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Every pet parent deserves a straightforward, affordable way to get the medications their veterinarian prescribed. No markup tricks, no small print, no runaround. Just the medicine your pet needs, at a fair price, delivered to your door.
30 Years of Trusted Pet Health
Every pet deserves to live a long, happy, healthy life.
For three decades, PetMeds has been more than a pharmacy. We're the friendly voice on the phone, the pharmacist who knows your dog by name, and the box on the doorstep that means one more good day together. More than 2.3 million families trust us with the health of the pets they love.
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Years serving pets
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Families served
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Brands carried
"The team called to check on Rufus after his first order."
— Mariana R., Fort Lauderdale, FL- Licensed Pharmacy
- Vet Recommended
- HIPAA Compliant
- Free Ship $49+
- 30-Day Returns
- 30 Years Trusted
Our Story
It started with one question: why should pet medicine be so hard to get?
In 1996, a small team in Delray Beach, Florida asked a simple question that would change the pet health industry forever. Pet parents were driving across town, waiting in lines, and paying prices that made no sense — for medications their veterinarians had already prescribed. There had to be a better way.
So we built one. PetMeds became the first national pet pharmacy to deliver prescription medications and everyday pet health products directly to the customer's door. No middlemen. No markup games. Just licensed pharmacists doing what they do best, and pet parents getting more time with the animals they love.
Three decades later, that founding idea hasn't changed. We still answer the phone with a real person. We still call to check in after a first order. We still believe that a dog waiting by the door for their medicine is a dog who trusts the people who sent it.
What has changed is the scale. Today, PetMeds serves more than 2.3 million families across all 50 states, carries over 500 brands, and employs a team of licensed pharmacists who've made pet health their life's work. But we've never lost the family-owned feeling that started it all.
Marcus Whitfield
Chief Executive Officer
Signature Interactive
Thirty Years, Seven Milestones
Click any year to explore what happened — from a single phone line in Delray Beach to a national pet pharmacy serving 2.3 million families.
1996
PetMeds is founded in Delray Beach, Florida
A small team launches the nation's first direct-to-consumer pet pharmacy from a single office in South Florida. There is one phone line, one pharmacist, and a simple promise: get the medicine pet parents need to their door, at a fair price, without the runaround.
Within the first year, thousands of pet parents have placed orders. The model works.
1996
Founded
1
First pharmacist
2004
We add food, treats, and supplements
Prescription medications were just the beginning. Pet parents ask for more — the food their vet recommends, the treats that help with training, the joint supplements that keep older dogs moving. We add them all, and PetMeds becomes a full pet health destination, not just a pharmacy.
By 2004, the catalog crosses 100 brands.
100+
Brands in catalog
Food, treats
Supplements added
2012
Two million families served
PetMeds crosses the two-million-household milestone. The growth wasn't driven by advertising — it was driven by veterinarians recommending us by name, and pet parents telling other pet parents. Word of mouth is still our biggest channel.
By the close of 2012, we're licensed in all 50 states and shipping to every zip code in the country.
2M
Families served
50
States licensed
2019
AutoShip becomes our signature
We launch AutoShip — a subscription program that sends the medications and food your pet needs on a schedule you set. No more missed doses. No more last-minute trips. No more realizing on a Sunday morning that the bowl is empty.
Within a year, AutoShip becomes the way most PetMeds families keep their pets healthy.
15%
AutoShip savings
Free
Shipping on every refill
2022
Pet Health Hub launches
Pet health starts with good information. We launch the Pet Health Hub — a free library of vet-reviewed articles, symptom guides, and preventive care resources. No sign-up required. No paywall. Just clear, trustworthy answers to the questions pet parents actually have.
Within a year, more than 500,000 readers use it monthly.
500K+
Monthly readers
Vet-reviewed
Every article
2024
Vetster telehealth goes national
Sometimes you need a real vet's answer now — not in three days when the earliest appointment opens. We partner with Vetster to bring licensed veterinarians to pet parents by video, 24/7, from the comfort of home.
By 2024, pet parents in all 50 states can reach a licensed vet in minutes.
