The short answer: Panama City is well covered for pet supplies — three chains (American Pets, Melo Pet & Garden and Black Dog) run roughly 85 branches between them across the country, most of them in the capital, and most branches include a grooming salon and a vet. What almost none of them will tell you is the price. As of August 2026, no major Panama City pet chain publishes a grooming price list online; every one routes you to WhatsApp for a quote. The only Panamanian groomer we found with a public price list is in Penonomé, two hours outside the city, where a full bath-and-cut for a dog runs $24–44 depending on size. Expect city prices at or above that band, and expect to ask.
Key facts
| Item | Detail (reviewed August 2026) |
|---|---|
| Currency | The balboa (B/.) is pegged 1:1 to the US dollar. A B/.20 bath is a $20 bath. |
| Chains with citywide coverage | American Pets (28 branches), Black Dog (18 branches), Melo Pet & Garden (41 service points incl. vet hospitals) |
| Typical chain branch | Food and accessories + grooming salon + vet consult + pharmacy, under one roof |
| Published grooming prices | None from any Panama City chain or independent salon we checked — all quote by WhatsApp |
| Nearest public price list | Grooming Pet Care, Penonomé (Coclé): dog bath $12–22, cut $12–22, bath + cut/de-shed $24–44, cat bath $16–18 |
| Boarding / dog hotel | ~$25–35 per night, per a Panamanian operator’s own 2026 pricing guide |
| Home delivery | Black Dog: free over $40 in the city · Pet Entrega: free delivery, 4 branches |
| Latest closing hours | American Pets Parque Omar (Vía Porras) is open 24 hours; Punta Pacífica runs 6:30am–midnight |
| Typical Sunday hours | Most chain branches open 8:00am–8:00 or 9:00pm; independents often close Sunday or Monday |
| Mobile grooming | Exists (at-home service in San Francisco and nearby), but it is a small, Instagram-based market |
| Where coverage thins | Casco Viejo — no chain branch inside the historic quarter; nearest are Parque Urracá and Calle 50 |
The three chains that cover most of the city
If you have just arrived and want food, litter, flea treatment and a bath booked in one trip, a chain branch is the shortest path. All three carry the imported premium brands expats look for — Orijen, Acana, Hill’s, Taste of the Wild, Royal Canin, NexGard, Bravecto — so the choice comes down to which one is nearest to you.
| Chain | Branches | What’s inside a branch | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Pets Panamá | 28, incl. Costa del Este (×2), San Francisco, Paitilla, Punta Pacífica, Calle 50, Vía Argentina, Clayton, Albrook (×2), El Dorado, Parque Omar, Parque Urracá, Santa María, Costa Sur, plus Boquete, Coronado, David and Colón | Grooming, vet, premium food, pharmacy, accessories | WhatsApp per branch, listed on their branch page |
| Black Dog Panamá | 18 (2 more announced) | Grooming, vet, pet hotel, delivery; also on PedidosYa at 7 branches | WhatsApp 6474-5436 |
| Melo Pet & Garden | 41 service points incl. El Dorado, Albrook Mall, Obarrio, Costa del Este, San Francisco, Paitilla, Vía Porras, Chanis, Villa Lucre | Grooming, full veterinary hospitals, food, plus a garden centre — a Grupo Melo business operating since 1997 | WhatsApp 6330-0450 |
Two practical notes. First, American Pets’ Parque Omar branch on Vía Porras is open 24 hours — worth knowing at 11pm when you run out of food or need a flea pipette. Second, Melo’s grooming booking runs through its website, which lets you pick a branch and a service (full groom, bath, cut, cat bath, long-hair or short-hair) before you go — but the listed price is $0.00, a placeholder. You still get quoted in person.
What grooming actually costs — and why nobody will tell you online
This is the honest part, and it is the reason most “best groomers in Panama” listicles are useless: the price is not published anywhere in the capital. We checked American Pets, Black Dog, Melo, Petopia, Kelev Pets, Woof House, Mr. Mascotas, Studio Grooming and two mobile groomers. Every one of them collects your enquiry by WhatsApp and quotes per dog. Nobody posts a rate card.
