Animal Health News and Notes · July 17, 2026
Royal Canin Enters Fresh Food Market
Editor: Christine Merle DVM, MBA, CVPM
************************************
Earnings News
- Boehringer Ingelheim reported its first half of 2026 net sales of €2.6B ($2.98B) for its Animal Health Business, a currency adjusted 0.4% increase compared to the previous year. (company press release)
- Eco Animal Health Groupannounced its audited full Fiscal Year 2026 ending March 31, 2026 with group sales of £87.5M ($117.88M) a 10% increase over prior fiscal year. (company press release)
- ImmuCellannounced its unaudited second quarter of 2026 sales results with total sales of $17.5M, a 20.9% increase for first half of the year compared to prior year. (company press release)
************************************
US Company News
- Zoetis announced its agreement to acquireVitalRADS, a veterinary teleradiology services platform. The deal is expected to close in the third quarter of 2026. (company press release)
- Royal Caninannounced the launch of its Fresh Veterinary Diets. (company press release)
- Royal Canin named Jennifer Cullen as the General Manager of the US Veterinary Business Unit for Royal Canin North America, effective June 2026. (com)
- Napo Pharmaceuticals, a wholly owned subsidiary of Jaguar Health, entered into a new manufacturing and supply agreement with Alvius Life Sciencesto continue producing crofelemer for Mytesi and other crofelemer-based products. (com)
- PetMed Expressannounced the availability of its co-branded online pet pharmacy offering with Rural King. (company press release)
- PetSmart, the largest national pet supply retailer, will close its only store in San Francisco, CA citing “evolving” shopping habits of pet owners. (com)
- Synexisannounced a strategic collaboration with Penn Veterinary Supply to expand access to Synexis DHP, a touchless, continuous pathogen control technology. (company press release)
- Cura Veterinary Partners, a procurement consulting firm for independent veterinary clinics, has launched. (company press release)
- Enovis Companion Animal Healthhas launched CT-RevitL, a next generation Laser Therapy system. (company press release)
- VetnCare, a community of veterinary hospital in Northern California that has partnered with Greenwich- based private investment firm, Great Point Partners, have acquired their sixth location. (company press release)
- Innately’s SmartICVI platform announced that it has been named a nationally approved eCVI vendor by the National Assembly of State Animal Health Officials. (company press release)
- Wonderdog, a preventive health platform for dogs, has launched and announced $5M in pre-seed funding led by consumer venture capital firms WndrCoand Maveron. The company combines at-home blood diagnostics with a health tracking app. (com)
- VetSoftwareHub,an independent authority for veterinary software evaluation, announced the launch of Vendor Claims and Edits, allowing software providers to officially claim ownership of their listing and manage profiles in real time. (company press release)
- BioCV Inc.has launched the BioCV intelligent sow monitoring system, a real-time smart ear tag that continuously tracks individual animal temperature, behavior and movement. (agrinews-pubs.com)
************************************
Industry Announcements
2026 Animal Health Summit
August 31-September 1, 2026
Location: Midland Theatre | Kansas City, MO
Registration is now open for the 2026 Animal Health Summit.
The Animal Health Summit features two days of networking, 1:1 business partnering, industry thought leaders, panel discussions, speakers and emerging company presentations. Click here to learn more.
************************************
International Company News
- AU – Pimlico Food Grouphas launched RAWR raw cat food line in Australia. (com)
- CA, EU – Zoetisannounced the launch of Lenivia (izenivetmab injection) a long-acting monoclonal antibody to deliver up to 3 months of osteoarthritis pain management in dogs in Canada and the EU. (company press release)
- JP- Sumitomo Corporationhas made another strategic investment in the A’alda Japan Group, operator of Japan’s largest veterinary hospital groups, supporting its vision to become “the most influential Animal Health Tech Company in the world” (company press release)
- NG- Vet Konect, a digital animal health company, and Nova Vet,a Dubai based company, hosted the First African Animal Health AI Summit in Nigeria. (ng)
- UK- Prefera Pet Foodhas launched Bound liquid pump supplement for dogs and cats in the UK. (com)
************************************
Brakke Consulting News
Attending the 2026 KC Animal Health Summit? Let’s Connect.
