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.
FUNDING
Nestlé Purina has announced a **£390 million** investment in a new pet food manufacturing facility to meet rising demand. The plant will focus on producing **premium wet food** and will also serve a logistics function for Nestlé brands more broadly, signaling a major capacity expansion as consumer appetite for high-quality pet nutrition continues to grow.
Pet Gazette — 2026-07-22
EARNINGS · EXPANSION
UK-based veterinary group CVS reported revenues surging **5.9% to £712.8 million**, driven by growth in both its UK and Australian operations. The company expects full-year earnings to meet market expectations. The continued Australian expansion underscores CVS's strategy to build a significant international veterinary footprint beyond its core UK market.
Pet Gazette — 2026-07-23
EARNINGS
Tractor Supply Company reported a difficult Q2, lowering its full-year outlook amid a stumbling **pet business segment**, soaring fuel prices pressuring its core rural customer base, and increased competitive encroachment from Amazon. The results highlight broader headwinds facing pet-adjacent retail in a tight consumer economy.
Retail Dive — 2026-07-23
LAUNCH · INNOVATION
Stockholm-founded AI pet insurer **Lassie**, established in **2020**, has launched in the UK market. The company differentiates itself from traditional pet insurers by shifting from a reactive claims model to a **prevention-first approach**, using AI to help pet owners identify and manage health issues before they escalate. The UK entry marks a significant geographic expansion for the insurtech.
Pet Gazette — 2026-07-23
LAUNCH · INNOVATION
Veterinary relief staffing platform **Roo** has launched a new analytics tool designed to give veterinary hospital leaders network-wide visibility into shift coverage, cancellations, utilization rates, and staffing gaps. The platform aims to address the persistent workforce shortage in veterinary medicine by enabling more data-driven staffing decisions across hospital networks.
Veterinary Practice News — 2026-07-22
LAUNCH
**Hill's Pet Nutrition** has expanded into the fast-growing fresh pet food segment with a new line of single-protein refrigerated dog food rolls available in **three flavors**. The move signals Hill's intent to compete more directly in the premium, minimally processed pet food space, which has seen sustained consumer demand growth.
Veterinary Practice News — 2026-07-17
LAUNCH
**Natural Hounds** has launched its first raw pet food line, broadening its product portfolio beyond fresh food, treats, and chews. The launch is positioned to capture growing consumer demand for **minimally processed pet food** options. The company cited raw feeding as a key growth area it needed to address to serve its existing customer base more fully.
Pet Gazette — 2026-07-23
PARTNERSHIP
**CVS Pharmacy** has begun dispensing select pet medications at approximately **9,000 locations** across the United States. Veterinary teams can now direct clients to CVS for dog and cat medications including antibiotics, allergy treatments, flea and tick control, insulin, and pain relievers. The move significantly expands pet medication access and represents a major new channel for pet healthcare distribution.
Veterinary Practice News — 2026-07-22
ACQUISITION
**Assisi Pet Care** has acquired Devon-based natural pet food brand **Forthglade**, following the exit of private equity firm **IK Partners**. Forthglade joins the growing Assisi portfolio, further consolidating the UK premium natural pet food segment. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Pet Gazette — 2026-07-21
PARTNERSHIP
**H. von Gimborn GmbH**, manufacturer of the premium **Biokat's** cat litter brand, has entered into a strategic partnership with Italian plant-based litter specialist **Cerberus Srl**. The collaboration is aimed at strengthening Gimborn's Biokat's portfolio with high-performance plant-based formulations, reflecting the broader industry shift toward sustainable and natural cat litter products.
Pet Age — 2026-07-23
PARTNERSHIP
**Play Pet Brands** (formerly P.L.A.Y.) and dairy cooperative **Cabot Creamery** have expanded their food-inspired dog toy partnership with two new additions to their collaborative collection: the **Whipped Cream Crinkler** and the interactive **Vermont Cheddar Shredder**. The expansion builds on a successful licensing and co-branding model that merges pet products with consumer food brand identities.
Pet Age — 2026-07-23
PARTNERSHIP
**John A. Van Den Bosch**, a pet product distributor with over **90 years** of industry service, has announced a new distribution partnership with **Jolly Pets**. The deal expands the reach of Jolly Pets' dog toy line through Van Den Bosch's established retail relationships, reinforcing the role of specialty distributors in broadening brand availability across the pet market.
Pet Age — 2026-07-22
PARTNERSHIP · EXPANSION
**Marleybones** has secured a nationwide retail listing with **Pets at Home**, the UK's largest pet retailer, with its full **Pantry Fresh** range rolling out across **430 stores**. Pets at Home becomes the first retailer to carry the complete Marleybones range, marking a major commercial milestone for the brand and significantly expanding its retail footprint.
