Pet parasite infection is one of the most common health threats in companion animal medicine. Fleas, ticks, mites, and various internal parasites not only significantly affect the growth and quality of cats and dogs, but some zoonotic parasitic diseases directly pose a threat to public health safety. The disease burden cannot be ignored. As the number of pets in China continues to increase, pet medical needs are evolving from basic diagnosis and treatment to preventive medicine. Deworming, as the most widely accepted and frequently purchased core product in the preventive medicine system, is becoming a key entry point for pet health management.
Since the emergence of modern veterinary drug technology in the 20th century, cat and dog deworming drugs have evolved from extensive insecticide approaches to specialized pet medications. In the 21st century, the introduction of compound formulations for both internal and external deworming marks a new stage of efficiency, safety, and convenience in the industry. Compared to traditional single-effect deworming drugs, current mainstream internal and external deworming products can address multiple types of parasites simultaneously, significantly reducing the burden of medication use and operational complexity. They also continue to make breakthroughs in formulation innovation (such as cat-friendly drops and dog chew tablets) and safety improvements (such as novel iodoquinol molecules), leading the deworming drug market toward broad-spectrum and precise development. International animal health giants such as Zoetis, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Ritecare dominate the market due to their original research innovations and brand barriers. Domestic brands like Haizheng Animal Health accelerate their growth through cost-effectiveness and channel flexibility, creating a diverse competitive landscape in the market.
With the aging of pets, the release of policy benefits during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, and consumers' increasing emphasis on ingredient safety and transparency of medication usage, the cat and dog deworming drug industry is shifting from price competition driven by generic drugs to a high-quality development phase driven by innovation, full-lifecycle health management, and global expansion. The white paper systematically outlines the current development status, technological evolution, competitive ecosystem, and future trends of the cat and dog deworming drug industry in China, aiming to provide forward-looking insights and decision-making references for industry participants.
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"2026 China Cat and Dog Deworming Drug Industry White Paper" starts with an analysis of the development of the Chinese pet and pet healthcare industry, systematically outlining the macro背景: continuous growth in the number of cats and dogs, an upgrade in consumption concepts from "treating diseases" to "preventing diseases," and increasingly standardized policy regulations. On this basis, the white paper focuses on the core category of deworming drugs in preventive medicine, clarifying the classification system based on pet species (cat/dog) and scope of action (internal/deexternal/compound), and analyzing the entire industrial chain from research and development to professional and retail channels. Then, the white paper reviews the technological evolution of deworming drugs from early extensive insecticides to efficient, safe internal and external deworming products, focusing on comparing the differentiated competitive landscape between foreign leaders and domestic brands in terms of product strength, brand strength, and channel layout. At the same time, the white paper explores how changes in consumer needs, supply-side challenges, and emerging business models drive industry development, combined with market size data and the competitive positions of leading companies such as Zoetis, Boehringer, Ritecare, and Haizheng, revealing key trends such as compound products as growth focus, chain and digital-driven competition enhancement, and the construction of epidemiological data and precise prevention and control systems. Finally, the white paper looks ahead to the broad prospects for the cat and dog deworming drug market under the "15th Five-Year Plan" policy benefits, aging pets, and deepening preventive medicine, moving towards innovation-driven, full-lifecycle health management, and global expansion.
The following is a excerpt from the white paper. For detailed content, please scan the QR code:
01
Analysis of the Chinese Pet and Healthcare Industry
(1) Analysis of the number of cats and dogs in China and characteristics of the pet industry
From 2020 to 2025, the number of pets in China showed a continuous year-on-year growth trend. The number of cat pets increased from 48.62 million in 2020 to 72.89 million in 2025, with a CAGR of 8.4%. The number of dog pets increased from 52.22 million in 2020 to 53.43 million in 2025, with a CAGR of 0.5%. For the first time in 2021, the number of cat pets exceeded that of dog pets, maintaining a higher growth rate. The number of dog pets began to recover from growth in the past three years.
