Sometimes the opportunity is already walking through your front door, on a leash.
Most of your patients are pet owners. They already trust your recommendations for their family’s health, and increasingly, that family includes their dog or cat. Today, many of those same patients are purchasing pet medications, supplements, flea and tick prevention, therapeutic diets, and wellness products from online retailers. The question is: why aren’t they buying those products from you?
The bond between Americans and their pets has never been stronger. According to Pew Research 62% of Americans own a pet, with 35% of pet-owning households caring for multiple animals. More importantly, 51% of pet owners say their pet is just as much a member of the family as a human relative. In rural communities, where independent pharmacies often serve as trusted healthcare hubs, pet ownership is even higher; 71% of adults own a pet and 47% have multiple pets.
The Pet Pharmacy Market Is Too Big to Ignore
America’s leading online pet pharmacy has approximately 20% of its 21 million active customers purchasing prescription medications. The U.S. pet healthcare and medication market now exceeds $40 billion and is expected to continue growing roughly 4% to 5% annually.
One major reason? The 23 million pets adopted during the pandemic are getting older. As they enter middle age and beyond, demand for chronic medications, joint support, digestive health products, prescription diets, and preventive therapies will only increase.
Healthcare isn’t just about filling prescriptions anymore. It’s about creating an ongoing relationship built around convenience, education, prevention, and recurring purchases. It is time for independent pharmacies to claim some of this cash market.
Pet Supplements Are Becoming a Significant Cash Business
The global pet supplement market has already grown to approximately $3.3 billion and continues expanding at more than 6% annually.
Several trends are driving that growth:
- Pet owners increasingly view their pets as family members.
- Millennials and Gen Z are willing to spend more on preventive wellness.
- More than 70% of pet supplement purchases now happen online.
- Subscription purchasing is becoming the preferred buying model.
Today’s consumers aren’t simply looking for vitamins.
They’re looking for products that support:
- Joint mobility
- Digestive health
- Anxiety and calming
- Skin and coat health
- Immune support
- Urinary health
- Healthy aging
The demand is real and growing!
Does this sound familiar… it should.
Independent pharmacies have already watched cash business migrate online in categories like vitamins, supplements, durable medical equipment, diabetes supplies, and over-the-counter medications.
Pet health is following the same path. The difference is that pharmacies have an opportunity to participate before the market becomes completely dominated by large national players. Your patients already visit your pharmacy every month. There’s no reason those purchases can’t happen in your store instead.
A Cash Business with Healthy Margins
One of the most attractive aspects of pet health is that it operates largely outside the traditional third-party reimbursement model. Cash sales generally provide stronger gross margins than many traditional prescription claims.
While margins vary by manufacturer, distributor, and product category; pharmacies commonly target approximate these gross margins:
- Veterinary supplements: 40%–60%
- OTC pet wellness products: 35%–50%
- Flea and tick products: 25%–40%
- Veterinary prescriptions (where applicable) are variable by product and acquisition cost
For example:
A pharmacy purchases a joint support supplement for $28.
It retails for $49.99.
Gross profit: approximately $22 on a single sale.
If just 40 patients purchase that product monthly, that’s nearly $900 in monthly gross profit from one SKU before considering additional purchases. Over a year, this leads to a $10,800 yearly profit from this one supplement product.
Let’s put this into perspective for your pharmacy. Imagine you’re actively caring for 2,000. If just 50% of those patients own a pet and if just 5% of those pet owners purchase a single pet supplement from you each month; that’s roughly 50 supplement sales every month.
Using the same example above; a product that generates approximately $22 in gross profit per sale, that could translate into an additional $1,100 in monthly gross profit, or nearly $13,200 annually.
Suddenly, pet health isn’t just another product category; it’s a meaningful cash business opportunity hiding in plain sight. Now multiply that across digestive health, calming products, probiotics, dental care, skin support, and healthy aging supplements. The opportunity becomes even more meaningful.
Having a vendor partner, makes it easier than ever; you don’t have to build this business from scratch.
PromoVet
PromoVet provides pharmacies with access to prescription veterinary medications and supplies, making it easier to establish a pet health category without developing entirely new distribution relationships.
