Pets today are becoming an increasingly integral part of households as many treat them as equal members of the family. In response, Southeast Asia’s pet industry is developing and digitising rapidly as pet owners in the region bolster spending on health, convenience and the well-being of their pets.
These claims are supported by surveys which show high pet ownership rates across the region, including 82% of respondents from the Philippines, 79% from Vietnam and 74% from Thailand. The Southeast Asian pet care market is also projected to grow from around US$1.6 billion in 2022 to US$3.08 billion by 2032, supported by higher pet ownership, rising incomes and greater demand for premium care.
Pet tech is no longer limited to connected collars, cameras and automatic feeders. Increasingly, the term also encompasses the digital infrastructure through which owners access veterinary care, manage health records and find trusted services. Across Southeast Asia, startups are responding to these changing expectations by bringing veterinary consultations online, digitising medical records and giving pet-care businesses better tools to manage their operations.
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Pawkit is bringing veterinary and at-home pet care into one platform
Singapore-based Pawkit is a clear example of how veterinary care is becoming more digital. The platform uses technology to boost the accessibility of professional pet care without requiring every interaction to begin at a physical veterinary clinic. The platform combines veterinary teleconsultations with house-call services, allowing owners to speak with a veterinarian online or arrange services such as vaccinations, microchipping and general consultations at home. Its mobile platform also lets users manage bookings and keep pet information in one place.
This approach addresses a practical problem for urban pet owners. Travelling to a clinic can be stressful for anxious animals, difficult for pets with mobility problems and inconvenient for owners given their busy work and day-to-day schedules. Teleconsultations can provide initial advice on concerns such as dietary issues, behavioural questions and some follow-up care. Where a physical examination, diagnostic test or procedure is required, owners can then be directed towards in-person care.
Pawkit’s wider use of house-call veterinary services also shows how pet technology is moving beyond purely digital care. Rather than trying to replace veterinarians with an app, technology is being used to make professional services easier to book, coordinate and access. The model reflects a wider direction for Southeast Asian pet tech. As owners increasingly expect the same convenience they receive from other digital services, platforms that successfully connect online advice with real-world pet care could become an increasingly important part of the industry.
Pawlyclinic is trying to connect the pet-health journey
Singapore-based Pawlyclinic is approaching a similar problem by integrating several veterinary services into one platform. Through Pawlyclinic, pet owners can consult a veterinarian online, schedule a physical appointment and store medical information digitally. The service also supports prescription refills and referrals to partner clinics when an animal requires physical treatment.
Pawlyclinic’s value lies in its attempt to create greater continuity across the pet-health journey. Rather than treating teleconsultations, clinic visits, prescriptions and medical records as separate interactions, the platform brings several of these touchpoints into one system. This can make it easier for owners to manage their pet’s information and move between digital consultations and physical care when needed.
This model highlights a broader opportunity for pet-health platforms: using technology to connect different stages of care rather than simply digitising a single consultation. For owners, the benefit is not only convenience but a more organised way to manage appointments, records and follow-up care across the same journey.
Petotum is digitising the businesses behind pet care
Not all pet tech is designed primarily for pet owners. Instead of pet owners, Malaysia-based Petotum is targeting the businesses that provide pet-related services. Through its PetotumBIZ and PetotumVET software, pet-care businesses and veterinary clinics are able to leverage technology to better manage their operations.
This business-to-business face of pet tech is important given the similarly scattered nature of Southeast Asia’s pet industry from a provider standpoint. Given how a substantial number of pet care businesses are smaller and independent in nature, such as groomers, individual veterinary clinics and retailers, they may not have access to the same digital systems available to large healthcare or retail companies. Petotum’s all-in-one software can thus help centralise areas such as appointments, customer information and daily administration. For small veterinary clinics, digitisation can also reduce the amount of time employees spend managing paperwork and disconnected administrative processes, which can be time-consuming.
Petotum therefore represents a different part of the sector. Instead of creating another consumer marketplace, it is building some of the digital infrastructure used by pet-care providers themselves. As the industry becomes more professionalised, this business layer could become increasingly valuable.
