Category Analysis: Supplements

The supplements category has been delivering on innovation and quality. The leaders in the category take note of pet owners’ concerns about providing easier delivery methods to pets such as tasty chews and bones, easy to chew supplemental treats or toppers. 

“2025 has been a great year for product innovation and branding tailwinds,” said Marisa Schmidt, Animal Portfolio Brand Manager with FoodScience. “Notable wins for Pet Naturals included the successful introduction of our BusyButter Balanced Belly Bones—a long-lasting peanut-butter chew bone that supports gut health and complements our functional treat portfolio. In addition, it was a great time for VetriScience to continue rolling out our exciting rebrand so we could speak more clearly to the consumer market about what makes us different and unique in terms of ingredients and benefits and strengthen our position as a premium brand. This was also the year we really leveraged tradeshow and influencer outreach—including inviting our Sponsored Athlete Abbey Beasely and her dog Swindle to share our story with thousands at SUPERZOO—to help drive awareness.”

“I attribute our continued success to three things: product development inspired by real pet-owner needs and focused on formulations and formats that address everyday problems; building relationships and working with our veterinary and retail partners directly to ensure our science-forward positioning actually translates into practitioner and shopper needs; and go-to-market discipline—crystal clear packaging claims, strategic channel placement and aggressive seeding/education programs for our Veterinary line. Those three practices help keep R&D, veterinary endorsement and shopper experience aligned and are a major part of our continued success,” continued Schmidt.

Looking at the final part of the year, “We have three main priorities in Q4: maximize holiday season distribution and merchandising for our new products and top-selling SKUs; scale influencer partnerships and digital campaigns that help convert new buyers into repeat users; and close the year with solid retailer program execution, including promos and shelf messaging and veterinarian outreach. We’re integrating recent acquisitions, like Natural Dog Company, into our commercial strategy so new brands and SKUs can leverage our shared supply chain and marketing resources,” said Schmidt.

“We’re seeing clear momentum around preventive health, gut and microbiome support, and hip and joint supplements, especially as pet parents become more proactive and informed about long-term wellness,” said Vetnique Founder and CEO Dr. James Bascharon. “There’s a growing demand for products that are palatable, efficacious and clinically validated—and that’s where Vetnique excels. Consumers are gravitating toward functional treat formats like soft chews, which make daily supplementation easier and more enjoyable for pets, while delivering real health benefits. We’re seeing strong interest in convenient, mess-free formats—like our DentaBliss Wipes, which provide an easy, effective way for pet parents to maintain their pets’ oral health without the struggle of brushing. Another important trend is the focus on senior pet care. As the pet population ages, consumers are actively seeking out targeted solutions that address mobility, digestion, cognitive health and skin and coat issues. Vetnique is meeting that demand with vet-recommended and vet-formulated products for the unique needs of aging pets.”

“The supplements category is in good health and continuing to grow,” said Schmidt. “In the past year, we’ve seen a broadening shift away from generic, ‘one-size-fits-all’ supplements and toward clean, benefit-driven products to help support pets’ daily wellness, gut health, mobility, immunity, etc. Pet owners are also more interested in easy-to-use formats their pets will love, like soft chews, highly palatable liquids and granules over traditional formats like capsules and chewable tablets—especially for cats. We’re also seeing a growing demand for value propositions that give credibility to product formulations: veterinary input and recommendations, clinical data, third-party testing and high-quality, transparent ingredient sourcing.”

Consumers continue to prioritize pets’ well-being by looking at the value and quality of the products they are purchasing while respecting their individual budgets. 

“We can all admit that price matters—especially right now—but, for some buyers, value matters just as much, or more,” said Schmidt. “Price-sensitive pet parents are currently looking for multipurpose products that can support multiple areas of health at once, as well as economy sizes that give them more bang for their buck. These shoppers are looking for promotions and subscription savings to help them stay within budget but still give their pet the best. Shoppers who aren’t leading with their wallets are more willing to spend a little more for clinically backed supplements, premium ingredients and vet-strength products.”

Consumers are willing to spend the money on their pets’ well-being regardless of prices being raised.

“Price points aside, pet parents’ shopping choices are being driven by the health benefits driven by the product and trust in the brand,” said Schmidt. “Buyers are looking for results they can see, clean ingredient lists and veterinary endorsements. Brand loyalty can be a significant purchase driver, as long as pet parents continue to see results. We’re seeing responsible manufacturing practices and ‘Made in USA’ claims becoming more significant signals, particularly among premium purchasers. Younger pet parents in Gen Z are more interested in sustainability and ethical sourcing. Overall, it’s efficacy, transparency and trust driving consideration and purchasing.”

Supplements continue to be a contributing factor to pets’ health and well-being. Pet owners remain educated on best practices to ensure pets’ longevity on top of this. Manufacturers strive to exceed pets needs by providing not only daily and monthly nutritional care but also preventive care that ensures pets are healthy and able to avoid vet trips if necessary.