Working with a veterinary-focused supplier allows pharmacies to:
- Expand prescription offerings for pets
- Access commonly prescribed veterinary medications
- Source pet wellness products
- Build credibility in the pet health space
- Simplify inventory management
Rather than piecing together products from multiple suppliers, pharmacies can develop a more intentional pet health strategy through a dedicated vendor relationship.
Your pharmacy doesn’t need to become a full-scale veterinary pharmacy to generate meaningful cash revenue. Consider adding a single branded heartworm medication to your in-store availability. If your acquisition cost is $44 and sale price is $74, that’s a $30 gross profit on each sale.
Acquisiton Cost: $44.00 /box
Retail Price: $74.00/box
Gross Profit: $30/box
Lets use our same example from above. If you have just 50 – 125 patients purchasing a 6-month supply of heartworm twice a year, that can mean an additional $3,000 – $7,500 in annual gross profit from a single preventative product.
That means you sell just 4 to 10 boxes per month.
Aside from margins at 30-40% and the ability to order in small quantities typically not available to pharmacies, IPC Member benefits provide a deeper value that you can share with your community.
- No shipping costs
- MSRP’s lower than popular online retailers
- Same day availability and convenience.
When you add in other categories and become a one stop shop, the opportunity is endless.
For more about PromoVet visit their page on the IPC Website.
Fullscript
Many pharmacies already use Fullscript to recommend professional-grade supplements for patients. What some pharmacy teams may not realize is that Fullscript also offers a growing selection of pet wellness products from trusted brands. This creates another opportunity to extend your clinical recommendations beyond the patient.
Imagine counseling a patient on digestive health while also recommending a veterinarian-approved probiotic for their aging dog through the same wellness ecosystem. It’s a natural extension of whole-family care.
The Competitive Advantage Independent Pharmacies Already Have
Online retailers market their convenience. Independent pharmacies can compete differently.
You already have:
- Trusted relationships
- Clinical expertise
- Face-to-face conversations
- Medication counseling
- Home delivery programs
- Medication synchronization
- Community presence
Patients ask you healthcare questions every day. Many also have questions about caring for aging pets.
While veterinary diagnosis and treatment decisions belong with the veterinarian, pharmacists can support pet owners by providing access to products, helping them understand prescribed medications, reinforcing adherence, and recommending appropriate over-the-counter wellness options within their professional scope.
That combination of convenience and trusted guidance is difficult for an online retailer to replicate.
To inquire more about FullScript, visit their page on the IPC Website.
So How Do You Get Started
1. Start Small, but Start Intentionally
Choose 15–20 high-demand products.
Focus on categories like:
- Joint health
- Probiotics
- Skin and coat
- Calming support
- Dental health
- Flea and tick prevention
- Healthy aging
Build a curated section rather than trying to become a pet superstore.
2. Partner with the Right Vendors
Evaluate partners such as PromoVet Rx for veterinary medications and supplies, and leverage platforms like Fullscript to expand your professional pet supplement offerings.
Your vendors should help you educate staff, select products, and create a repeatable business model instead of only selling inventory.
3. Make Every Pet Owner Aware
This is the most important step. If patients don’t know you carry pet health products, they will continue shopping elsewhere.
Train your team to ask simple questions like:
“Do you have any dogs or cats at home?”
“Did you know we carry products for pets too?”
Promote your offerings through social media, email newsletters, bag stuffers, digital signage, and conversations at the counter.
Sometimes the biggest growth opportunity isn’t finding new customers; it’s helping your existing customers discover another reason to shop with you.
Final Thoughts
Independent pharmacies have spent years looking for sustainable cash-based revenue opportunities. Pet health deserves a place on that list.
Your patients trust you; they already spend money caring for the animals they love. The question isn’t whether they’ll buy pet medications and supplements. The question is whether they’ll continue buying them from an online retailer or from the independent pharmacy they know and trust.
Helping patients care for their families has always been our mission. For many of them, that family has four legs. It is time your pharmacy reflected that.
About the Author
Kelli Stovall, RPh, EMBA
Vice President of Pharmacy Services
Independent Pharmacy Cooperative
Kelli Stovall, RPh, EMBA, is Vice President of Pharmacy Services at Independent Pharmacy Cooperative (IPC), where she leads strategy and programs that support independent pharmacy growth and performance. She brings more than 20 years of experience in community pharmacy, with a focus on clinical services, operations, and revenue-generating opportunities for pharmacy owners.
