Mars has long dominated candy shelves with products like Snickers, Skittles and M&Ms. But candy and gum aren’t even the company’s biggest businesses. After a $7.7 billion purchase of VCA, the company’s main business is pet care. Why? “Americans spent an estimated $62.75 billion in 2016 on their animals, according to the American Pet Products Association. That is up from $51 billion only five years ago.” (Let’s hope Mars is healthier for our pets than it is for humans.)

+ “A wave of corporatization is hitting the veterinary industry, but does a one-size-fits-all approach work?” Bloomberg with an in-depth look at the high-cost, high-risk world of modern pet care. (I have 3 cats and 2 dogs. I’m pretty sure that makes me a potential acquisition target.)