The pet supplement category reached $3.4 billion in sales, expanding by 7.4 percent over the past year and outrunning total pet care, according to NIQ data released ahead of SuperZoo. The category delivered $237 million in new sales during the latest 52-week period, cementing its position as a consistent growth driver.
For retailers, the value extends past the topline. Shoppers buy supplements an average of three times annually, and baskets containing a supplement item run nearly 40 percent larger than those without one. Supplements function as both a wellness solution and a basket builder.
Where the $3.4 billion actually breaks down
Joint health claims 26 percent of category sales, the largest share, but velocity in that segment has decelerated. Gastrointestinal health represents 20 percent of sales and is expanding faster than the category average. Multi-condition support makes up 14 percent. Behavioral and brain health, while smaller at 7 percent, ranks among the fastest-growing segments, fueled by stress and anxiety formulations.
The $237 million in incremental sales did not distribute evenly across these segments. The areas posting the strongest growth rates, digestive health, behavioral support, and senior-focused formulations, do not currently command the most shelf space in most stores.
The format shift that signals a compliance problem being solved
Soft chews claim nearly one-third of supplement sales, but the strongest velocity is occurring in formats designed to improve daily compliance.
Powders expanded 25 percent year over year and delivered $59 million in sales, propelled by pet parents who prefer mixing supplements into food rather than administering them as a separate step. Mousse formats remain small but surged by more than 400 percent, driven entirely by cat supplement innovation.
Cats represent nearly 15 percent of total supplement sales and are expanding at 11 percent, faster than the overall category. The functional needs overlap with dogs, with digestive health climbing 25 percent and behavioral support rising 18 percent, but the format requirements differ. Cats show less receptivity to soft chews, which explains why powders, liquids, and mousse are capturing share.
If a store's cat supplement assortment still leads with soft chews, it is optimizing for the format dogs accept rather than the one cat owners can successfully administer.
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The humanization effect on ingredient expectations
NIQ data indicates that pet owners increasingly view their animals as equal family members, a mindset that shapes purchasing behavior. Among cat and dog owners, 90 percent buy human supplements, and 40 percent also buy supplements for their pets.
This crossover is driving expectations for the same transparency pet parents demand in their own wellness products: clean labels, functional claims, and verification that package contents match formulation promises.
Clean-ingredient formulations are climbing 22 percent per year, yet most products fail to highlight that attribute on their front panels, NIQ reported. Supplements carrying sustainability certifications or environmental messaging are growing around 30 percent annually, the company said, though only about 1 percent of products call out recyclable packaging on pack, and virtually none mention recycled content in their materials.
When a supplement line already meets clean-label or sustainability standards but fails to call that out on the front panel, it leaves a conversion opportunity unaddressed.
The trust signal that separates velocity from flat performance
Products carrying the National Animal Supplement Council Quality Seal are climbing 10 percent annually, according to NIQ. Products without the seal are experiencing flat performance.
This is not a marketing claim but a measurable velocity gap at register. In a lightly regulated category, third-party validation functions as the trust signal that drives purchase decisions. If a product lacks the seal and the adjacent SKU carries it, the conversation starts at a disadvantage.
The ingredient transparency that most brands are not communicating
Formulations containing prebiotics or probiotics are climbing between 15 and 20 percent per year, tracking with the strength of digestive health as a functional segment, NIQ reported.
Clean-ingredient formulations are also accelerating. Products free of artificial additives are growing 22 percent annually, yet most do not communicate that attribute on packaging, the company said. NIQ described this as an opening for brands to align their messaging with formulation decisions they have already made.
Sustainability claims face a similar communication gap. Pet owners place high importance on environmental responsibility and link responsible products with recyclable packaging and ethical sourcing, NIQ found. Yet only about 1 percent of supplement products call out recyclable packaging on pack, and virtually none mention recycled content in their materials, the company said.
Despite this gap, products carrying environmental claims are climbing around 30 percent per year, demonstrating that demand exists even though the industry has not fully caught up.
Where this lands for a store of a given size
For a single-location store without a dedicated supplement buyer: organize by condition rather than by brand. The shopper is solving a problem, digestive, joint, calming, senior, not shopping a logo. Clear signage and staff who can explain the difference between a probiotic and a joint chew will move more product than adding three more brands to an already crowded set.
For a buyer managing multiple locations: behavioral support and senior-focused formulations are growing faster than the category. Senior supplements climbed 24 percent despite representing only 4 percent of total sales, NIQ reported. If the planogram still allocates space by current share rather than growth rate, it is setting the shelf for last year's buyer.
For a brand operator pitching independents: the NASC Quality Seal represents the difference between 10 percent growth and flat performance. Third-party validation is not optional in a lightly regulated category; it is the trust signal that drives velocity. If a product lacks the seal and the adjacent SKU carries it, the pitch starts behind.
The subscription revenue most independents are not capturing
More than half of medication and supplement purchases now occur through subscription models, NIQ reported, opening the door to recurring revenue and sustained customer relationships.
If a store stocks a supplement that a dog takes daily and does not offer a subscribe-and-save option, either through its own system or through a partner, it is transferring that lifetime value to Chewy or Amazon by default.
The social commerce signal that is reshaping discovery
Pet medicine, propelled largely by supplements, now ranks as the second-largest pet category on TikTok Shop, climbing at nearly 300 percent year over year, NIQ reported. One out of every ten pet owners who switch to a new supplement or treat brand name social media as the main reason they made the change, the company said.
NIQ described the trend as an advantage for retailers who monitor platform activity and adjust assortments accordingly.
The dog versus cat dynamic that requires different merchandising
Dogs claim roughly 70 percent of supplement sales, but velocity dynamics differ meaningfully by species, according to NIQ.
In dogs, joint health remains the largest segment at $528 million, though velocity has slowed, the company said. Digestive health is outpacing the category average, and behavioral support is posting even stronger gains. Targeting is also increasing, with senior-focused supplements up 24 percent despite representing only 4 percent of total sales, and strong velocity in size-specific formulations.
Cats offer one of the strongest growth opportunities in the category, NIQ reported. Though smaller at nearly 15 percent of total sales, the segment is expanding at 11 percent, outpacing the overall category. Digestive health leads at 25 percent growth, followed by behavioral support at 18 percent. Format plays a much larger role, with cats showing less receptivity to soft chews and driving adoption of powders, liquids, and emerging formats like mousse.
What this means for a fall reset
The category added $237 million in the past year. The stores that capture the largest share of that growth will not be the ones with the most SKUs. They will be the ones that can explain what a supplement does, stock the formats that drive compliance, and build the recurring relationship that turns a one-time buyer into a subscriber.
For buyers planning a fall reset, the data suggests reallocating space from joint health (the largest segment by share but slowing in growth) to digestive health and behavioral support (smaller by share but growing faster). The format question matters as much as the functional claim: powders and liquids are solving the compliance problem that soft chews leave unaddressed, particularly in cats.
The NASC Quality Seal is the trust signal that separates velocity from flat performance. Products that carry it are climbing 10 percent annually, while products without it are flat. If a planogram does not weight for that distinction, it is setting the shelf for a buyer who does not exist anymore.