24/7
Vetster availability
50
States covered
2026
Thirty years of trusted pet health
2.3 million families. 500+ brands. A team of licensed pharmacists who've made pet health their life's work. And one promise that hasn't changed since 1996: every pet deserves to live a long, happy, healthy life — and the medicine their vet prescribed should get to them easily, fairly, and on time.
We're thirty years in. We're just getting started.
2.3M
Families served
30
Years and counting
Signature Interactive
Then & Now — Drag to See 30 Years
From a single phone line in a Delray Beach office to a national pharmacy serving millions. Drag the handle to compare.
1996
2026
1996: One pharmacist, one phone line, one promise. • 2026: 2.3M families, 50 states, same promise.
A message from our founder
"We never set out to build a big company. We set out to make one thing easier: getting the medicine your pet needs, when they need it, from people who actually care whether they get better. Thirty years later, that's still the only thing on the list."
Daniel Hartwell
Co-Founder, PetMeds
What We Stand For
Three Promises We Keep Every Day
Every decision at PetMeds comes back to these three ideas. They're not slogans. They're the way we work.
Care
Behind every order is a real person — a pharmacist who knows the medications, a customer care specialist who knows the pets, and a company that calls to check in after a first delivery. You're not a transaction to us. You're a family.
Consistency
Pets don't miss doses because life gets busy — but their humans sometimes do. AutoShip, refill reminders, and a 30-year track record of showing up means the medication keeps arriving, month after month, without anyone having to think about it.
What Guides Us
Six Values, One Center
Click any value in the orbit to see how it shows up in the work we do every day.
Our Values
Every decision starts here
Trust
Trust is earned in small moments. A pharmacist catches a dosage error before it ships. A customer care rep stays on the line until a worried pet parent feels heard. A package arrives on the day we promised. We protect that trust like it's the only thing we own.
By the Numbers
Growth Measured in Pets, Not Percentages
The only metric that matters to us is how many pets we're keeping healthy. Here's where we are after 30 years.
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Families served across the U.S.
$0
Average order value
0+
Brands in our catalog
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States we're licensed in
Pets Served Over the Decades
Approximate customers served at each milestone year — from our first 10,000 to today's 2.3 million families.
Our Pharmacists & Leaders
The People Behind Every Order
Real pharmacists. Real credentials. Real people who care whether your pet gets better.
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Dr. Elena Marchetti Director of Pharmacy
Leads our Delray Beach pharmacy team with 18 years of veterinary compounding experience.
PharmD -
Marcus Reyes AutoShip Operations Lead
Oversees our AutoShip fulfillment team and the refill experience for 2.3 million families.
CPhT -
Dr. Priya Ramaswamy Clinical Pharmacist
Reviews every prescription for interactions and dosing accuracy before it leaves our facility.
PharmD -
Dana Whitfield VP of Customer Care
Built our care team from five people to over 200, all trained to answer as a real person, first ring.
15 Years -
Dr. Aaron Feldstein Lead Veterinary Pharmacist
Coordinates directly with prescribing veterinarians to resolve questions before an order ships.
PharmD -
Dr. Nia Okonkwo Compliance & Quality Officer
Maintains our HIPAA, PCI, and NASP compliance standards across every state we serve.
PharmD -
Jordan Castellanos Chief Technology Officer
Leads the platform team behind AutoShip, the vet portal, and every digital touchpoint our customers use.
CTO -
Renata Alvarez Head of Community Partnerships
Runs our shelter partnerships and adoption events across Florida and beyond.
Community
Credentials
Licensed, Certified, and Accountable
We hold ourselves to the same standards a hospital pharmacy does. Here's the paperwork to prove it.
- Florida Board of Pharmacy Licensed Pharmacy
- HIPAA Compliant Patient Privacy
- PCI DSS Level 1 Secure Payments
- NASP Member Animal Supplements
- BBB A+ Rated Accredited Business
- LegitScript Certified Verified Pharmacy
In the News
Where PetMeds Has Been Featured
Over three decades, journalists and industry watchers have followed the shift we helped start.