The nearest thing to a public benchmark in Panama is Grooming Pet Care in Penonomé, Coclé — outside the city, in a much cheaper market, but its rates are real, itemised and current:
| Service | Price (Penonomé, Coclé — reviewed August 2026) |
|---|---|
| Full bath, dog | $12 – $22 (by size) |
| Full cut, dog | $12 – $22 (by size) |
| Bath + cut or de-shedding, dog | $24 – $44 |
| Long-coat treatment | $20 – $28 |
| Hand-stripping | $18 – $30 |
| Basic maintenance (nails, ears, glands), dog | $4 – $5.50 |
| Full bath, cat | $16 – $18 |
| Basic maintenance, cat | $4 – $4.50 |
Treat that as a floor, not a quote. A Panama City salon in San Francisco, Coco del Mar or El Cangrejo is a higher-rent, higher-demand market, and premium salons here sell memberships rather than single visits. When you call, ask for the price for your dog’s size and coat, and ask separately whether de-matting, de-shedding, glands and nails are inside or outside that number — the size band is the single biggest driver, and matted coats carry a surcharge almost everywhere.
Boarding is easier to price because operators talk about it publicly: roughly $25–35 per night for a dog, per a Panamanian pet-services operator’s own 2026 guide, with transport, medication and premium suites pushing it higher.
Independents, daycares and mobile groomers
The independent end of the market is where the specialists are — and where the good ones are booked out.
- Petopia (Av. Cincuentenario, Coco del Mar, Casa 1 · 6350-4896) — grooming and spa, daycare, dog hotel and a pet-friendly café in one building. Medicated baths, de-shedding, de-matting, ears and glands.
- Kelev Pets (Urb. Linares, Bella Vista, Casa 13-B · 6389-7860) — grooming plus dog school, boarding, puppy training and a separate cat hotel. Their grooming page spells out the full process step by step, which is a useful checklist even if you go elsewhere.
- Woof House (Calle 64 Este, San Francisco, Local 25 · 396-2089 / 6651-6700) — cage-free daycare, hotel, grooming and a small shop; describes itself as Panama’s first integrated canine centre.
- Mr. Mascotas (Betania, C. 17 C Nte. · 6173-3040; also San Francisco and Santa Elena) — grooming, hotel, daycare and pickup service. 4.9 stars across 107 Google reviews at the Betania branch.
- The Pet Place (Calle 17 C Norte, Casa H26 · 209-5770/71) — boutique dog and cat hotel with grooming, dental scaling and, unusually, reiki.
- Studio Grooming (Vitro Loft, Local 2, El Cangrejo) — a membership “bath club” rather than a walk-in salon, run under the standards of Elías Araujo, an internationally awarded groomer. Breed cuts are priced separately from the membership.
- Grooming Dogmicilio (6271-8618) and similar at-home services — the groomer comes to you, based out of San Francisco. Instagram-only businesses, so verify before booking.
- Bongo Mascots (Clayton, Ciudad del Saber, Casa 347 · 391-9805) — an app that brokers grooming, daycare, transport and sitters through partner businesses rather than providing them directly.
How to judge a groomer here — five questions that actually filter
- “What is the price for my dog’s size and coat, and what’s included?” If the answer is a single number with no size band, you will be surprised at pickup. Ask what triggers a surcharge.
- “Do you require proof of vaccination and deworming?” A salon that doesn’t ask is a salon where your dog shares a drying room with an unvaccinated one. Reputable operators here make it a written condition.
- “What’s your de-matting policy?” In this climate coats mat fast. The honest answer is “we may have to shave short, and we’ll show you first” — not “we’ll brush it all out.”
- “Cage dryers or hand-drying?” Heat plus a closed box is the main injury risk in grooming, and it matters more in Panamanian humidity. Ask, and ask whether dogs are supervised while drying.
- “Can I see the drying and holding area?” Anywhere that says no is telling you something. The better independents in the city actively advertise open, cage-free space — hold them to it.
One climate-specific note worth building into your budget: in a hot, humid country a dog with an undercoat needs de-shedding on a schedule, not on a whim. Groom frequency here runs higher than it would in a temperate country, so the annual cost is the visit price times more visits — worth folding into the pet line of your cost of living in Panama budget.
