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On the ShelfBy The PetRetailNews Desk3 min readAugust 10, 2026
PetIQ Just Signed Its First National Athlete. If You Stock OTC Wellness, Watch What Changes.
The company is betting lifestyle credibility beats clinical claims. If it works, more brands follow and the category gets tighter.
PetIQ just signed Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty to represent Vet IQ and Pur Luv, the company's first national athlete partnership.
The decision and what it cost
The deal puts Jeanty's face on Vet IQ daily chews (hip and joint support, digestive wellness) and Pur Luv whole-muscle protein jerky. PetIQ called the collaboration "an exciting milestone" and positioned Jeanty as the lifestyle credibility play for two brands in the OTC wellness category.
Jeanty is a Boise State alumnus and owns two dogs, Coco and Deuce. PetIQ's Chief Marketing Officer Jissan Cherian said the partnership lets the company stay "culturally relevant amongst pet parents" and show retail partners how the brands "enable Ashton to be at his best as a pet parent." Jeanty said the partnership "feels natural" because he cares about his dogs' health and believes in PetIQ's purpose.
The company is a portfolio holding of Bansk Group and manufactures in Omaha and Springville, Utah. Its brand stable includes PetArmor, Capstar, Nextstar, Minties, Rocco & Roxie, and Myos alongside Vet IQ and Pur Luv.
What this changes for buyers and brands
PetIQ is betting lifestyle association, an NFL running back talking about daily routines for his dogs, works better than clinical claims or vet endorsements in the wellness aisle. If that bet pays off, the company has a reason to ask for different placement and promotional support than it could justify on velocity or price alone.
If it doesn't, if the consumer doesn't connect the athlete to the product, the spend that went to the partnership could have supported price or placement in other ways. That matters when buyers evaluate what the brand brings to the shelf and what support it earns.
Our read: the format is the bet, and PetIQ thinks it works
This is PetIQ's first national athlete partnership. The company is testing whether lifestyle marketing, Jeanty talking about daily chews the way he talks about training routines, resonates more than ingredient lists or clinical positioning.
The risk is execution. If the consumer doesn't make the connection between the athlete and the category, you're left with endcap space committed to a brand whose velocity doesn't justify it. If PetIQ ties promotional support to campaign-driven placement and the consumer doesn't convert, that's a problem for both the brand and the buyer who gave it the space.
The thing to watch: whether PetIQ's reps start pitching placement tied to the Jeanty campaign, and whether they bring conversion data or just awareness metrics. If they bring data and it's strong, expect more wellness brands to test athlete partnerships and push for campaign-linked fixtures. If they bring awareness numbers but no sales lift, the playbook stays price and placement, and buyers keep the leverage they have now.
What changes on the shelf
If you stock Vet IQ or Pur Luv, your rep may pitch placement around the Jeanty campaign. The question to ask: does the athlete hook move SKUs in your market, or does it just look good in the brand deck? Request sell-through data from stores that ran the campaign early, not just reach or impression counts. If PetIQ can't show you velocity lift, the fixture space is worth more to a brand that can.
If you don't stock these lines but you do stock competing OTC wellness products, this sets a precedent. More brands may test athlete partnerships to win shelf space, which means your line reviews could include more campaign-driven placement requests. Know now whether that trade works in your store, because the brands that can afford these deals will push it if PetIQ proves it converts.
The consequence: PetIQ just put lifestyle credibility on the table as a competitive angle in the wellness category. If it works, more brands will follow and the category gets more competitive. If it doesn't, promotional dollars stay focused on the fundamentals, and buyers who waited for proof keep the advantage.
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