Brakke Consulting will be attending the 2026 KC Animal Health Summit, August 31–September 1 in Kansas City. If you’ll be attending, we’d welcome the opportunity to meet with you.
Whether you’re exploring growth opportunities, evaluating market trends, planning a transaction, or strengthening your commercial strategy, our team is ready to discuss how Brakke Consulting can support your goals.
We’ll be participating in the Summit’s 1:1 Business Partnering program and scheduling meetings throughout the event. Request a meeting through the partnering platform or contact us in advance.
We look forward to seeing you in Kansas City!
************************************
Animal Health Industry News
- AU – The first-ever Koala Chlamydia vaccine implant was administered to a wild koala allowing for a single examination to provide the required two-dose vaccine. (org.au)
- GLOBAL – The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) has launched its first global surveyfor veterinary professionals on companion animal veterinary practice. (org)
- US – The FDA issued Emergency Use Authorization for Ivermectin Liquid for Horses for the short-term prevention of New World screwworm infestations in horses. It is authorized for use when administered within 24 hours of birth or at the time of initial wound care. (government press release)
- US – Purdue University’s College of Veterinary Medicine announced plans to increase its student population by nearly 50% targeting 120 students per class and increase in-state student acceptance to 60% of each class. (com)
- US – A recent independent poll conducted by Ipsos, for the Oregon Voices for Biomedical Research found that 3 out of 5 support the use of animals in biomedical research when under the direct supervision of veterinary staff. (com)
- US – The latest quarterly reportfrom CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange notes price increases in most food and beverage categories are tightening household budgets and consumer are making changes in how they shop. (com)
- US – The CATalyst Council released its second edition of “Puppocalypse, Kitten Craze and the Expectations Reset” updating the original forecast with second-quarter 2026 veterinary visit data and new research. (organization press release)
- US – A letter of intent to establish a hospice and palliative medicine specialty has been accepted by the American Board of Veterinary Specialties and public comments on the proposal are now being sought by August 13. (vin.com)
************************************
Brakke Consulting Viewpoint
In last week’s Viewpoint, I reviewed the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) reforms for the veterinary sector and ended with a comment about trust — it’s not a vague sentiment made on my part. The CMA found that fewer than 50% of clients at large veterinary groups (CVS, IVC, Linnaeus, Medivet, VetPartners) knew their practice was part of a chain, and those veterinary groups averaged prices 18.3% above independents while scoring worse on client satisfaction with cost. That looks like erosion of the very thing that used to substitute for regulation in professional-service markets: personal/localized reputation.
Historically, “trust the vet” worked as an informal market mechanism because the vet was a known individual in your town whose livelihood depended on local reputation over a career. Word travels fast in a small market, and the vet bore the reputational cost personally — a strong incentive against overcharging or overtreating. When ownership shifts to a private-equity-backed chain, that mechanism breaks down: prices aren’t always set locally, the trusted local clinic brand now sits inside a different ownership and incentive structure, and personal reputation is diffused across a corporation.
This isn’t “markets work-versus-markets fail”, and it isn’t that “corporate vets are untrustworthy” — trust in individual vet professionalism remains high across the board according to the report. It’s that the mechanism that made this market self-regulating for decades was itself a market feature- localized reputation. Consolidation dismantled it faster than any replacement emerged. The CMA is betting mandated disclosure can rebuild enough information for price competition to work again. Whether that bet pays off is an open question.
Bob Jones
***********************************
Your View
Last week, we asked what you thought about the CMA rule requiring veterinary practices to publish a comprehensive price list for standard services. A majority (60 %) of you would support this rule, while 19% would not support this rule. The remainder (21%) were not sure. It appears that transparency of fees would be welcome to most of us.
This week let’s see what you think about another one of the CMA’s new rules for veterinary practices that directly focuses on disclosure. Tell us what you think about this rule:
************************************
Brakke Stock Table
English 
Portuguese 
Japanese 
Chinese