The Chinese pet industry exhibits the following main characteristics: First, the number of cats outnumbering dogs is a unique phenomenon; unlike developed countries like Europe and America where dogs dominate the market, the Chinese pet market features a unique characteristic where the number of cats significantly exceeds that of dogs, making this difference an important identifier of the Chinese pet market compared to overseas markets. Second, the cat-raising boom is deeply linked to urban development; the "cat-raising boom" is closely associated with urban development. Compact living spaces and fast-paced lifestyles in cities make cats, which are better suited for companionship, the preferred choice of urban residents, further driving the rapid expansion of the cat market. Third, both cats and dogs are growing, with cats showing a significantly higher growth rate; at the same time, the number of pets per thousand people in China is still far lower than in developed countries, indicating a large potential for future market growth.
Source: "China Pet Industry White Paper (Petdata.cn)", Frost & Sullivan analysis
(2) Definition, classification, and market scale analysis of the Chinese pet economy market
The "pets" focused on the Chinese pet economy market refer to companion animals raised primarily for companionship, emotional support, or leisure entertainment (different from working animals and livestock used for labor or production). Currently, cats and dogs are the main types of pets in China. Based on this, the Chinese pet economy market is a comprehensive industry cluster covering pet food, supplies, medical services, and other services, serving pet owners and pets themselves.
The classification of the Chinese pet economy market is as follows: Pet food: The basic category of the market, including daily staple foods such as cat food and dog food, snacks such as meat dry and canned food, and functional health foods suitable for specific physiological stages or health needs of pets. Pet supplies: Refer to various materials to assist in pet care, including rigid essential items such as cat litter, nest, water dispenser, leash, and cleaning and grooming supplies, as well as upgraded supplies such as clothing, toys, and travel bags. Pet medical care: The core is pet medical services and pet medicines, covering three directions: disease prevention, regular check-ups, and disease treatment, including drug sales and surgery, vaccination, health checks, imaging tests, and related services. Other services: These are value-added services, including beauty projects such as cleaning, grooming, trimming, and styling, short-term foster care, behavior correction training, and extended services such as pet funeral and pet photography.
From 2020 to 2025, the overall scale of the Chinese pet economy market continued to expand steadily: from 208.81 billion yuan in 2020, it grew to 307.06 billion yuan in 2025, with a CAGR of approximately 8.0% during this period, showing a stable expansion pace. Pet food was the core category of the market. From 113.39 billion yuan in 2020 to 167.87 billion yuan in 2025, with a CAGR of approximately 8.2%, it always occupied the largest share of the market. The growth of pet medical needs was also strong; in 2020, the scale was 55.00 billion yuan, and in 2025, it reached 80.74 billion yuan, with a CAGR of approximately 8.0%, becoming one of the important drivers of market growth.
Source: "China Pet Industry White Paper (Petdata.cn)", "China Pet Healthcare Industry Research Report (East-West Veterinary Platform)", Frost & Sullivan analysis
(3) Classification and development history of the Chinese pet healthcare market
Among the many sub-categories of pet healthcare, diagnostic services form the core revenue pillar, while medicines contribute significantly to revenue as key supporting elements. The peripheral industries represented by pet medical devices maintain steady development driven by basic demand.
The pet healthcare market includes core medical services such as outpatient services, surgeries, and hospitalization, with high technical and professional barriers. With the aging of pets and the upgrading of medical needs, diagnostic services have become the core driver of industry growth. The pet medicine market includes deworming drugs, chronic disease medications, vaccines, infectious disease medications, and routine medicines, which are an important part of pet healthcare. Deworming drugs and chronic disease medications have high repeat purchase rates, and prescription drugs grow driven by diagnostic needs. As diagnosis and treatment become more standardized, drug sales are gradually transforming into more professional and value-oriented forms. The pet medical device market is in a stage of rapid development, with products often derived from human medical device technologies and evolving towards intelligence, portability, and specialization. As pet healthcare institutions develop towards high-end and chain-oriented models, the demand for high-end imaging equipment such as CT and MRI and precise diagnostic tools is becoming a key driver of market growth. Other pet healthcare services refer to solutions such as operation management, precise diagnosis, and data analysis provided to pet hospitals, clinics, and research institutions, centered on information technology and professional laboratory services.
