You’re sipping your morning coffee, scrolling for a 40-pound bag of dog food, when you spot a red banner: “Going out of business.” For a moment, you double-check. The site is Drs. Foster & Smith—the same one that showed up on your first Google search for “best joint chews for labs” back in 2005. A company that, for decades, seemed as immutable as peanut butter breath. Now, the exit sign is flickering. What happened? And does it mean anything for your next auto-ship obsession?
A Veterinarian’s Dream: How Drs. Foster & Smith Took Off
Let’s rewind. Drs. Foster & Smith wasn’t dreamed up in some Silicon Valley garage; think more Northwoods, Wisconsin clinic than espresso-slinging coworking hub. Founded in 1983 by three veterinarians—Dr. Race Foster, Dr. Marty Smith, and Dr. Rory Foster—the goal was simple and radical: ship quality meds and pet essentials direct to homes. Back then, buying prescription pet meds online was niche—about as common as ordering sushi by fax.
They grew quietly but steadily, outpacing brick-and-mortar stores with chunky mail-order catalogs (and even chunkier profits). By one count, Drs. Foster & Smith carried ~10,000 SKUs and was grossing $200M/year by the early 2010s. You could get anything—from lab-verified heartworm pills to a glow-in-the-dark fish tank for your nephew’s goldfish Randy. At its peak, Drs. Foster & Smith claimed to be America’s largest veterinary-owned pet supply business.
Petco Buys In: The 2015 Changing of the Guard
Enter Petco: one of the OG big-box pet retailers, operating ~1,500+ stores and angling for more digital stake. In early 2015, Petco acquired Drs. Foster & Smith for an undisclosed (but rumored hefty) sum. The logic? Buy credibility, a built-in customer base, and maybe some veterinary pixie dust.
For a while, things looked steady. Petco kept the legendary Drs. Foster & Smith brand alive as a parallel e-commerce channel. But, as you’ll see, the love affair didn’t last.
Why Pull the Plug? Reasons Behind the Shutdown
Within four years, the dream unraveled. In early 2019, Petco announced it was shutting Drs. Foster & Smith down. Why? Let’s sort the data from the dog hair:
Petco’s strategy shifted. Think “fewer brands, tighter focus.” The retail giant went all-in on turning Petco.com into a hub, rather than juggling overlapping e-commerce teams with different tech stacks and inventory quirks.
A digital arms race emerged. Amazon, Chewy, and Walmart bullied their way into online pet retail. It’s a category that grew +67% from 2012 to 2018, reaching ~$10 billion by one industry estimate. Small brands either got aggressive or got out.
Customers and tech changed. The modern pet owner wants seamless apps, lightning-fast reorders, and instant chat support for order whoopsies. Legacy e-commerce sites (even with loyal bases) fell behind.
Petco said it plainly: they needed to “focus long-term investments” on their own shop. In the shuffle, Drs. Foster & Smith’s unique voice and comprehensive catalog became—overnight—excess baggage.
How the Shutdown Went Down
It wasn’t a quiet phase-out. By February 2019, Drs. Foster & Smith fired off an email bomb to customers and employees: official closure. The operations that made the place tick—warehouse, call center, online pharmacy, and highly trained staff—were slated for the chopping block. Mid-2019, the warehouse lights flickered off, and the last invoice was printed.
For customers, the site experience transformed—literally overnight. Click on an old Drs. Foster & Smith bookmark now, and you land on Petco.com, likely greeted by “NEW Lower Prices!” Chatbots replaced real humans who could actually recommend a salmon oil refill.
The Human Cost: Jobs Lost and Legacy Cut
Hundreds of jobs didn’t make the transition. Rhinelander, Wisconsin, where Drs. Foster & Smith anchored one of its key distribution centers and support offices, suddenly saw a spike in job seekers. For a town of around 7,500, this was a gut punch. Conversations in coffee shops focused on “what next?”—not just for the former employees but for the supply chain hundreds who stocked, packed, and shipped scrappy brown boxes each week.