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South Florida Business Journal
"How a Delray Beach startup rewrote the rules of pet healthcare"
March 1999 -
The Wall Street Journal
"Direct-to-door pet pharmacies are reshaping how vets write scripts"
August 2004 -
Forbes
"The quiet giant of pet medication: inside the PetMeds model"
June 2012 -
Modern Retail
"AutoShip is the subscription play every pet brand is chasing"
November 2019 -
Petfood Industry News
"PetMeds expands catalog past 500 brands as demand accelerates"
September 2022 -
TechCrunch
"Vetster's national rollout signals telehealth is here to stay for pets"
February 2024
What Pet Parents Say
Three Decades of Thank-Yous
Real words from families who've trusted us with their pets' health.
"My golden retriever Sadie has been on PetMeds AutoShip for eight years. Every single box has arrived on time. When I had to switch her medication last spring, a pharmacist called me personally to walk through the change. That's not a big company move — that's a person who cares."
Sarah Kim
Pet parent to Sadie · Portland, OR
"I live forty-five minutes from the nearest vet, so AutoShip isn't a convenience for me — it's how my two labs stay healthy. If I miss a reminder, I get a text. If the weather delays shipping, I get a call. Three years in, zero missed doses. That's what a real pharmacy relationship looks like."
Michael Torres
Pet parent to Gus & Duke · Bozeman, MT
"My cat Chicken was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism two years ago, and I was overwhelmed. The pharmacist spent twenty minutes on the phone with me walking through every option. She answered questions my vet hadn't even thought to cover. Chicken is thriving now. I tell every cat parent I know about PetMeds."
Danielle Osei
Pet parent to Chicken · Brooklyn, NY
"I've been a PetMeds customer since 2003. Same phone number. Same pharmacist, for the first fourteen years. When she retired, the whole team signed a card for my beagle Barkley's sixteenth birthday. You don't get that from a website — you get it from people."
Robert Ellison
Pet parent to Barkley · Chapel Hill, NC
Community Impact
Every Pet Deserves a Home, Not Just a Prescription
Pet health doesn't start at the pharmacy counter. It starts with a warm place to sleep, a full bowl, and someone who shows up. That's why we partner with shelters and rescues across Florida and beyond to help pets find families of their own.
Our teams volunteer. Our pharmacists sponsor adoption events. And every year, we set aside a portion of every AutoShip order to fund shelter grants and free preventive care for rescue animals waiting for their forever homes.
$1.2M+
Donated to shelters since 2015
38,000+
Pets helped through partner rescues
14
Shelter partners in Florida
2,400
Volunteer hours logged in 2025
Common Questions
The Questions We Hear Most
A few things pet parents ask us before they place their first order.
Yes — for any prescription medication, we need a valid prescription from your veterinarian. The easiest way is to have your vet call us directly at 1-800-738-6337, or we can reach out to them on your behalf. For over-the-counter products like flea and tick preventives, food, and supplements, no prescription is required.
AutoShip is our subscription program. You set how often you want each product delivered — every 30, 60, or 90 days — and we handle the rest. You save 15% on every order, shipping is always free, and you can skip, delay, change, or cancel any shipment from your account dashboard with one click. No phone call required.
Call your veterinarian immediately if your pet shows any sign of an adverse reaction. You can also call our pharmacy team at 1-800-738-6337 — a licensed pharmacist is available seven days a week to help you understand what you're seeing. We report all adverse events to the manufacturer and the FDA, and we'll work with your vet on a return or replacement.
Standard shipping is $5.99 and arrives in 3–5 business days. Orders over $49 ship free. AutoShip orders always ship free, no minimum. Most orders placed before 4 PM Eastern leave our pharmacy the same business day.
Yes. We're PCI DSS Level 1 certified, which is the highest standard in the payments industry. We're HIPAA compliant for all health information. Your prescription details are visible only to the pharmacists who need them to fill your order, and we never sell customer data.
Want to Build the Next 30 Years With Us?
We're hiring pharmacists, engineers, customer care specialists, and product leaders who care about pets as much as their humans do. If that sounds like you, we'd love to talk.