India, Sept. 22 -- India's pet-care industry has spent years as a scattered mix of neighbourhood chemists, unbranded feed shops and the occasional standalone vet clinic, with almost no organised retail chain to speak of. That is starting to change as urban pet ownership rises and owners increasingly treat animals as family members deserving proper healthcare rather than an afterthought. For a company already selling into veterinary pharmaceuticals, buying into an established retail brand is one of the more direct ways to get closer to that shift.

Shares of Fredun Pharmaceuticals Ltd. closed at Rs. 1,392.40, up 3.28 percent from previous close of Rs. 1,348.20. The stock opened at Rs. 1,325.00, reaching an intraday high of Rs. 1,409.90 an...