Pet Gazette — 2026-07-21
DATA
New data from the **American Pet Products Association (APPA)** shows that **71 million** U.S. dog-owning households continue to prioritize spending on their pets despite inflationary pressure reshaping household budgets. The findings reinforce the 'pet humanization' trend and the relative recession-resilience of the pet care category, even as consumers cut spending in other discretionary areas.
Pet Age — 2026-07-22
DATA
A new survey report finds that a significant number of pet owners are **delaying veterinary treatment due to cost**, while a growing proportion are turning to **online resources and AI tools** before seeking professional veterinary advice. The findings highlight both the access-to-care challenge facing the veterinary industry and the rising influence of AI-powered consumer health tools on pet owner behavior.
Veterinary Practice News — 2026-07-21
DATA · INNOVATION
Researchers at **Nestlé Purina Research** in collaboration with **four U.S. universities** have identified clear differences in fecal metabolites of cats with **chronic kidney disease (CKD)**, particularly in fat-related compounds. The findings suggest alterations in gut health, inflammation, and fat metabolism in affected cats, potentially opening new avenues for dietary intervention and early disease management in feline CKD.
Veterinary Practice News — 2026-07-22
EXPANSION
A new **feline-only veterinary hospital** is set to open in Colorado this fall, designed entirely around **feline behavior** and aimed at improving access to care for cats — a species that is notoriously underserved in veterinary medicine. The organization is part of a broader movement to close the gap in cat-specific veterinary care, where visit rates significantly lag behind dogs.
Veterinary Practice News — 2026-07-21
LAUNCH
Denver-based **Sleepypod**, a pioneer in crash-tested pet travel safety products, has unveiled a comprehensive rebrand signaling a new strategic chapter for the company. The rebrand is rooted in a singular mission around **pet travel safety**, aiming to sharpen its brand identity and market positioning in the growing pet travel accessories segment.
Pet Age — 2026-07-23
LAUNCH
**Pooch and Mutt** has rebranded its sister cat food label **Purr and Meow**, introducing a new product architecture and **upgraded formulations** targeting the premium cat food segment. The rebrand reflects the company's strategy to capture growth in the premium cat nutrition market, which continues to outpace the broader pet food category.
Pet Gazette — 2026-07-20
REGULATION
The FDA has launched a new pilot program designed to incentivize domestic manufacturing of animal drugs by granting **priority review** to animal drug applications where both the finished products and active ingredients are made in the United States. The initiative aims to strengthen the domestic animal pharmaceutical supply chain and reduce dependence on foreign-sourced ingredients.
Feedstuffs — 2026-07-21
REGULATION
Canada has proposed updating its feed ban to more closely align with U.S. requirements. Under the proposal, **specified risk materials (SRMs)** would remain prohibited for ruminant feed, but lower-risk materials could be permitted in non-ruminant feed, **pet food**, and fertilizer. The change could affect pet food ingredient sourcing and formulation for manufacturers operating across the Canada-U.S. market.
Feedstuffs — 2026-07-17
LEADERSHIP
Dog wellness franchise **Scenthound** has strengthened its executive team with **three C-suite appointments**, including **Summer Nunn** as Chief Commercial Officer, following the company's recognition on Entrepreneur's inaugural 'Best of the Best' list of top pet industry franchise opportunities. The leadership expansion signals Scenthound's intent to accelerate its franchise growth strategy.
Pet Age — 2026-07-21
LEADERSHIP
The **British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA)** has elected **Kevin Fairless** as its new Chief Executive. Fairless will oversee the association's membership strategy and lead a **digital transformation** initiative, as the professional body seeks to modernize its operations and strengthen engagement with the UK veterinary community.
Pet Gazette — 2026-07-22
LEADERSHIP
**NOAH** (National Office of Animal Health), the UK's animal medicines trade body, has appointed a new board of management and officer team. The incoming leadership will oversee NOAH's key priorities including **advocacy, responsible veterinary care, sustainability, innovation, and stakeholder engagement** across the animal health sector.
Pet Gazette — 2026-07-20
EXPANSION
The **Pet Industry Federation (PIF)** has launched a series of U.S. trade initiatives to help UK pet businesses grow their American export presence. Plans include leading a **SuperZoo delegation** and hosting a **UK pavilion at Global Pet Expo**, providing British brands with structured access to the world's largest pet retail market.
Pet Gazette — 2026-07-22