Best Friend Ventures › Briefing
A weekly roundup of funding, product launches, partnerships, industry trends, regulation, and notable leadership moves across the pet care sector. Curated by Best Friend Ventures from 48 pet-industry sources.
EXPANSION
Purina's state-of-the-art Batavia, Ohio pet food factory is transitioning to full production ahead of its official opening in August, backed by a **$550 million investment**. The facility represents one of the largest recent capital commitments in U.S. pet food manufacturing infrastructure.
Feedstuffs — 2026-06-09
LAUNCH
Chewy has launched **'Chewy Made'**, a unified brand identity consolidating all of its private label product lines under a single name. The move is designed to simplify the shopping experience for customers and strengthen Chewy's own-brand positioning across categories.
Pet Age — 2026-06-10
LAUNCH · INNOVATION
Native Pet, a clean-label pet supplement brand now available in **over 13,000 retail locations nationwide**, has launched Hip+Joint Advanced Care — a powder supplement targeting gaps in the joint health category. The product is formulated to address what the brand describes as unmet innovation needs in joint supplementation for dogs.
Pet Age — 2026-06-10
LAUNCH · INNOVATION
Tavo Pets — from the creators of premium baby gear brand Nuna — has unveiled its first crash-tested pet cargo crate, setting a new safety benchmark in the pet travel category. The product combines luxury design with certified crash protection, targeting safety-conscious pet parents.
Pet Age — 2026-06-10
LAUNCH
Rare Breed, an American-made dog treat brand, has officially launched on Chewy. The brand's treats feature just **3 ingredients** and are human-grade, made with beef and pork. The Chewy listing expands the brand's retail reach to one of the largest pet e-commerce platforms in the U.S.
Pet Age — 2026-06-11
INNOVATION
Wellness Pet Company, with **100 years** of pet food heritage, has published research findings supporting the effectiveness of its Wellness CORE Healthy Weight and CORE Small Breed Healthy Weight diets in facilitating weight loss in dogs while maintaining lean body mass — a key differentiator in the weight management nutrition segment.
Pet Age — 2026-06-11
PARTNERSHIP
The Farmer's Dog has inked a brand partnership deal with NASCAR Cup Series Champion **Ryan Blaney**, aligned around the shared belief that pets and people deserve the highest standard of care. The sponsorship extends the fresh pet food brand's marketing reach into a major motorsport audience.
Pet Age — 2026-06-11
ACQUISITION
Merck Animal Health has announced plans to acquire **TARGAN**, a company specializing in biodevice solutions for the poultry industry, including its flagship WingScan technology. The acquisition signals Merck's continued expansion into precision animal health monitoring and livestock performance optimization.
Feedstuffs — 2026-06-11
ACQUISITION
Farm Supply Company and Grange Cooperative Supply Association have received Board approval for a proposed Agreement and Plan of Merger, uniting two long-standing agricultural cooperatives serving **California and Oregon**. The combined entity would strengthen regional farm and pet supply distribution across the West Coast.
Pet Age — 2026-06-12
LAUNCH
Beggin', the Official Dog Treat of U.S. Soccer, has unveiled the inaugural **Beggin' XI** — an 11-dog roster crowned through a public fan vote, with a **New Jersey pup** named Top Dog. The campaign blends sports marketing with pet culture, capitalizing on the excitement surrounding the 2026 World Cup.
Pet Age — 2026-06-11
DATA
A new industry analysis highlights the growing integration of physical rehabilitation tools into primary veterinary care practices. The trend is driven by opportunities to expand service offerings, enhance staff job satisfaction, and deliver greater clinical value — suggesting rehabilitation is becoming a meaningful revenue and retention lever for general practice clinics.
Veterinary Practice News — 2026-06-12
INNOVATION
Veterinary and human medical teams at **Woodland Park Zoo** in Seattle, Washington, successfully performed a rare emergency C-section on a western lowland gorilla, delivering a healthy male infant. The case highlights the increasing sophistication of captive animal veterinary care and cross-disciplinary collaboration between veterinary and human medical professionals.
Veterinary Practice News — 2026-06-09
REGULATION
New World screwworm (NWS) is spreading across U.S. borders, with the USDA confirming cases in **two Texas calves, a Texas dog, and a New Mexico dog** — the first canine case recorded in New Mexico. The FDA has issued an Emergency Use Authorization for generic **nitenpyram tablets** (OTC) to treat NWS in dogs and cats at least 4 weeks old. The agency has now issued **three conditional approvals and nine emergency use authorizations** for animal drugs addressing NWS. The AVMA has mobilized resources to support frontline veterinary practitioners in prevention, detection, and containment efforts. USDA is increasing trapping along the border and outside the dispersal zone.
Feedstuffs / Veterinary Practice News — 2026-06-08
REGULATION
The FDA has approved **KetoMed** — a generic ketoprofen injectable solution — for the control of pyrexia (fever) associated with Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) in certain beef and dairy cattle. The approval expands treatment options for one of the most economically significant diseases in U.S. cattle production.
Feedstuffs — 2026-06-05
LEADERSHIP
Petland, Inc. has announced that Chief Operating Officer **Steve Steele** has been elected to the Ohio Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, joining **15 new board members** in the cohort. The appointment elevates Petland's voice in Ohio's broader business community and policy conversations.
Pet Age — 2026-06-11
EXPANSION
The Purina Family Pet Center at St. Louis Children's Hospital is celebrating its **10th anniversary** this summer, having opened in May 2016. The center has delivered a decade of animal-assisted comfort programming to patients and families, underscoring the growing recognition of the human-animal bond in healthcare settings.
Pet Age — 2026-06-10