Source: "China Pet Medicine Industry Research Report (East-West Veterinary Platform)", Frost & Sullivan analysis
(4) Analysis of the development history and market scale of the Chinese pet medicine market
After 30 years, the Chinese pet medicine industry has completed a complete journey from being an auxiliary to animal husbandry and veterinary medicine to becoming specialized and refined. Its development reflects the upgrading of Chinese social consumption and the rise of emotional economy. Emergence period: Before 2000, the concept of "pets" was not widespread in China; dogs and cats were considered functional animals, and animal medicine focused on economic animals. Scattered pet clinics in large cities originated from animal husbandry and veterinary medicine, with simple equipment, handling basic medical needs such as trauma treatment, rabies vaccines, and infectious disease treatment. Exploration period: In the 21st century, as the Chinese economy developed and residents' living standards improved, a group that regarded pets as companions emerged in first-tier cities, and professional pet clinics were established. Veterinarians started opening individual clinics for dogs and cats, basic diagnostic equipment was introduced, foreign brands popularized domestic pet-raising concepts, and the demand for pet medicine continued to rise. Rapid development period: 2011-2020 was a period of explosive growth in pet medicine; people born in the 1980s and 1990s became the main pet-owners. With the growth of emotional economy, the companionship value of cats and dogs increased, and pet owners paid more attention to their pets' health. Capital invested heavily in the industry, promoting chain development; service content was enhanced, high-end equipment and technology were introduced, and clinics were upgraded to hospitals. Integration and upgrade period: After 2021, the industry entered a new development stage, shifting from store expansion to internal growth; leading chains steadily rose, aiming to improve hospital standardization and professionalism, operational efficiency; medical institutions developed specialized departments; digital tools became common; high-quality veterinarians became the focus of competition, and talent cultivation became a strategic priority.
With the development and maturity of China's pet industry, the Chinese pet medicine market has also expanded, with the market share increasing continuously. According to Frost & Sullivan's statistics, the market size of Chinese pet medicine in 2020 was 55 billion yuan, with a compound growth rate of 8.0% from 2020 to 2025. By 2025, the market size had reached 80.74 billion yuan. As the concept of "scientific pet-raising" spreads, industry regulations promote market standardization and price transparency, which will add more momentum to China's pet medicine industry.
Source: "China Pet Medicine Industry Research Report (East-West Veterinary Platform)", Frost & Sullivan analysis
(5) Analysis of consumer profiles, decision-making factors, and pain points in the Chinese pet medicine market
Current Chinese pet consumers are a combination of sensibility and rationality: they spend money on emotions but also study ingredient science; they pursue quality and professionalism while craving convenience and ease. The consumers in the Chinese pet medicine market can be mainly classified as follows: young urban residents, high-educated and high-income white-collar workers, diverse families and married individuals (core consumer group), new forces in the lower market, and enthusiasts of "special pets" and novelty seekers. As pet-raising becomes more widespread, consumer profiles will further be stratified and diversified. The growing number of elderly pet-owners, male pet owners, and mature consumers in lower-tier markets will become new drivers of growth. According to consumer surveys, people born in the 1990s are the main pet-owners, and the proportion of people born in the 2000s is increasing; pet owners with a bachelor's degree or above account for the highest proportion; pet owners' income is mainly concentrated between 4000-9999 yuan, followed by 10000-14999 yuan; the number of pet owners in second-tier cities is increasing, while in first-tier, third-tier and lower cities, the number is decreasing.