Coverage by area
| Area | What’s there |
|---|---|
| San Francisco / Coco del Mar | The densest cluster — American Pets, Melo, Pet Entrega (Plaza Kamilah), Petopia, Woof House, Mr. Mascotas. Best selection in the city. |
| Costa del Este | Two American Pets branches (Av. Marina del Norte, Star Plaza) plus Melo. Well served for supplies, thinner on independent grooming. |
| Punta Pacífica / Paitilla / Calle 50 | American Pets at Plaza Pacífica (6:30am–midnight), Plaza Vía Pacífica and Calle 50; Melo Paitilla. |
| El Cangrejo / Bella Vista | Studio Grooming (Vitro Loft), Kelev Pets (Urb. Linares), American Pets Vía Argentina and Parque Urracá. |
| Casco Viejo | The gap. No chain branch inside the historic quarter — the nearest are Parque Urracá and Calle 50, or use delivery. |
| Clayton / Albrook / Ciudad del Saber | American Pets Clayton and both Albrook branches, Pet Entrega at Clayton Mall, Bongo Mascots based in Ciudad del Saber. |
| Brisas del Golf / Costa Sur / El Dorado | American Pets and Melo both present; Pet Entrega at Brisas Mall. |
| Beyond the city | American Pets reaches Boquete, Coronado, David, Santiago, Chiriquí Mall and Colón — relevant if you’re scouting outside the capital. |
About this directory category
Pet stores and groomers is a new and deliberately thin category in the latam.properties directory. We are seeding it business by business, verifying each listing against the operator’s own published information rather than scraping an aggregator — which is why this page names phone numbers and addresses we could confirm, and says plainly when we couldn’t.
If you run a pet business in Panama and want to be listed, or you’re a resident who thinks we’ve missed an obvious one, tell us. Corrections are more useful to us than compliments.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to groom a dog in Panama City?
No Panama City chain or salon publishes a price list as of August 2026 — you get quoted by WhatsApp, per dog. The only public Panamanian rate card we found is in Penonomé, two hours outside the city: $12–22 for a bath, $12–22 for a cut, $24–44 for bath plus cut or de-shedding, by size. City prices sit at or above that. Always ask for the price for your dog’s specific size and coat, and confirm whether nails, ears, glands and de-matting are included.
Which pet store chain has the most branches in Panama?
American Pets, with 28 branches, most of them in Panama City but also Boquete, Coronado, David, Santiago and Colón. Black Dog runs 18 branches, and Melo Pet & Garden lists 41 service points including full veterinary hospitals. All three combine retail with grooming and veterinary services.
Can I get pet food delivered in Panama City?
Yes. Black Dog delivers free on orders over $40 within the city (1–2 days) and is on PedidosYa at seven branches; Pet Entrega delivers and lets you schedule recurring orders. Most chains also offer free same-day pickup at a branch, which is usually faster.
Is there a 24-hour pet store in Panama City?
Yes — American Pets’ Parque Omar branch on Vía Porras is listed as open 24 hours. The Punta Pacífica branch at Plaza Pacífica runs 6:30am to midnight Monday to Saturday.
What should I ask before leaving my dog with a groomer in Panama?
Five things: the price for your dog’s size and coat and what’s included; whether they require proof of vaccination and deworming; their de-matting policy; whether they use cage dryers or hand-dry with supervision; and whether you can see the drying and holding area. A salon that won’t answer the last two is answering the question anyway.
How much is dog boarding or daycare in Panama?
Roughly $25–35 per night for boarding, per a Panamanian operator’s own 2026 pricing guide, with transport, medication administration and premium suites priced above that. Daycare is billed separately and is a different product from overnight boarding — check which one you’re actually booking.
Disclaimer and sources
We are a publisher, not a pet-services broker. We take no commission on any booking made through the businesses named here, and no business on this page has paid for placement. Prices, hours and branch counts change; everything below was verified in August 2026 against the businesses’ own published pages. Verify current pricing directly before booking.
Sources — reviewed August 2026
- American Pets Panamá — branch list, addresses, phones and hours
- Black Dog Panamá — 18 branches, services, delivery threshold
- Melo Pet & Garden — company history and services · grooming booking by branch
- Pet Entrega Panamá — branch locations, phones, hours and services
- Grooming Pet Care (Penonomé, Coclé) — published grooming price list and terms · contact and address
- Petopia Panamá — grooming services, address and phone
- Kelev Pets Panamá — grooming process, address and phone
- Woof House Panamá — services, address and phones
- Mr. Mascotas Panamá — branches, phone and Google rating
- The Pet Place — services, address and phone
- Studio Grooming Panamá — membership bath club
- Bongo Mascots — boarding price range and company details (article updated July 2026)
Written by the latam.properties Editorial Team. Last updated: August 2026.
All prices and other statistics are subject to changes beyond our control. We will try to update this information as often as possible. Refer to sources listed for more information.