet Paradise, Aussie Pet Mobile, Bark Busters and Fetch! Pet Care.

About the Author

David Lummis is the senior pet market analyst for Packaged Facts. He is also author of the monthly "Market Outlook" column in Pet Product News International, and a regular contributor of articles and market insight to other pet industry magazines as well as major business media including The New York Times and CNNMoney. Mr. Lummis also is President of New Orleans-based Marigny Research Group, Inc., a producer of custom market research reports for Packaged Facts. Since 1986, MRG has prepared more than 175 studies on consumer packaged goods markets and developed full report lines covering pet, demographic, retail and financial markets. Mr. Lummis, who graduated from Yale University, has also written approximately 75 other published B2B reports and is the author of the book, "Value Retailing in the 1990s."

Additional Information

Market Insights: A Selection From The Report

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Oral Care Now a Major Emphasis

Periodontal disease is the most common disease among companion animals, with 80% of dogs and 70% of cats displaying it to some degree by age three, according to the American Veterinary Dental Society, potentially resulting in myriad other health problems including oral nasal fistulas (infections in the canine teeth spread to nasal cavity), tooth abscesses, osteomylitis (bone infection), ocular (sight) problems and severe systemic effects. Moreover, while daily tooth brushing is recommended for dogs and cats, only 2% of dog owners are in compliance, with 65% of dogs with stage one periodontal disease going untreated because veterinary healthcare teams fail to recommend needed treatment options like dental exams, professional dental cleaning and dental x-rays.

This apparent lack notwithstanding, during the past decade the area of dentistry has emerged as one of the few veterinary specialties that almost all clinics provide to at least some degree, with most veterinarians now focusing heavily on preventive oral care, and with a growing number acquiring such related equipment as ultrasonic cleaners and dental x-ray machines. Helping to drive this increased awareness, the issue of pet oral care has been getting regular coverage in trade magazines like Veterinary Practice News, as well as widespread consumer exposure via National Pet Dental Health Month and the “Pets Need Dental Care, Too” campaign. Co-sponsored by Hill’s Pet Care and numerous industry groups—including the AVMA, the American Veterinary Dental Society, the Academy of Veterinary Dentistry, the American Veterinary Dental College, the Veterinary Oral Health Council and The Academy of Veterinary Dental Technicians—these efforts are designed to help educate consumers about pet oral care and increase aware in the veterinary community, while also providing pet owners and veterinarians with informational resources on a year-round basis via Petdental.com.

Hospice Care Another Growing Focus

Whereas in the past traditional veterinary medicine has focused primarily on aggressive treatments for terminally ill animals, during the past 15 years public demand for other options has sharply increased. Accordingly, hospice care has become a growing area of interest in the veterinary field, whether provided in pet owners’ homes under the supervision of veterinarians and staff, or through dedicated areas in veterinary clinics or in separate facilities. According to The Latham Foundation, a private operating entity founded in 1918 “to promote respect for all life through education,” veterinarians who provide home hospice care as an ancillary service have reported that the percentage of established clients who request this option has increased from 10% to 30% since 1996, with those specializing in hospice/geriatric care reporting that the percentage of established clients requesting this option often exceeds 50% (Latham Letter, Fall 2008). Nevertheless, only about 20% of veterinarians refer their terminally ill patients to hospice, according to Tami Shearer, DVM, who operates the Pet Hospice and Education Center in Columbus, OH (Veterinary Practice News, July 2008)

View Table of Contents »

In the News

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Emerging Trends Safeguard Bullish Outlook for U.S. Pet Care Services Market

New York, July 13, 2009 - Spurred in part by technological and pharmaceutical advances in veterinary medicine, sales of pet care services in the U.S. will experience a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9% over the next five years to exceed $34 billion in 2013, according to Pet Care Services in the U.S., 3rd Edition: Riding the Multiservice, Premium/Luxury and Corporate Waves, by leading market research publisher Packaged Facts.

In 2008, the pet care services market totaled $23 billion. Veterinary services, the largest pet care category, accounted for three-quarters of overall market revenues. The category paces the rest of the market, and safeguards the industry’s much-touted recession resistance.

“Because veterinary services are the most essential type of service, sales in this channel will be the least effected by the economic downturn while continuing to lead market growth, with services including grooming, training, and boarding being harder hit in the short term but fully rebounding by 2011,” says Tatjana Meerman, publisher of Packaged Facts.

Other key consumer-based market drivers include the ever-widening range of pet care services (including growth areas such as mobile grooming, pet sitting and walking, waste removal, funerary/bereavement, and travel), intense pet owner interest in preventive and therapeutic pet wellness, the all-important consumer benefit of time-saving convenience, the aging pet and human populations, the role of higher-spending premium demographics, and the overall human/animal bond.

Pet Care Services in the U.S., 3rd Edition: Riding the Multiservice, Premium/Luxury and Corporate Waves comprehensively explores every major category of the U.S. pet care services industry, as well as significant emerging categories. Industry market factors examined at length include the current and projected impact of the recession; industry “corporatization” via the ramped-up involvement of major companies and home-grown franchises with natural aspirations; service trends in the independent pet specialty channel; the cross-channel multiservice facility trend; high-growth areas in the veterinary channel including pain management, senior care, cancer care and hospice care; and trends in premium/luxury areas including pet hotels, daycare and spa-style grooming. For further information, visit:
http://www.packagedfacts.com/Pet-Care-Services-1655769/

About Packaged Facts - Packaged Facts, a division of Market Research Group, publishes market intelligence on a wide range of consumer market topics, including consumer goods and retailing, foods and beverages, demographics, pet products and services, and financial products.  Packaged Facts also offers a full range of custom research services.  For more information, write press@packagedfacts.com or call (240) 747-3028.

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