Pets didn’t notice. People did. Decades of institutional know-how—Which dental chew for Yorkies with missing teeth? How to coax a Maine Coon out from under a sofa?—gone, replaced by generic search bars and “recommended for you” bundles.
A Website Redirect—and a 36-Year Run Ends
Maybe you didn’t notice if you get your kibble prime-shipped on auto-renew. But for thousands of loyal buyers and animal professionals, the DNA of Drs. Foster & Smith was unique. They were the rare retail brand trusted by vets, breeders, rescue directors, and skeptical cat moms in equal measure.
After 36 years, it ended without fanfare: a redirect, a press release, and a few online comment threads lamenting the “good old days.” Pets still got their food, often faster and cheaper. But that personal touch—the “call anytime if you have questions” approach—vanished.
History is full of big names swallowing up smaller innovators. Sometimes those acquisitions create a superpower; sometimes the magic slips through the cracks.
What Made Drs. Foster & Smith Different?
The old-timers remember. Drs. Foster & Smith wasn’t about free shipping or endless flash sales. They built a “content-first” business before SEO was a twinkle in Google’s eye. You’d get a catalog, and—maybe while holding a shivering new puppy—you’d read clear, no-nonsense advice on crate training, dental care, or long-distance moves with pets. Heck, they were the original dogsplainer.
Compare that to most e-comm giants, and you see what was lost. These founders operated like “teaching” was the product, not just what filled the cart.
And let’s not skip the numbers. The company employed ~600 people at peak. At a time when e-commerce startups flame out in two years, a 36-year run is the business equivalent of dog years to human years: long, loyal, and occasionally misunderstood.
Pet Industry Shake-up: What’s Next?
What does this mean for your business, side hustle, or obsession with why once-sturdy companies give up the ghost? First, the “old reliable” only holds up if it keeps evolving. Drs. Foster & Smith thrived when customers made decisions based on trust and advice, not trending TikTok pet treats. Information is free now; execution and delight matter more.
Second, market consolidation is the norm. About four players (Petco, Chewy, Amazon, Walmart) now own ~70%+ of online pet supply sales, by one 2022 estimate. For a small player—no matter the reputation or expertise—it’s do-or-die time.
There’s no shortage of stories from entrepreneurs burned by a bigger fish swallowing them whole. Some stick the landing post-buyout. Others—like Drs. Foster & Smith—are added to the “Remember when?” pile.
For a “do-it-better” game plan, check out The Business Back for gritty, behind-the-scenes entrepreneur wisdom. The sweet spot isn’t just legacy; it’s relentless reinvention.
Takeaways and Final Thoughts—What Does It All Mean?
So, is Drs. Foster & Smith out of business? Yes, unambiguously—shut down in early 2019, swept up in Petco’s rethink of what matters for scale, speed, and profit. Blame competition if you prefer, or say tech left them in the past. Either way, the company’s exit tells a bigger story about how even the most trusted brands can vanish when too many tides shift at once.
For the consumer? Life moves on. There are still vitamins, dog beds, and auto-ship toys a click away. But a business built on advisory and authority, not just discounts, rarely gets a sequel when “streamline” is the only play left.
But for those of us who track business for the story behind the receipts, here’s the real message: reliability compounds, but staying relevant pays. If you’re building your own empire—service, Shopify store, or otherwise—root for relationship and adapt as hard as you push for revenue. Because the next industry shakeup might have your name on it (or your favorite bookmark in the crosshairs).
The end of Drs. Foster & Smith isn’t just a line in a tradeshow newsletter. It’s proof that no amount of goodwill, know-how, or Midwest grit can offset a market that sprints past you. If you’re lucky, the legacy lives on in the people—and pets—you helped along the way. If not, at least you know for sure: no business, no matter how reliable, is too big to fail.
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