Source: "China Pet Industry White Paper (Petdata.cn)", Frost & Sullivan analysis
The underlying decision-making logic of Chinese pet consumers is to build trust through professional information, meet rational needs with health commitments, and ultimately deliver value through emotional resonance and excellent experience. Only by building competitiveness in these three aspects can brands and merchants truly win the favor of pet consumers.
As the value logic of the Chinese pet market shifts from "transaction" to "trust", and from traffic harvesting to user cultivation, the current core pain points of consumers are mainly twofold. First, there is a dilemma between convenience and refinement in daily care and product selection; for example, in daily care and pet medicine selection, consumers want to use convenient generic over-the-counter medicines to handle common problems, but also worry about insufficient suitability, seeking personalized medication and precise diagnosis and treatment plans tailored to the pet's condition. Second, there is a mismatch between the supply side and consumers' upgraded needs. The supply side of the industry has obvious weaknesses. For example, there is a shortage of specialized professionals in the field of pet medicine, unable to fully meet the needs of precise diagnosis and treatment of pet diseases; at the same time, the service industry of pet washing, grooming, etc. lacks unified standards, with uneven quality; issues such as false labeling of pet food ingredients and the circulation of fake products also lead to a weak trust system; coupled with insufficient coverage of pet medical insurance, lack of financial supporting services, and inadequate financial support, the overall supply capacity lags behind consumers' rapidly upgraded scientific understanding and emotional needs.
(5) Analysis of driving factors in the Chinese pet medicine market
(a) Policy supervision encourages pet-raising trends:After 30 years of development and regulation, China's pet medicine industry has evolved from infancy to maturity since the "Tenth Five-Year Plan" period. The regulatory environment has shifted from strict control in the early days to a more open approach, making it necessary to promote the high-quality development of the pet industry.
(b) Growth in pet spending:In terms of average annual pet spending, two main characteristics are evident: first, consumption resilience is prominent, and the market foundation is stable; in 2025, average annual pet spending increased slightly. Even against the background of macroeconomic volatility, pet owners' willingness and budget for their pets remain rigid, indicating that pet consumption has surpassed ordinary consumer goods and has strong anti-cycle and emotional stickiness. Second, consumption depth continues to increase, and the quality-price ratio trend is evident; in addition to meeting the basic survival needs of pets, pet owners are continuously increasing investment in areas such as health and emotional experience. This drives the market to transform from "incremental expansion" to "deepening of existing assets", providing clear opportunities for upgrading and value addition for all links in the industrial chain.
Source: "China Pet Industry White Paper (Petdata.cn)", Frost & Sullivan analysis
(c) Increased pet age structure brings medical needs:The increased pet age structure is shifting the core of the pet medicine market from treating acute diseases to managing chronic diseases and aging. Pet aging is making pet medicine the most resilient and potential segment in the pet sub-market.
Source: "China Pet Industry White Paper (Petdata.cn)", Frost & Sullivan analysis
(d) New business forms help the industry develop:Emerging business models, such as pet insurance, smart products, internet healthcare platforms, home services, and content communities, are reshaping through model innovation and experience improvement. These models are injecting new momentum into the upgrading of China's pet industry from multiple dimensions including payment, service, information, and ecosystem. In terms of payment, specialized medical insurance products like post-surgical care insurance have been introduced, creating customized protection solutions that precisely cover various medical payment scenarios. For example, Alipay's pet medical insurance utilizes an electronic health record and diagnosis data system to enable online insurance assessment, photo-based claims processing, and immediate compensation delivery, significantly reducing the operational costs for pet owners. In terms of information, medical information is integrated across the entire scope; take the "Pet Doctor Cloud" platform of Xinruipeng Pet Medical Group as an example, where the internet healthcare platform aggregates high-quality resources nationwide, providing diverse online medical services and breaking down regional barriers to pet medical resources. In terms of service, smart medical products use IoT and sensor technology to monitor pet health data in real time and provide early warnings, allowing pet owners to conduct basic medical monitoring at home, enabling early detection and treatment of diseases. In terms of ecosystem, content communities deliver pet-related content through various platforms, precisely stimulating users' demand for medical services and products.
