According to the new “PETMETRIX Pet Medicine Home Delivery Report, 2026 Edition,” the U.S. pet medication market is undergoing a significant shift as pet owners increasingly have options beyond the traditional veterinary clinic.
The report examines the growth of online pharmacies and home delivery, changing prescription purchasing patterns, veterinary visit volumes, and the competitive landscape for pet medications. It also assesses the implications for independent practices, corporate veterinary groups, distributors, and animal health companies.
One of the report’s key findings is a decline in the share of dog owners who purchase prescriptions through their veterinarians. AVMA Sourcebook data from 2024 revealed that 47.5% of dog owners purchased prescriptions through a veterinarian, while the veterinary clinic’s share of dog prescription purchases fell 6.1 percentage points from 2023 to 2024.
Meanwhile, major retailers and e-commerce companies are expanding their presence in the market:
- Walmart launched an online pet pharmacy.
- Tractor Supply acquired Allivet.
- Amazon Pet Rx partnered with Vetsource.
- Chewy continued to expand Chewy Vet Care. (Chewy reported $12.6 billion in net sales during the 2025 fiscal year, including $10.5 billion from its Autoship program, and 21.3 million active customers.)
The changes come as veterinary practices experience declining visit volumes. According to Vetsource Veterinary Analytics data from 6,574 U.S. practices, visits fell 3.1% in 2025, marking the fourth consecutive year of decline. Wellness visits fell 3.8%, while product-only visits declined 6.2%. The report identifies product-only visits as particularly relevant to the home-delivery trend because routine medication refills can now occur without a clinic visit.
Affordability and convenience seem to be important factors in the shift. A February 2026 Packaged Facts survey found that 74% of pet owners considered prescription medications too expensive, up from 63% in the previous survey. Meanwhile, 57% reported concerns about affording their pet’s care.
For veterinary practices, the report argues that challenges may extend beyond lost pharmacy revenue. As medication purchases move elsewhere, practices could also lose opportunities to reinforce treatment plans, communicate with clients, and maintain ongoing relationships between visits. PETMETRIX identified tools such as practice-branded online pharmacies, automated refill reminders, home delivery, and streamlined authorization processes as potential ways practices can compete on convenience.
The report also notes that not every medication category is equally vulnerable to e-commerce competition. For example, compounding pharmacies continue to rely on relationships among veterinarians, pharmacies, and clients for customized doses, flavors, and formulations.
PETMETRIX urged caution when interpreting some of its market estimates. In particular, no major home-delivery platform publicly discloses its gross merchandise volume, so some market-share estimates are modeled rather than based on directly reported sales.
Overall, the report portrays pet medication purchasing as an increasingly competitive, multi-channel market, with convenience, affordability, and access influencing where clients fill veterinary prescriptions.
The full report is available upon request on PETMETRIX’s website.