Pet Joint Support Soft Chews

In recent years, as pets have become increasingly integrated into the lives of family members, preventative healthcare concepts have taken root in the pet medical industry. From simply knowing to vaccinate their pets to proactively taking them for checkups, pet owners’ health awareness is changing. Pet preventative medicine uses scientific methods such as vaccines, checkups, and daily care to reduce the risk of disease in pets in advance. The focus of the pet medical industry is also shifting from traditional disease treatment to a comprehensive health management system encompassing prevention, diagnosis, and rehabilitation throughout the entire lifecycle. Upgraded Pet Ownership Concepts Make Preventative Healthcare a Necessity In early 2026, the “2026 China Pet Industry White Paper,” released by the Paidu Pet Industry Big Data Platform under the guidance of the National Companion Animal (Pet) Standardization Technical Committee, the Pet Industry Branch of the China Animal Husbandry Association, and the China Veterinary Medical Association, showed that the urban pet (dog and cat) consumer market in my country reached 312.6 billion yuan in 2025, with the medical market accounting for 27.6% of the consumption structure. This trend is in line with the global market. “Ten years ago, pet owners brought their pets to the vet mainly because they were sick. Now, 60-70% of them are proactively inquiring about checkups and preventative care,” said Gong Yunpeng, a licensed veterinarian and head of the medical department at Mengyuejia Pet Hospital, who has witnessed this change. He recalled to the People’s Daily Health Client’s Pet Channel that when he first entered the profession, pet owners only knew about vaccinations to prevent infectious diseases. Later, they gradually began to value deworming, and in recent years, their needs have expanded to include annual checkups, genetic disease screening, zoonotic disease testing, and pet pregnancy checks. Many new pet-owning families now conduct comprehensive checkups as the first thing they do after bringing their pets home, and many families planning pregnancy specifically bring their pets for zoonotic disease screening. Lai Xiaoyun, founder of the East-West Veterinary Medicine Association, president of the Pet Medicine Branch of the China Veterinary Drug Association, and a veterinary doctor, has a deeper understanding of this. He stated that in the past, pet owners mostly treated their pets passively, only taking them to the vet when they stopped eating and drinking or couldn’t stand, by which time the condition was usually already quite serious. “Pets can’t speak, so they can hide their discomfort. By the time obvious symptoms appear, the difficulty and cost of treatment increase significantly.” Behind this shift is the increased status of pets in the family and pet owners’ expectations for more companionship. Meanwhile, my country’s pet industry has developed for thirty years, and a large number of pets are entering their senior years, leading to a high incidence of age-related diseases such as heart disease and kidney disease, which has also driven the growth in demand for preventative care. Industry awareness is also upgrading in tandem. Lai Xiaoyun mentioned that at this year’s East-West Veterinary Conference, attendance at preventative medicine-related courses increased significantly, and the number of pet health product exhibitors increased by 40%, exceeding all other categories. “In the past, people thought that only doctors who could perform surgery were good doctors; now, doctors who can help prevent pet diseases are equally recognized.” Responding to market demand, domestic companies are upgrading preventative services. The strong demand from pet owners for preventative healthcare is reshaping the development landscape of the domestic animal health industry. Domestic animal health companies are rapidly rising with their full-industry-chain advantages, becoming a core force driving the industrialization of pet preventative medicine. As a representative of domestic animal health companies, Haizheng Animal Health regards preventative medicine as its strategic core. “Prevention is the most scientific, economical, and compassionate pet health solution,” said Ji Wei, General Manager of Haizheng Animal Health. He added that in the past two years, the domestic pet drug market has developed rapidly, and Haizheng has built a full life-cycle solution based on this. For example, for skin diseases, instead of just providing a single ointment, a complete service including prevention, nutrition, treatment, and repair is offered. During special periods like the Spring Festival, scenario-based health solutions are launched to address pet stress and improper diet during the holidays. Meanwhile, Haizheng is deeply involved in the formulation of national industry standards and collaborates with veterinarians and distribution channels