(e) From "disease treatment" to "proactive prevention": Preventive medicine opens an incremental blue ocean:Starting with high-frequency preventive products, it drives the demand for full-chain health services, transforming the pet medical market from low-frequency passive treatment to high-frequency proactive management. Among them, deworming products are the core carriers of preventive medicine; first, they have the highest acceptance rate and lowest market education cost: deworming is one of the most well-known and widely accepted preventive products among pet owners, requiring no additional market education and having a natural consumer base. Second, they are high-frequency necessities, creating continuous consumption scenarios: deworming has a periodic usage pattern (monthly), with a high repurchase rate, naturally forming a stable long-term closed-loop consumption scenario, making it the most commercially reliable product in preventive medicine. Third, they have a significant entry effect, driving full-chain health management: the monthly deworming frequency makes it easier for hospitals and pet owners to establish continuous communication compared to one-time procedures like spaying. Starting with deworming can effectively establish trust between pet owners and professional deworming brands and medical institutions, thereby driving the conversion of high-value-added preventive services such as vaccines, check-ups, dental care, and nutritional advice.
Source: "China Pet Industry White Paper (Petdata.cn)", Frost & Sullivan analysis
02
Analysis of the China Cat and Dog Deworming Products Industry
(1) Definition and classification of the China Cat and Dog Deworming Products Industry
In China, cat and dog Deworming Products refer to veterinary drug formulations approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs for preventing and treating internal and external parasites in pets. Based on their scope of action, they are divided into internal dewormers, external dewormers, and currently popular internal and external combined dewormers (compound preparations that can prevent multiple internal and external parasites with a single use). When selecting products, factors such as the type of pet, weight, and living environment must be considered, and some prescription products require veterinary guidance.
Cat and dog Deworming Products can be classified by pet species into cat-specific and dog-specific products. Cat-specific products are designed according to cat physiological characteristics, such as light weight and sensitivity to certain drugs, requiring higher safety standards; additionally, cats may be stressed when given medication, so small, refreshing drops are more friendly to cats, avoiding stress and hair stickiness. Dog-specific products are designed according to dog physiological characteristics, such as a wide weight range and strong metabolism, ensuring effective deworming protection; moreover, dogs go out frequently and bathe and play in water often, oral deworming can provide better protection.
Cat and dog Deworming Products can be classified by scope of action into internal dewormers, external dewormers, and internal and external combined dewormers.
Source: Public information, Frost & Sullivan analysis
(2) Analysis of the Industry Chain and Development History of Cat and Dog Deworming Products
The China Cat and Dog Deworming Products industry focuses on innovative research and development, with multinational giants leading product iteration; the "dual-track" channel approach of both professional and retail channels efficiently connects supply and demand, meeting diverse consumer needs. Strict quality control and supply chain management throughout the process are the foundation for ensuring product safety and industry trust.
Source: Public information, Frost & Sullivan analysis
The China Cat and Dog Deworming Products industry has evolved from early extensive practices, to products developed specifically for pets focusing on specific internal and external deworming, to a stage where safety has been improved and internal and external combined deworming has been achieved, now reaching a mature stage with faster effectiveness.
Source: Public information, Frost & Sullivan analysis
(3) Analysis of Market Drivers for Cat and Dog Deworming Products
(a) Changes in Consumer Demand and Brand Influence:With the popularization of transparent information and scientific feeding education, consumers recognize the importance of precise ingredients and dosage. Simply low-price drugs will not suffice. Companies must invest in research and development to improve drug safety, and "safe medication" must be combined with professional diagnosis, consultation, and follow-up services. Brand influence has become an important factor for consumers' choices. Leading brands have occupied absolute dominance in professional channels through substantial R&D investment and innovation barriers, and have advantages in market coverage and customer life-cycle management.
