Analysis: Social media’s growing influence on pet parents’ decisions

An upward trend shows US pet parents are increasingly turning to social media for information about their pets.

According to the American Pet Product Association (APPA) Dog & Cat 2024 report, cat owners primarily rely on the internet and social media for advice, followed by veterinarians.

Approximately 49% of cat owners now seek information online, up from 42% in 2018. More than 4 out of 10 (43%) consult veterinarians.

Dog owners, however, prefer veterinarians first, with 51% seeking their guidance, followed by 43% turning to social media. This marks a significant rise from 2018 when only 35% of dog owners used social media for pet care insights.

Trending topics in pet care

Protexin, a US-based supplement manufacturer, uncovered that most conversations between dog owners happen on X (formerly Twitter) and Reddit.

According to their recent research, discussions about “dog walks” and “diet” accounted for 55% and 37% of mentions, respectively, from May 2023 to May 2024.

Dog walking discussions often focus on the best places to walk and how frequently dogs should be walked. Diet and nutrition also emerged as key topics, with 1.99 million mentions.

Gut health is also a prominent topic, with 900 monthly searches related to “dog gut health.” A further 26,000 Americans search for ‘probiotics for dogs’ each month, while 25,000 focus on CBD (cannabidiol) for dogs.

Home remedies

A growing trend involves pet owners seeking home remedies and solutions for their pets’ needs.

Protexin’s findings concluded that searches related to homemade dog food (32,000 searches per month) and ‘dog food recipes’ (14,000) were the most popular. Other notable searches include home remedies for allergies, such as Epsom salt treatments, at-home grooming and bathing routines.

Each month, an average of 18,000 Americans search for information about using coconut oil on their dogs.