Italy Veterinary Healthcare Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends & Forecasts (2023 - 2028)

Italy Veterinary Healthcare Market Analysis

The Italy veterinary healthcare market is expected to register a CAGR of 5% over the forecast period, 2022-2027.

The COVID19 pandemic has affected the entire healthcare sector including animal healthcare. In the initial phases of the pandemic, there was a high probability of animals getting infected due to being in close contact with human beings. Several cases were reported where all of them including companion animals, livestock animals, and animals kept in zoological facilities tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. For instance, all animals were sampled by their private veterinary surgeon during routine healthcare visits between 15 March and 11 May 2020 (Source data S1). The sampling of animals for this study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, Italy (approval number 15/2020). A total number of 603 dogs and 316 cats were sampled from different Italian regions, mostly Lombardy (476 dogs, 187 cats). Animals were sampled either from regions severely affected by COVID-19 outbreaks in humans or from those that offered convenient access to samples. The Pets living with SARS-CoV-2-infected patients included 47 dogs and 22 cats for serology and 64 dogs and 57 cats for molecular investigations, with a single animal being sampled from each COVID-19-positive household. 3.3% of dogs and 5.8% of cats had measurable SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody titers, with dogs from COVID-19-positive households being majorly likely to test positive than those from COVID-19-negative households. Thus, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the animal healthcare market.

Due to the increasing demand for COVID-19 testing kits for animals, major market players were involved in research and development activities and launched their products to help veterinarians during a pandemic. For instance, in December 2020, Zoetis initiated the development activities for a new vaccine based on initial concerns about SARS-CoV-2 in domestic animals. While In 2021, the R&D team responded to a request from the San Diego Zoo after COVID-19 infected the zoo’s Great Apes and provided a supply of experimental SARS-CoV-2 vaccines for the zoo’s emergency use in its Great Ape population; Still the vaccine is in the research process.

Furthermore, the spread of the virus has severely impacted the consultation and treatment of animals due to travel restrictions and in many cases closure of veterinary hospitals. To avoid such scenarios in Italy, the Italian Small Animal Veterinary Association (IVSA) issued guidelines for practitioners to make a transition to telemedicine wherever possible which yielded positive outcomes during crises. After the guidelines from the World Veterinary Association (WVA) and various other local veterinary associations, various countries have put veterinary services under the 'essential' category. This helped in curbing the spread of viruses in animals by having quick consultation and treatment at the right time in hospitals. Moreover, the outbreak resulted in supportive government policies for continued research and approval of animal drugs amid pandemics. Thus, the covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on Italy’s healthcare market.

The rising adoption of pet animals is the major driving factor for the growth of Italy's veterinary Healthcare Market. For instance, In 2021, as per the estimates of the European Pet Food Industry the Italians owned approximately 30 million fish at home, representing the most numerous pets in the country. Moreover, there were 13 million birds, over 10 million cats, and roughly nine million dogs living in Italian households. Furthermore, there is also an increasing use of animals for various research studies in Italy. According to the latest figures, Italy conducted 1.4 million procedures on animals in 2020, a 7.3% increase from 2019. The increase in the prevalence of various animal diseases in Italy is expected to create huge demand for the veterinary healthcare market in Italy. Also, there are few organizations creating awareness about various diseases in animals. For instance, As per the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) in Italy brings together some of Italy's leading experts in the field of veterinary parasitology. It aims to raise awareness and recommendation of appropriate and proven control measures to protect companion animals. However, the lack of veterinarians and the high costs associated with the veterinary healthcare practice are the major factors restraining the growth of the veterinary healthcare market in Italy.

Italy Veterinary Healthcare Market Trends

This section covers the major market trends shaping the Italy Veterinary Healthcare Market according to our research experts:

Vaccines Segment is Expected to Witness Growth Over the Forecast Period

Italy Veterinary Healthcare Industry Segmentation

As per the scope of this report, the Italy veterinary healthcare market is a growing market, comprising therapeutic products and solutions for companion and farm animals. Companion animals can be tamed or adopted for companionship or as house/office guards, and farm animals are raised for meat- and milk-related products. Companion animals include canine, feline, and equine. Farm animals are bovine, poultry, and porcine. The Italy Veterinary Healthcare market is segmented by Product (Therapeutics and Diagnostics) and Animal Type (Dogs and Cats, Horses, Ruminants, Swine, Poultry, and Other Animals). The report offers the value (in USD million) for the above segments. The report offers the value (in USD million) for the above segments. The market report also covers the estimated market sizes and trends for Italy. The report offers the value (in USD million) for the above segments.