(b) Intensified Industry Competition:The brand hierarchy of cat and dog deworming drugs in China is divided into foreign-owned leading brands and domestic brands. Leading foreign companies build a "safe" trust foundation through long-evidenced studies and global big data; they define new standards for a "convenient" experience through formulation innovation and taste optimization, and establish industry benchmarks for "efficient" protection due to patented compound technologies and broad-spectrum coverage. In contrast, domestic brands highlight their competitiveness through local cost and pricing advantages, as well as rapid response to local policies and markets.
(c) Diversified sales channels:The sales channels for cat and dog deworming drugs have formed a diversified matrix with deep integration of online and offline channels, combining professional and retail approaches. It has evolved from a single veterinary professional channel to a full-channel ecosystem centered on meeting the decision-making paths and purchasing preferences of different consumers.
(d) Technology and data-driven precision:There is significant potential for building a systematic and widely covered surveillance network for the pet epidemic map in China, to fill current data and application gaps and initiate a new stage of precise prevention and control. Currently, neither the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs nor the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention has established a dedicated pet epidemic map system; there are only scattered monitoring points in areas such as rabies, a legally recognized zoonotic disease. Sultent Parasite Map is China's first enterprise-led companion animal parasite prevalence statistics project. Launched in June 2022 in collaboration with Pet Doctor, it collects clinical case data in real time and dynamically maps the national parasite distribution, providing data support for veterinary diagnosis and treatment and pet deworming.
Source: Public information, Frost & Sullivan analysis
(e) Policy-driven high-quality development: In April 2026, the "2026 Special Rectification Action Plan for Standardizing Veterinary Drug Use" was released."Online and offline coordination, full-chain governance." First, strict measures are taken against chaotic online sales of veterinary drugs, including unlicensed operations and label fraud. Second, violations in the entire production-to-use process are corrected, including strict checks on "exceeding scope, dosage, and time limits" in medication use, selling prohibited drugs, etc.
Source: Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, State Administration for Market Regulation, etc., Frost & Sullivan analysis
(4) Analysis of the market size of cat and dog deworming drugs
The market size of cat and dog deworming drugs in China increased from 1.71 billion yuan in 2020 to 2.63 billion yuan in 2025, a cumulative growth of 53.8%, with a CAGR of approximately 9.0%. In terms of sub-markets, with the significant expansion of the cat-owning population in China, the growth momentum of cat deworming drug consumption is even more prominent. The market size for cats is higher than that for dogs, and the gap is widening year by year. From 2020 to 2025, the CAGR for cat deworming drugs reached 10.0%, while that for dogs was 7.8%.
From 2020 to 2025, pet deworming drug consumption transitioned from rapid growth to a stable development stage, with a clear differentiation in market structure: internal and external deworming always accounted for the largest share, with the strongest growth, accounting for approximately 42.6% in 2025; the CAGR reached 10.5%. External deworming was the second-largest market, accounting for approximately 30.8% in 2025. In the future, internal and external deworming products will gain consumer preference due to their broader-spectrum deworming capabilities and more convenient usage methods, becoming the focus of growth in the cat and dog deworming drug market.
Source: "China Pet Industry White Paper (Petdata.cn)", "China Pet Medical Industry Research Report (East-West Veterinary Platform)", Frost & Sullivan analysis
(5) Analysis of the competitive landscape
The domestic cat and dog deworming drug market has long been dominated by foreign companies. Transnational animal health giants like Sultent, with their strong R&D capabilities, complete product portfolio, and strict quality standards, are widely popular among consumers and occupy the top tier of the industry. Based on the revenue of cat and dog deworming drugs from 2023 to 2025, the market concentration of the top three companies in China's cat and dog deworming drug industry reached 46.3%. The top three companies are Sultent, Boehringer, and LiLan. In terms of brands, based on the revenue of cat and dog deworming drugs from 2023 to 2025, the market concentration of the top five brands in China's cat and dog deworming drug industry was 38.8%. The top three brands are Daongai, Furien, and Aiwok.
