The pet food industry is forging closer ties with veterinary behaviorists and online specialty services to tackle stress and anxiety in pets, which Purina reporting says affects about 70% of dogs and nearly 60% of cats. Common signs of stress and anxiety in pets include changes in normal behavior such as hiding, becoming unusually clingy, or displaying restlessness, while physical signs may include panting or trembling.

Manufacturers and brands are moving beyond simple calming supplements and into partnerships that pair nutrition with clinical behavioral expertise. The shift comes as sales for stress and anxiety soft chews have climbed roughly 600%, prompting companies to seek ways to make products part of broader, evidence-based treatment plans. Pet owners can effectively reduce anxiety in their animals by combining behavior modification techniques, environmental management, and, when necessary, veterinarian-prescribed medications.

Purina is among the companies developing collaborations to bring behavioral health into product design and clinical support, while Omni Pet has highlighted behavioral health work led by canine behaviorist Nico Joiner. Purina’s Pro Plan Veterinary division has also launched a support initiative in 2024 that links veterinary diets with specialty care through an online platform called Ease; the launch is detailed by Pro Plan Veterinary Diets and discussed in trade coverage by PetfoodIndustry.

Veterinary behavior specialists are scarce in the United States, a shortage that industry sources say is shaping how brands design support systems around their products. Rather than marketing calming chews as standalone solutions, companies are seeking clinical partners and digital platforms to integrate nutrition into behavior-modification plans that veterinarians and trainers can prescribe. This shift is increasingly important as about 85% of pet owners believe that proper nutrition is crucial for their pets’ overall health and behavior.

“We already accept that ‘baseline’ diets should support joints, skin, gut health, etc. Emotional health is just as biologically real,” said Dr. Ezra J. Ameis, founder and veterinarian at Paw Priority, who has urged a measured approach to calming products. He added, “Calming products shouldn’t be sold as magic bullets.” Dr. Ameis emphasized that incorporating evidence-based products into training is essential, stating, “When a product is clearly evidence-based, easy to integrate into training plans, and comes with real educational support, it stops being ‘just another calming chew on the shelf’ and becomes a tool we’re actually excited to prescribe.”

Brands are responding in different ways. Omni Pet has amplified behavioral health messaging under the guidance of Nico Joiner, its named canine behaviorist, while Purina Pro Plan Veterinary has established a formal link to Ease, an online platform that provides veterinary behavior specialty care. Those collaborations are intended to give clinicians and pet owners clearer pathways to combine nutritional approaches with behavior therapy.

Industry observers say the commercial response reflects both demand from owners and the limits of available clinical specialists. By routing products through veterinarians and behaviorists via digital consultation services, brands aim to ensure interventions align with individual animals’ needs rather than serving as over-the-counter quick fixes.

Executives and clinicians note that integrating nutrition and behavior work requires training, clear evidence and consumer education. Companies pushing products into clinical workflows have emphasized tools and materials for veterinarians and trainers so that supplements or diets augment — rather than replace — behavior modification and, when appropriate, medication prescribed by a clinician.

The trend marks a notable pivot in how pet food companies position behavioral-health products: from retail items sold on impulse to components of coordinated care plans authored or recommended by qualified professionals. That shift has implications for how veterinarians, behaviorists, and brands collaborate going forward.

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Original reporting: view the original article.