Pet Industry News
The deals, launches, and strategic moves behind the brands and operators shaping the industry.
Jane Lauder's TAW Ventures Buys Polkadog, Builds a Pet Wellness Portfolio
TAW Ventures, the pet health and wellness investment firm founded by Jane Lauder, has acquired Boston-based Polkadog from co-founders Rob Van Sickle and Deb Suchman. Terms were not disclosed. The deal is TAW's first announced acquisition and brings a founder-led, long-horizon ownership model to a premium pet category that has been shaped largely by private equity roll-ups.
Fermented Protein for Pet Food Just Crossed the Production Threshold
Finnish biotech Enifer has completed the first industrial-scale production run of PEKILO Pet, a fermentation-derived mycoprotein with 60% protein and 22% fiber. Pet food manufacturers are running formulation trials, marking the first time an alternative protein ingredient has reached commercial volumes for pet food production.
Most Vet AI Companies Won't Show Their Numbers. Vetology Just Published All of Them.
Vetology expanded its public AI performance dashboard to eleven metrics per classifier across 89+ conditions, backed by 300,000+ validated patient cases. The move highlights a transparency gap in veterinary AI, where a 2026 audit found nearly two-thirds of vendors disclose no validation data publicly.
BARK's 1-for-20 Reverse Split Is a Survival Move. The DTC Pet Reckoning Continues.
BARK approved a 1-for-20 reverse stock split effective April 1 to maintain its NYSE listing after shares fell 97% from their 2020 peak. The company disclosed $15.4 million in tariff costs and ended a strategic review without pursuing a sale, raising questions about the DTC pet subscription model at scale.
Zoom Room Taps Former Petco CEO Ron Coughlin as Chairman. Pet Services Just Got a New Power Player.
Zoom Room has named former Petco CEO Ron Coughlin as chairman of the board and hired a new CFO from the franchise world. The moves position the 57-location dog training franchise for accelerated national expansion, targeting 550 locations by 2030.
The Farmer's Dog Is Launching on Walmart. The DTC Playbook Just Got a New Chapter.
The Farmer's Dog is launching personalized, human-grade meal plans on Walmart.com in April, marking the $1.2 billion DTC brand's first-ever retail distribution channel. The move puts a real competitor in Freshpet's retail territory and signals that the fresh pet food category is ready for mass-market scale.
Scrub Daddy Enters Pet Through Licensing Deal, Signaling Mainstream Brand Migration
Scrub Daddy has signed a licensing deal with Pets + People to launch pet stain and odor cleaning products in 2027. The partnership highlights how mainstream consumer brands are using licensing to enter the $14B pet cleaning market without building from scratch.