If you’ve searched for Drs. Foster and Smith recently, you’ve probably landed on a confusing mix of dead links, redirects, and unfamiliar websites using the same name. It’s not your imagination something did happen to this company, and the story is worth understanding clearly.
This article covers exactly what Drs. Foster and Smith was, when and why it closed, what continued after the shutdown, and where you can go now for the same products and services.
What Drs. Foster and Smith Was Before the Closure
Drs. Foster and Smith was founded by veterinarians and based in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. It started as a print catalog retailer and grew into one of the largest online pet supply companies in the United States.
The company stood out for a few reasons. It had an in-house veterinary pharmacy, which made it easy for pet owners to fill prescriptions directly through the site. It also published educational content written by veterinary staff, which built a lot of trust with customers over the years.
By the time Petco came knocking, Drs. Foster and Smith was well-established a go-to source for competitive pricing, a wide product range, and reliable pet health information. A 2014 Petco press release described it as a “leading veterinary-owned online pet supply company,” which gives you a sense of how the brand was viewed in the industry.
Petco Bought the Company in 2015 — Then Shut It Down Four Years Later
In November 2014, Petco announced it would acquire Drs. Foster and Smith. The deal closed in early 2015. Petco framed the purchase as a way to strengthen its e-commerce capabilities and expand its online prescription services.
For a few years, Drs. Foster and Smith continued running as its own separate brand under Petco ownership. Customers could still shop at the site, fill prescriptions, and browse the catalog as usual.
That changed in early 2019. Petco made the decision to permanently close all Drs. Foster and Smith retail and catalog operations. The official closure date was February 12, 2019.
This was not a bankruptcy. It was a deliberate business decision. Petco chose to consolidate around its own digital platform rather than keep running a separate legacy brand. Whether that was the right call is debatable, but the outcome was clear: Drs. Foster and Smith as a standalone retailer was done.
What Closed and What Did Not
It’s worth being specific here, because not everything shut down at once.
What closed:
- The drsfostersmith.com retail website and product catalog permanently shut down
- The in-house veterinary pharmacy closed, with prescriptions redirected to Petco’s systems or an outside fulfillment company
- Customer account access shoppers lost access to their order history and had to set up accounts elsewhere
What stayed open:
- LiveAquaria the live aquatic livestock division was explicitly kept running after the main retail closure
LiveAquaria had become popular with reef tank hobbyists and aquarium enthusiasts who ordered coral, fish, and other livestock through Drs. Foster and Smith’s platform. When the closure was announced, this community was understandably anxious. The confirmation that LiveAquaria would keep operating eased a lot of that concern.
However, hobbyists who also used the main site for dry goods equipment, food, and general supplies had to find other sources. The livestock side survived, but the rest of the shopping experience did not.
The Effect on Employees and the Rhinelander Community
Beyond the customer impact, the closure had real consequences for people who worked there.
The shutdown affected approximately 289 employees based in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. Job losses were phased over 60 to 120 days following the February 2019 closure date. For a smaller city like Rhinelander, losing nearly 300 jobs from one employer is a significant blow to the local economy.
This part of the story is easy to overlook when you’re focused on corporate strategy, but it’s a real example of how acquisitions play out at the local level. The original operation built by veterinarians in a Wisconsin city got absorbed and eventually eliminated by a national chain with different priorities.
It’s a pattern that has repeated across many catalog-era retailers. The brand gets acquired, runs as a subsidiary for a while, and then quietly disappears as the parent company integrates what it wanted and discards the rest.
Why There Are Still Websites Using the Drs. Foster and Smith Name
This is probably why you’re still searching the question years after the closure.
Some domains using the Drs. Foster and Smith name are still active and show up in search results. One example is a site at drsfostersmith.net that presents itself as an “official” Drs. Foster and Smith supplier for products like lawn guard and pet supplies.
To be clear: this is not the original company. The veterinarian-owned business founded in Rhinelander, Wisconsin the one acquired by Petco in 2015 closed its retail operations in February 2019. It no longer exists as a functioning retailer.
These newer sites appear to be separate entities using a familiar brand name. Treat them with caution. If you’re looking for the original company’s products, prescriptions, or reputation, you won’t find them there.
Where to Go Now for the Same Products and Services
If you used to rely on Drs. Foster and Smith for pet supplies or prescriptions, here are your practical options today.
For General Pet Supplies
Chewy has largely filled the space that Drs. Foster and Smith once occupied. It carries a wide range of pet food, supplies, and products at competitive prices, and its customer service is generally well-regarded. Petco’s own website is another option, and Amazon covers most of the same ground as well.
For Prescription Medications
If you previously filled pet prescriptions through Drs. Foster and Smith’s pharmacy, you’ll need to start fresh. Ask your veterinarian to send your pet’s prescription to a current online pharmacy. Chewy’s pharmacy, Petco’s pharmacy, Costco Pet, and 1-800-PetMeds are all legitimate options. Just confirm the pharmacy is licensed in your state before placing an order.
For Aquarium and Reef Livestock
Check the current status of LiveAquaria directly. As of the 2019 closure, it was confirmed to be continuing operations. Reef hobbyist forums are also a good resource for current vendor recommendations, since the aquatics community tends to track these things closely.
What This Story Actually Illustrates
The Drs. Foster and Smith closure is a useful case study for anyone interested in how acquisitions play out in retail. A well-known, trusted brand gets bought by a larger competitor. The acquirer keeps what it wants in this case, some pharmacy infrastructure and the LiveAquaria division and eventually shuts down the rest.
Petco wasn’t trying to destroy a competitor. It was consolidating around its own platform in a market that was shifting fast. Amazon and Chewy were growing rapidly during this period. Maintaining a separate legacy site with its own brand, inventory, and customer base was probably harder to justify each year.
For a broader look at how business acquisitions and closures affect companies and communities, The Business Flick covers these topics with practical, straightforward analysis.
The Short Answer
Yes, Drs. Foster and Smith effectively went out of business but it happened gradually, not overnight. Petco acquired the company in 2015 and kept it running for several years before permanently closing the retail and pharmacy operations on February 12, 2019.
LiveAquaria was the one exception, kept running after the main closure. Everything else the website, the catalog, the pharmacy, the customer accounts was shut down.
If you see a website using the Drs. Foster and Smith name today, it is not the original company. The business that was built by veterinarians in Rhinelander, Wisconsin no longer operates as a retailer. Your best move is to find a licensed pharmacy or established retailer for whatever you previously bought there.
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