Supertails is betting that healthcare will become India's next major opportunity in pet care. The startup is expanding its veterinary clinics and pharmacy business to build a one-stop ecosystem for pet owners and reduce its reliance on retail sales. The transition is also fuelled by the sector's superior unit economics, with healthcare services generating roughly double the margins of traditional retail, according to the company.
While the move may look like a strategic shift for a company that started by selling pet food and accessories online, co-founder Vineet Khanna said healthcare was always central to Supertails' vision.
"We were very clear from day one that if we were building in an emotional category, we couldn't build a piecemeal solution. We wanted to build an ecosystem," Khanna said in an interview with Mint. “Healthcare was always supposed to be part of that ecosystem. It just appears like a shift from the outside.”
Clinical strategy
Healthcare already contributes about 20% of the company’s business in Bengaluru, where it operates about 10 clinics and plans to take that number to 12 before expanding the model to other cities. Khanna said the segment generates roughly twice the margins of its retail business, and mirrors trends in developed pet-care markets, where healthcare accounts for as much as 40% of spending. The company's revenue rose 67.5% year-on-year to ₹108.3 crore in FY25, while net loss widened to ₹52.5 crore from ₹41.1 crore a year earlier.
Supertails believes healthcare will become the biggest value pool within pet care as the market matures. According to Redseer estimates, Indians spent about $1.8 billion on pet healthcare in 2024, compared with roughly $500 million each on pet food and other pet-care products. As pet owners spend more on preventive care, diagnostics and chronic treatments, Khanna expects healthcare's share of industry spending to rise further.
The company has begun upgrading some facilities into larger centres capable of handling diagnostics, surgeries and overnight care. Its broader ambition is to build a network of 100 clinics over the next five years.
It has also experimented with at-home veterinary services and consultations, completing dozens of bookings a day during the pilot. However, it has temporarily paused its aggressive expansion of the service to focus on scaling its network of clinics. "We know there's a gap and we've learnt how to do it," Khanna said. "But right now, building the clinic ecosystem is the priority."
Khanna said the healthcare vision began taking shape almost immediately after the company was launched in 2021. While Supertails initially gained traction as an online retailer of pet food, toys and accessories, it started building healthcare capabilities within months through online veterinary consultations. "About 60 days after launch, we were doing daily online consultations," Khanna said. “We had one of the largest teams of veterinarians in the country. It was just that we weren't monetising it.”
The company later expanded into pet pharmacy services, allowing customers to order prescription medicines through its platform. The next step was physical clinics, which Khanna believes are critical to building trust in an industry where veterinarians remain the primary source of advice for pet owners.
Opportunity barks
The opportunity is significant. India is home to nearly 40 million pets, according to Euromonitor estimates, and market estimates suggest the country's pet-care industry could double to about $7 billion by 2028. Yet veterinary care remains underpenetrated. "Even today, only one in three pets has ever visited a vet, and vaccination compliance is below 20%," Khanna said.
This has attracted a wave of investor interest into what was once a fragmented market dominated by neighbourhood pet stores and standalone veterinary clinics. SuperTails raised $30 million earlier this year in a round led by Venturi Partners, while rival veterinary chain Vetic has raised more than $45 million from investors including Bessemer Venture Partners and JSW Ventures. Bengaluru-based Dr. Paws and Dr. Doodley have also secured growth capital in recent months to expand their clinic networks.
The funding reflects investor confidence that India's pet-care industry is becoming increasingly formalised. Venture-backed startups are building branded networks that combine consultations, diagnostics, surgeries, pharmacies and digital services under one roof.
Pet growth outpaces vet growth
The opportunity may be large, but building a healthcare business presents an entirely different set of challenges than running an ecommerce platform. One challenge for SuperTails will be scaling healthcare without compromising on quality, particularly in a market where vets remain scarce. India has more than 100,000 vets, but only a small fraction work in companion animal care, with most employed in livestock, poultry and agriculture.
Khanna said maintaining consistent standards of care across a growing clinic network will be one of the biggest challenges as the company scales. As pet ownership rises and the pet population continues to grow, demand for veterinary services is increasing faster than the supply of trained professionals. "The population of pets is growing faster than the population of vets," Khanna said. "To become a high-quality veterinarian takes years of training and experience." The company, which currently employs nearly 100 vets, said it has been building this capability since its teleconsultation days.
Another hurdle is consumer awareness. While pet owners in metros are increasingly spending on preventive healthcare, vaccinations and specialised nutrition, adoption remains lower in smaller cities, where veterinary visits are often limited to emergencies.
For Khanna, these gaps are precisely what make healthcare the biggest opportunity in Indian pet care. "The vet is the centre of the ecosystem," he said. "If you want to build pet care holistically, healthcare cannot be left out."
