For the Pets. For the People Who Love Them.
Protecting brand trust is protecting pet safety.
Every lapse in MAP enforcement, every gray market diversion, and every breakdown in channel strategy weakens the promise your brand makes. It is not only retailers who depend on you, but also the pet owners and pets who count on you.
That’s where we come in. Howell & Associates is the only pet industry brand protection partner combining legal insight, eCommerce forensics, and channel strategy. Our team of strategists, enforcement specialists, and account managers are trusted by leading pet brands to stabilize pricing, strengthen channels, and protect brand value. We move fast to close gaps and create systems that keep your brand strong, trusted, and built for long-term growth.
The Pet Industry is Facing a Silent Crisis.
The greatest threat to your brand may already be in motion. Over 30% of pet products sold online come from unauthorized sellers, putting your margins, your relationships, and pet safety at risk. One fake flea collar or mislabeled treat can harm a pet and destroy the trust you have built.
We have seen diverted vet-only SKUs and unsafe imports appear on major marketplaces, reaching customers who believe they are buying legitimate products. With U.S. pet spending projected to hit 157 billion dollars in 2025, brands acting now are protecting their channels and reinforcing the trust that drives growth. Those who hesitate risk losing both.
38%
Share of U.S. pet product sales now online (24% in 2019)
$157B
Projected U.S. pet product spending in 2025
20-33%
Typical below-MAP discount from unauthorized sellers
30%+
Pet products sold online from unauthorized sellers
$1B
Estimated size of the gray market for pet medications
“The experts at Howell & Associates helped us reduce unauthorized listings by 73% and restore MAPP compliance across more than 40 retail partners in less than 90 days.
- Director of Operations, National Pet Supplement Brand
What We Do For Your Brand
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Seller Investigation and Enforcement
Stop rogue sellers before they damage your brand and your relationships.
We uncover who is selling your products, where they are sourcing them, and how to shut them down using compliant, platform-specific strategies. Our legal-first, investigative approach works across Amazon, Chewy, Walmart, TikTok Shop, Temu, emerging sites, and beyond. We help protect your pricing integrity, your retail partnerships, and the promise you make to the pets and people who trust you.
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Marketplace Monitoring
Know exactly what is happening with your products, every day.
We actively track Amazon, Walmart, TikTok Shop, Temu, and other marketplaces to spot unauthorized sellers, misrepresented products, and category-specific red flags before they turn into bigger problems. Whether it is a mislabeled supplement, a diverted vet-only SKU, or a gray market import, our monitoring keeps you informed and positioned to act with precision.
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Compliance and Labeling Strategy
Stay ahead of regulations and protect high-risk products.
In categories like supplements, functional treats, and vet-backed SKUs, compliance and labeling are not optional. We help you navigate regulatory requirements, close compliance gaps, and design labeling strategies that prevent costly issues, including FDA recalls. This protects both your brand and the pets who rely on your products.
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Channel Rebuilding and Optimization
Fix the chaos, protect your margins, and scale with confidence.
We clean up broken seller ecosystems, define and enforce who is authorized, and create a channel strategy built for growth without sacrificing control. By restoring clarity to your sales structure, we help you strengthen retail relationships, prevent price erosion, and protect your brand’s long-term health.
What Pet Industry Manufacturers Gain
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Pricing Integrity That Sticks
We protect MAP programs from day one so your pricing holds across Amazon, Chewy, Walmart, emerging and specialty channels. Stable pricing keeps retail partners confident, prevents race-to-the-bottom erosion, and protects the perceived value of your brand.
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Stronger Retail Relationships
Retailers and distributors trust brands that can control their channels. By eliminating unauthorized sellers and cleaning up marketplace chaos, we help you preserve, and strengthen, the relationships that drive your sales growth.
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Fewer Risk and Recall Headaches
In categories like supplements, functional treats, and vet-backed SKUs, unauthorized sellers can lead to compliance failures, safety issues, and recalls. Our enforcement and labeling strategies close those gaps before they become liabilities.
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A Channel Built for Growth
When your seller ecosystem is clear and healthy, you can add new partners and enter new markets without losing control. We rebuild channels to scale sustainably while safeguarding your margins and your reputation.
Why Howell & Associates?
We are the only pet industry brand protection partner that unites legal insight, eCommerce forensics, and channel strategy in one team. Our strategists, enforcement specialists, and account managers are proven in building systems that protect brand value and accelerate growth.
What sets us apart is how we work with you. We are not a bloated legal firm that can’t make bold moves. We’re not a corporation where you’re just another number. We’ve walked SuperZoo and Global Pet Expo with you, learning your challenges firsthand to protect pricing integrity, keep channels healthy, and meet the long-term goals that drive your business forward. We build relationships that last, celebrating your wins and standing with you when challenges hit.
Our expertise runs deep in legal, strategic, enforcement, and market execution, and we never lose sight of what matters most: people and their pets, including our own German Shepherd and Chihuahua, Jake and Timmy.
Let’s clean up your seller footprint, protect your pricing strategy, and give your team a clear path forward. No fluff. No slow roll. Just honest insight from our team, and the tools to act fast.