🇦🇺 Australian dog longevity startup Elita raises $1.9M
🩺 Instinct Science launches AI assistant built for high-stakes vet decisions
🐱 Family learns vet didn’t euthanize their cat but instead kept her alive for 18 months
😡 Former NFL player gets five years in prison for massive dogfighting operation
🌆 Pet wipes take aim at urban pollution, bacteria and rising skin issues
📉 Morgan Stanley says Chewy’s 11% selloff went too far despite slower growth
🚨 7 healthy puppies NEED rescue or foster placement
🇰🇷 Korea teams with Naver to give 20 local pet brands a major e-commerce boost
🇨🇾 Cyprus is missing out on the growing pet-friendly tourism boom, industry advocates warn
By September 2026, dealmaking across the pet sector has clearly picked up. M&A activity is running ahead of where it was a year ago, as transactions delayed in 2025 have started to materialize and buyer appetite has begun to rebound.
Big strategics are buying their way into new categories, veterinary consolidation continues, and investors haven’t stopped writing checks - they’ve just become more selective about where those checks go. We’ve seen billion-dollar mergers alongside major bets on fresh food, longevity, insurance, grooming, AI, pet tech and entirely new models of veterinary care.
And it hasn’t just been the headline-grabbing deals. Some of the year’s more interesting moves have happened quietly, with acquisition prices never disclosed at all. Chewy moved deeper into veterinary care. The Farmer’s Dog expanded beyond food. Tractor Supply added a major veterinary business. And some of the biggest names in animal health, distribution, and pet food kept adding pieces to their portfolios.
So, with most of 2026 behind us (I know, where did the time go? I feel like it was April like 2 weeks ago), we went back through the year to see where the biggest checks were written, which companies changed hands, and which deals you might have missed.
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