Chewy owns PetMD, the veterinarian-reviewed pet health site, and runs a review base built on 21.3 million active customers and $12.6 billion in fiscal 2025 net sales. PetMD reached Chewy through PetSmart, which bought Pet360, the owner of petMD.com, in 2014 and then acquired Chewy in 2017. In EPR's modeled Citation Share Index, Chewy ranks first among 25 pet brands.
Chewy came to own PetMD through two PetSmart acquisitions. Pet-Insight reported that PetSmart acquired Pet360 in 2014 for $130 million, and that Pet360 included petMD.com among more than 30 pet websites. PetSmart then agreed to buy Chewy in April 2017 for a reported $3.35 billion, and in July 2017 Pet360's operations were rolled into Chewy.com.
PetMD's own editorial guidelines state that it has been a source of veterinary advice since 2008 and that it is owned by Chewy, Inc.
What does PetMD publish, and who reviews it?
PetMD publishes pet health information, and its guidelines say all new content is written or reviewed by a veterinarian or subject matter expert. The library has more than 6,000 pieces of content. The guidelines disclose that PetMD links to Chewy products from articles, and that products carrying the "Vet Verified" badge are approved by the PetMD Vet Advisory Panel.
How large is Chewy's customer base?
Chewy reported $12.60 billion in net sales for fiscal 2025, which ended 1 February 2026, a 6.2% increase over the prior year. It had 21.3 million active customers and net sales per active customer of $591. Autoship customer sales were $10.5 billion, or 83.3% of net sales, according to Chewy's fiscal 2025 results release.
Why might a retailer's reviews and editorial matter to AI answers?
A retailer that owns both vet-reviewed editorial content and a large pool of customer reviews supplies two kinds of source material that AI answer engines can draw on: expert guidance and owner experience. This is EPR's observation, not a measured result. The measured picture is in EPR's modeled index below.
Where does Chewy rank in EPR's Citation Share Index?
Chewy ranks first and The Farmer's Dog second in EPR's modeled Pet Industry Citation Share Index 2026, which covers 25 pet brands and five AI engines. The index models how often brands appear in AI answers and is not a count of actual engine outputs. The 5W study behind it is summarized in the 5W Pet Industry AI Visibility Index 2026.
What does Chewy do on customer care?
Chewy's customer care is documented in the business press. Fortune reported in June 2022 that the company sends flowers, hand-painted pet portraits and personal letters to bereaved customers, a practice the company says dates to its early days. These gestures give owners stories to share without paid amplification, which is EPR's reading of why they recur in discussion of the brand.
What can other pet brands take from Chewy?
Other pet brands can take four practices from Chewy. These are EPR's analysis.
Publish veterinarian-reviewed content and name the reviewers, as PetMD does.
Disclose commercial ownership and product links plainly, as PetMD's guidelines do.
Build detailed owner reviews, not only star ratings, through post-purchase requests.
Treat customer care as a source of citable stories.
Sources
Chewy, fiscal fourth quarter and full year 2025 results, 25 March 2026. PetMD, Editorial Guidelines. Pet-Insight, "Pet360 operations roll into Chewy.com," 31 July 2017. Law360, "PetSmart Gobbles Up Online Pet Retailer Chewy," 19 April 2017. Fortune, 17 June 2022.
PetMD's editorial guidelines state that PetMD is owned by Chewy, Inc.
When did Chewy get PetMD?
PetSmart bought Pet360, which included petMD.com, in 2014, and rolled Pet360's operations into Chewy.com in July 2017 after acquiring Chewy.
How much revenue does Chewy have?
Chewy reported $12.60 billion in net sales for fiscal 2025, with 21.3 million active customers.
Is Chewy the top pet brand in AI answers?
Chewy ranks first in EPR's modeled Pet Industry Citation Share Index 2026. The index is a model and not a count of actual AI outputs.
Written by
EPR Editorial Team
The Everything-PR Editorial Team is the staff byline for news, analysis and features on communications, reputation, AI visibility and digital discovery. Everything-PR has published since 2009. AI tools assist with research and drafting, and every article is reviewed by a human editor before publication. Coverage follows the Editorial Policy, and substantive corrections are noted on the article under the Corrections Policy.
