“All the treatments available for humans exist today for doggies,” says Eliane Rodrigues, owner of Starpet Dog Spa, in a middle-class neighborhood of Brasilia. In this wellness center, dogs can undergo chromotherapy, a treatment based on light beams, or complete coat care, hydrated and shampooed with special detox products.
And for more anxious dogs, the spa provides a “low stress” space. “Before, people didn’t really take care of their dogs. They gave them leftover food and washed them with anything, sometimes even dishwashing liquid. Today, we are much more careful,” insists the specialist while one of her employees examines a dog’s coat under a digital microscope.
With 160 million pets, including 62 million dogs and 30 million cats, according to the Instituto Pet Brasil, which represents several companies in the sector, the country has more furry companions than young people under 14. (40 million). For twenty years, the growth of the middle class has caused the birth rate to fall.
And these animals “have become members of the family” in their own right, observes Eliane Rodrigues. “It’s more than just kids, because kids, when they grow up, they go away. The animals stay,” adds one of her clients, Silvana Matos. She first came to the dog spa three years ago, to treat Bento, one of her two Pomeranian dogs. He suffered from alopecia, a disease that causes hair loss. Since then, she regularly takes her companions Bento and Fenix there.
A new and growing market
In Brazil, the pet market represented 10.65 million francs in 2023, 14% more than in 2022, according to Pet Brasil. Food and veterinary fees make up the bulk of expenses, but the market also includes treatments such as chiropractic, acupuncture or reiki. “The world of pets has changed a lot, there is new knowledge, new studies,” explains Fernanda Rizzon, owner of the Banho dos Gatos (Cat Bath) spa.