to conduct comprehensive science popularization to help pet owners establish scientific prevention concepts. “Currently, many pet owners still have the misconception of ’emphasizing treatment and neglecting prevention’,” said Ji Wei. Through simple and easy-to-understand scientific popularization, basic preventative behaviors such as regular deworming, timely vaccination, annual checkups, and senior screening can be transformed into simple and implementable daily pet care practices. Exporting Experience and Quality: International Companies Contribute to Standardized Treatment International animal health companies have cultivated deep expertise in pet preventative medicine for many years, accumulating mature experience in full life-cycle management. After entering the Chinese market, they have combined local clinical needs with the introduction of advanced concepts and standardized systems, providing important references for industry development. Zhang Xuan, Marketing Director of Elantraveneer Pet Health, explained to the People’s Daily Health Client’s Pet Channel that mature international markets have long since shifted from “passive medical care” to “proactive management.” This involves three key aspects: first, integrating prevention throughout the entire lifespan, controlling risks through regular screenings; second, providing personalized health plans tailored to the needs of pets of different breeds and ages; and third, utilizing digital tools to achieve seamless connections between homes and hospitals. For the Chinese market, Elantraveneer not only introduces innovative drugs but also dedicates itself to promoting standardized diagnosis and treatment. For example, regarding osteoarthritis, a common condition in older dogs, they collaborated with industry experts to publish the “Expert Consensus on Diagnosis, Staging, and Treatment of Canine Osteoarthritis,” introducing the Liverpool Dog Osteoarthritis Questionnaire and a canine osteoarthritis staging tool, forming an integrated solution of “medication + tools + training + public education.” “We hope to help veterinarians achieve precise diagnosis and treatment through the ‘tools + consensus’ approach, while also guiding pet owners to pay attention and intervene early,” Zhang Xuan stated. Veterinarians are becoming “health consultants,” providing full-life-cycle health guidance. The popularization of preventive medicine has also changed the service model in frontline pet clinics. Veterinarians, who previously only treated patients and prescribed medications, are now becoming “health consultants” for pets, providing full-life-cycle health guidance. Gong Yunpeng explained that many pet hospitals now create personalized health records for each pet, developing individualized plans based on age and breed. For young pets, the focus is on growth and development, vaccinations, deworming, and regular screening for breed-specific genetic diseases. For young pets, the emphasis is on weight management to prevent obesity after spaying/neutering, which can lead to heart disease, liver disease, and other problems. Senior pets over 8 years old have their checkups increased to every six months, with a focus on screening for diseases of the heart, liver, kidneys, and joints. Many pet owners often overlook details that are crucial for disease prevention. Gong Yunpeng specifically mentioned that chronic oral inflammation can lead to heart and kidney diseases, and he recommends training pets to brush their teeth from a young age. In addition, grooming to prevent hairballs, regular and measured feeding to help control weight, and appropriate exercise to maintain vitality are all routine care practices that veterinarians will emphasize. Regarding how to effectively manage a pet’s health throughout its entire life cycle, Lai Xiaoyun offered three suggestions: First, recognize that pets and humans are different species, and you shouldn’t judge a pet’s needs based on your own preferences and logic; second, online information can be used as a reference, but it cannot replace a professional veterinarian’s diagnosis, and you should consult a veterinarian promptly if you encounter health problems; finally, follow scientific care procedures and do a good job of daily preventative healthcare. Despite rapid development, my country’s pet preventative medicine system still has many areas for improvement. Lai Xiaoyun stated that currently, only rabies immunization is mandatory at the national level, and other preventative measures mainly rely on pet owners’ self-discipline. Industry standards for preventative services are also still being established. At the same time, the concept of “pet health as a whole” is constantly expanding, extending beyond the pet itself. Lai Xiaoyun pointed out that in addition to the health of the pets themselves and the health of pet owners, the health of non-pet owners is also a direction that the industry needs to explore in the future.

