RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson announced in Raleigh, N.C., on Friday that he is going to court to stop a merger he says would push up what pet owners pay at the vet.
The deal would let Covetrus buy MWI for $3.5 billion. The two firms are the largest distributors of veterinary supplies in the country, handling medicines, equipment and software, and they are two of just three companies that can supply clinics with a full line of products nationwide.
Today a clinic shopping for a supplier can play the two against each other to win a lower price, and both regularly offer discounts to lure customers away from the other. Jackson argues that combining them would strip away that leverage in a market that is already concentrated, so clinics would pay more for supplies and pass the increase along to families with pets.
His office counts over 3 million homes in North Carolina with pets. National figures cited by the state show dog owners put close to $600 toward vet care in 2025, with cat owners at about $530.
In Wake County, the local SPCA says it hears from more than 1,000 pet owners every year who are looking for affordable care.
North Carolina is not acting alone. The Federal Trade Commission joined the challenge, as did attorneys general from 12 other states, among them Texas, New York, California, Michigan, Ohio and Arizona, plus Colorado, Minnesota, Oregon, Arkansas, Maine and Nebraska. Together they want a judge to stop the deal, arguing it violates federal antitrust law.
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