Two channels will define who wins the Gulf preventive pet health market

By Amr Hazem, CEO, The Petshop

The Gulf’s preventive pet health market does not have a product problem. It has a distribution problem. Two channels control how preventive healthcare products reach pet owners across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and the companies that understand both will capture a disproportionate share of a market projected to reach US$972.6 million in companion animal health alone by 2033. Those who treat distribution as secondary to product will be watching that growth from the outside.

The authority channel

Veterinary clinics account for 43.2% of pet product distribution in the UAE, covering healthcare items, supplements, and accessories. This figure reflects a structural reality of how the channel operates: pet owners visiting for treatment or routine check-ups are not browsing. They are receptive. A veterinarian’s recommendation carries a clinical authority that no shelf placement or digital ad can replicate, making this channel the natural home for preventive healthcare products that require trust or education before purchase.

The infrastructure is scaling to match. UAE veterinary services are valued at US$439.6 million in 2023, with growth projected to reach US$793.2 million by 2030. The country had 120 registered clinics at the time, with a government-backed expansion target of 15%. Multi-speciality centres offering 24-hour advanced care are raising service standards and, with them, the range of preventive products that clinics can credibly recommend.

The broader GCC shows the same trajectory. Kuwait’s veterinary care market stands at US$85 million, with preventive care already its leading service type. Bahrain opened its first specialised veterinary hospital in 2022, supported by the Tamkeen development fund. Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 includes veterinary sector modernisation as a formal pillar of economic diversification, in a market where the companion animal healthcare segment is growing at 10.3% annually. The Gulf-wide veterinary hospital market, valued at US$750 million in 2024, is projected to reach US$1.4 billion by 2033.

The gap is not in infrastructure. It is what happens inside the clinic. Research from the Purina Institute found that only 22% of veterinarians globally are actively discussing nutrition with pet owners during consultations, a figure cited in Nestlé Purina’s November 2024 Capital Markets Day presentation.

The source carries a commercial interest that warrants acknowledgement: Nestlé Purina has a direct stake in vets recommending nutrition products, and investor presentations are not neutral documents. The directional finding is nonetheless consistent with what practitioners across the region report. The vet channel is significantly underutilised as a preventive healthcare recommendation engine. Vet education programmes and in-clinic marketing are not soft investments. They are leverage points on the channel with the highest purchase intent in the market.

The speed channel

The second channel is moving faster than any other. Data shows online’s share of UAE pet products distribution rose from 15.7% in 2019 to 28.3% in 2024, an 80% increase over five years. Pet food e-commerce, by comparison, sits at approximately 9.2% to 9.4%. That gap is significant. Pet owners buy health and accessory products online far more readily than they buy food. For preventive healthcare brands, the fastest-growing channel is also the one most naturally aligned with their product category.

E-commerce restructures the competitive landscape too. Royal Canin dominates traditional UAE retail at 25.7% of pet food value share, Nestlé Purina at 18.1%, and Mars at 18.0%, a combined 62% that leaves limited shelf oxygen for smaller or specialised brands. Online removes that bottleneck. A preventive health brand with no legacy distributor relationships can reach a targeted consumer in Riyadh, Kuwait City, or Doha without needing a single listing with a major retail chain. For new entrants and niche players, the e-commerce channel is not just an option; it is the entry point.

The global players have clearly read this. Nestlé Purina’s e-commerce revenue grew from CHF 0.4 billion (US$0.5 billion) in 2016 to CHF 4.2 billion (US$5.3 billion) in 2023, with its share of total online sales rising from 3.3% to 22.1%. Mars has committed US$1 billion to digital and AI capabilities with a stated goal of doubling online sales by 2030. When the two largest global pet care companies are moving capital at this scale into digital distribution, it is not a trend worth monitoring. It is a structural shift that Gulf markets will follow.

Regulation as an accelerant

Regulation is formalising both channels in ways that directly benefit preventive healthcare adoption. The UAE’s 2023 mandate requiring licensing for all veterinary practices and binding health and safety standards is creating a more predictable commercial environment for manufacturers distributing through clinics. Formalisation raises consumer trust and removes the operational ambiguity that has historically complicated clinic-level product partnerships.

Saudi Arabia’s veterinary modernisation programme is adding distribution capacity across its domestic market. Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain are advancing veterinary infrastructure at different rates, with Oman and Qatar piloting the “One Health” programme in collaboration with regional authorities. The GCC animal health market was valued at US$1.26 billion in 2023 and is projected to grow at a 9.45% CAGR through 2030. Pet food import volumes confirm where market weight sits: the UAE and Saudi Arabia lead the region. In contrast, Kuwait, at 17% of GCC imports by volume and Qatar, at 13%, represent the next meaningful tier of demand.

The strategic read

The data no longer suggests that preventive pet healthcare in the Gulf will grow. It confirms it. Growth alone, however, is not a strategy. The vet channel commands clinical authority and the highest purchase intent of any distribution environment in this category, but it remains underleveraged for preventive nutrition and health conversations. E-commerce offers reach, accessibility, and a structurally lower barrier to market entry, but demands different capabilities: digital marketing precision, direct-to-consumer logistics, and subscription model thinking.

The companies that build channel-specific strategies for both will not simply participate in this market’s growth. They will define it.