I. Overall Industry Overview: Stable Growth, Pet Supplements Become Core Profit Track The overall domestic pet consumption market exceeded 300 billion yuan in 2026, maintaining steady double-digit growth. With the increasing awareness of professional and refined pet care among pet owners, the industry has shifted from simply “feeding and raising well” to “health care and disease prevention.” Among them, the pet supplement track saw the fastest growth, with the annual market size exceeding 22 billion yuan. Its gross profit margin is far higher than that of staple food and snacks, making it the most stable, profitable, and highest-repurchase-rate segment in the pet industry. The aging of pets, the increase in sterilization rates, and the high incidence of stress problems have driven the demand for functional pet care products. II. Key Industry Events in 2026: The Year of Industry Compliance Reshuffling 2026 was unanimously recognized by the industry as the first year of strong compliance in the pet industry. Multiple departments jointly rectified the situation, completely eliminating small workshops and white-label products, and rapidly concentrating production capacity in leading GMP-certified factories. 1. New National Standards for Pet Food Officially Implemented in May: The new national standards for pet food issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs are fully implemented, unifying the quality standards for staple foods, snacks, and nutritional supplements. Strict regulations govern ingredient labeling, content, and production standards, leading to the complete removal of substandard and falsely labeled products from the market. 2. Comprehensive Special Rectification of Medical, Boarding, and Health Supplement Products Starting in June: Nationwide crackdowns on unlicensed production, false efficacy claims, and the misuse of veterinary drug/health supplement licenses. Small factories without laboratories, testing reports, or GMP facilities are being phased out en masse, while the advantages of compliant, self-developed, and certified large manufacturers are being amplified. 3. Efficacy Claims Now Fully Verifiable: All claims of joint protection, urinary tract health, immune enhancement, liver and heart protection, etc., must be supported by third-party animal testing reports and complete testing data. The industry has officially entered an era of data-driven and technologically competitive practices, moving beyond mere verbal claims. III. 2026 Top-Selling Product Trends (High-Growth Essential Needs) This year, the top-grossing product categories are all concentrated in the **Functional Pet Care** category, which is also currently the category with the largest shipment volume for OEM and branded products: 1. Senior Pet Anti-Aging Care: With over 30 million middle-aged and senior dogs and cats nationwide, joint degeneration, functional decline, and heart aging issues are emerging, making nutritional products specifically for senior pets the biggest trend of the year. 2. Pet Joint Care: Annual growth rate of 130%, UC-II, green-lipped mussel, and chondroitin formulas have become high-end standard, with granule formulations having the highest repurchase rate among families. 3. Urinary Tract Care: Essential for spayed/neutered male and female cats, cranberry-based lactose-free nutritional paste continues to sell well, with online and cross-border orders surging. 4. Immune and Post-Operative Rehabilitation: Lactoferrin and compound immune formulas have become essential products for attracting customers to stores, with stable demand from puppies, postpartum, and post-illness recovery. 5. High-End Krill Fish Oil: Replacing traditional fish oil, astaxanthin + high absorption properties have become the mainstream upgraded product in the market. IV. Product Dosage Form Consumption Trends (Mainstream Bestseller Forms in 2026) 1. Lactose-Free Syringe Nutritional Paste: Convenient to feed, lactose-free and does not cause diarrhea, suitable for dogs and cats of all ages, the highest conversion rate dosage form in e-commerce, cross-border e-commerce, and pet stores. 2. Large-Can Functional Granules: High cost-performance ratio, a necessity for family stockpiling, extremely high repurchase rate, suitable for distribution, wholesale, and private domain channels. 3. Soft Capsule Formulation: Fish oil, probiotics, immune capsules, high-end appearance, minimalist and clean design, suitable for cross-border e-commerce and high-end brand positioning. V. Channel Trends: Domestic Competition, Cross-Border Explosion 1. Domestic Channels: Compliance is King Douyin, JD.com, and Pinduoduo are strictly investigating false advertising. Brands prioritize cooperation with source factories that have GMP workshops, laboratories, complete reports, and patents. Small workshops and OEM manufacturing are completely eliminated. 2. Explosive Growth in Cross-Border Channels 2026 saw a boom in overseas sales of pet health products, with orders from Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Europe and the United States continuing to rise. Overseas platforms preferred products from reputable factories with 0% lactose formula, clean labels, no unnecessary additives, and complete testing reports. Domestic pet health product brands are entering a period of large-scale overseas expansion and significant profits. VI. Changes in the Industry Competitive Landscape 1. The industry has moved beyond price wars and entered an era of competition based on R&D, quality control, compliance, and technology. 2. Industry concentration is rapidly increasing, with production capacity, orders, and brand resources concentrating on leading GMP-certified high-tech enterprises. 3. Customers are no longer looking for the “cheapest factory,” but instead choosing the “most stable, compliant, safe, and long-term cooperative” high-tech factories at the source. VII. Summary of Industry Benefits for Reputable Large Manufacturers (Huashengweike) 1. Strict compliance and regulation have eliminated many small workshops in the industry, significantly releasing market potential; 2. The senior pet, joint, urinary, and immune systems sectors are experiencing explosive growth, highly aligning with the company’s product portfolio; 3. The cross-border e-commerce market is opening up, allowing companies with FDA, GMP, and full-form dosage form production capacity to exclusively enjoy foreign trade benefits; 4. R&D strength, testing laboratories, patented technologies, and digital production capacity have become core competitive advantages for attracting investment, maximizing the advantages of reputable high-tech enterprises.