Petotum also received US$100,000 in investment through ScaleUp Malaysia’s Cohort IV programme, indicating investor interest in the business-to-business side of pet tech. Higher consumer expectations do not only create demand for better products. They also put pressure on providers to offer easier booking, clearer records and more consistent customer experiences.
PetBacker has turned pet services into a digital marketplace
Finding someone trustworthy to care for an animal is another problem technology can make easier. Singapore-incorporated PetBacker operates a marketplace connecting owners with providers offering services including pet sitting, boarding, dog walking, grooming, daycare and pet transport. Owners submit a request and can compare potential providers, prices and reviews through the platform. The concept follows a model already familiar in sectors such as transport, accommodation and freelance work. A previously fragmented supply of independent providers becomes searchable through one central marketplace.
Trust is particularly important in pet care because the service involves handing responsibility for an animal to someone else. PetBacker addresses this key pain point through provider profiles, reviews, in-platform communication, secure payments and protection attached to bookings. The model also creates opportunities on the supply side as individuals and small pet-care businesses can use the platform to reach customers without needing to develop their own booking technology or large marketing operation.
Although PetBacker has since expanded well beyond Southeast Asia, with a presence in over 50 countries, its model remains relevant to the region. As pet ownership grows and consumers travel more, demand for flexible boarding, walking and sitting services is likely to increase alongside spending on veterinary care and products.
Mypetslibrary is attempting to connect the entire ecosystem
Malaysia’s Mypetslibrary is taking an even broader approach to integrating pet-related services. Founded in 2019, the company is developing a platform connecting pet owners with veterinary clinics, pet shops, grooming and boarding businesses, adoption services and pet information.
To date, the platform has reportedly helped facilitate more than 30,000 pet matches and adoptions. In 2026, the company also announced plans to expand its direct-to-consumer e-commerce offering and develop AI-based uses for pet-health data.
This reflects one of the biggest opportunities in the Southeast Asian pet tech space: creating integration. As seen in earlier examples, pet owners currently use different channels to buy food, find a veterinarian, book grooming, research health conditions and locate boarding services. A connected ecosystem that brings more of these interactions together could therefore become increasingly valuable.
Mypetslibrary also focuses heavily on trust. Its model includes verified merchants and service providers alongside health information and veterinary connections. That could become increasingly important as the industry expands online. While digitisation could lead to more choice as it makes services easier to discover, it can also make quality harder to judge.
Platforms that can combine convenience with reliable information may therefore have an advantage over marketplaces built only around the number of listings available. The longer-term opportunity is data. As digital platforms become involved in more parts of a pet’s life, they can potentially build a more complete picture of health, purchasing behaviour and service needs. Used responsibly, that information could support better recommendations and more personalised care.
Pet tech is becoming part of everyday pet ownership
The development of Southeast Asia’s pet tech space through these five startups shows that the sector is moving beyond novelty gadgets. While each startup may run on slightly different business models, they respond to the same underlying shift as pet tech increasingly becomes part of the infrastructure surrounding everyday pet ownership. Owners increasingly expect pet care to offer the convenience they already experience in other sectors such as banking, transport, food delivery and human healthcare.
Furthermore, this shift towards pet humanisation, where an animal is viewed as an integral part of the family, increases those expectations further. Pet humanisation can also make owners more willing to spend on preventive healthcare, reliable services and technology that gives them greater visibility over their pets’ well-being.
Southeast Asia’s regional market also provides pet tech companies with a large and varied testing ground. Dense cities create demand for convenience while growing middle-income populations are supporting higher spending on pet care.
Nonetheless, one of the industry’s biggest challenges will be maintaining trust as more aspects of pet care move online. Healthcare platforms need to show that convenience does not replace appropriate veterinary judgement. Marketplaces need to maintain service quality while platforms collecting health information must handle that data carefully. As Southeast Asia’s pets increasingly become members of the family, the businesses caring for them must evolve digitally while maintaining the trust of their owners.