U.S. sales of veterinary, grooming, boarding, day care, training, pet sitting and other pet care services totaled $18.2 billion in 2005, according to Packaged Facts estimates, and should reach $25.3 billion in 2010.

Although veterinary services represent 74 percent of revenues in the pet services market, training and grooming services are the fastest-growing niches: Training services grew 10.5 percent annually from 2001 to 2005, and grooming services grew 8 percent annually during the same period.

Much of this growth can be attributed to a trend Packaged Facts calls “functional pampering,” which mimics the lifestyles of baby boomers, a key pet-owning demographic.

In addition, the move toward health-enhancing treatments has been a boon for mobile groomers, trainers, visiting veterinarians and large-scale retailers that offer a combination of pet services.

“Pet owners are caring for their pets like children, and the trend toward ‘convenience pets’—pets who go anywhere, do everything and are expected to behave everywhere like a member of the family—is quickly catching on,” said Don Montuori, publisher of Packaged Facts. “Pet service providers in turn are meeting the upscale demands of today’s pet owners and the payout continues to be big.”

For information about purchasing the report, visit www.packagedfacts.com/pub/1219007.html. [September 2006 PET AGE]

--Packaged Facts, 2006