Commentary
The July VetWatch® commentary indicates practices are doing a good job of managing visit revenue when presented with pets. It is no surprise that pet owners express concerns about rising veterinary services costs and pet food prices, especially when higher spending on essentials, affordability of healthcare and overall consumer prices keep rising (2.7 percent in July compared with a year ago).
The metrics year to date ending July 31, 2025, show aggregate YTD practice revenues at +1.1 percent net growth versus the same period in 2024. Meanwhile, purchases in all categories are relatively stable considering the fabled July slump. Seattle’s +6.9 percent revenue growth is reflected in a growth in purchases of +6.0 percent in core/lifestyle vaccines.
Source: VetWatch®, July 2025. Link.
INSIGHTS: We’ve enjoyed a relatively stable and growing pet health economy for several years. Competition from alternative sources, non-essential pet product purchases, non-industry advocates and more make the veterinary landscape more challenging. Still, pet owners look to veterinary teams for the best options, making semi-annual visits and preventative care critical elements of individual lifetime pet health, retention and practice revenue.