Renuka Bali, a software engineer, is nervously waiting outside the operation theatre of CGS Hospital in Gurgaon. Her five-year-old, Lucy, is having an emergency surgery. Bali’s husband, Alok, too, is getting jittery. After an hour, the surgery is over. A sedated Lucy is shifted to a post-operative care ward.
“Doctors recommended laparoscopy as the best option for Lucy,” says Bali. Lucy is her pet dog, a St Bernard. “It’s amazing how medical facilities for pets have leapfrogged in India,” she says about the state-of-the-art veterinary hospital.
Laparoscopy is not the only advanced surgical method on offer for pets. From oesophagogastroscopy and colonoscopy to titanium elastic nailing, ultrasonic dental scaling and MRI, pet care has made huge strides over the last few years in India.
Veterinarians attribute the advent of sophisticated treatment for pets to two factors. First, the high level of awareness among pet owners about medical techniques in Western countries.
“When there is a demand, there has to be supply,” says Dr Samar S Mahendran, director at CGS Hospital, an arm of the CGS Charitable Trust. The Gurgaon-based hospital is funded by the CSR arm of the real estate major DLF.
Most of the pet owners who are opting for such treatment are globetrotters and are aware of the latest medical options. “Owners are well informed and ask the right kind of questions to get the best treatment,” adds Mahendran.
Another reason why clinics are offering advanced diagnostics, says Mahendran, is the change in lifestyle. Urban India is a conglomeration of nuclear families where a pet animal is often a companion. “A dog or a cat is not just a pet. It’s part of the family. In fact, it’s like kids for most people,” he says. With a rise in disposable income, it’s natural that pet owners would want the best treatment for their pets.
For Anuj Chopra, his German Shepherd Rocky, is his “second son”. An IT professional in Bengaluru, Chopra brought home Rocky because of his seven-year-old son’s love for dogs. “Both are best friends and brothers,” says Chopra, who last month got Rocky operated for bloat, a life-threatening disease for large breeds.
Bloat occurs when the stomach fills with either food, water or gas, causing immense pressure, which, in turn, enlarges the stomach and causes it to twist into an abnormal position. The twist cuts off the blood flow to and from the stomach. It can also put pressure on the diaphragm and cause breathing problems. This can be fatal if not treated in time.
“Vet care is finally coming of age in India,” says Dr G Pampapathi, who runs Pampapathi Veterinary Centre in Bengaluru. The hospital provides, apart from other specialised offerings, sophisticated orthopaedic treatment such as tibial plateau levelling, spinal surgery, synthetic orthopaedic plating gear and complex fracture repair.
Some of the advanced treatment, says Pampapathi, costs as high as Rs 40,000. “Money is not an issue for pet owners looking for world-class facilities,” he says.
It’s not only standalone hospitals run by vet doctors that have mushroomed in metros over the last few years; even corporate biggies are taking the plunge. Last year, Tata Trusts in collaboration with People for Animals (PFA) announced its plans to build a Rs 100 crore multispecialty veterinary hospital in Mumbai.
Apart from operation theatres, intensive care unit, recovery rooms, imaging and pathology services, the unit will have specialised services in orthopaedics, dentistry and trauma surgery.
“Vet care in India is at an inflection point,” says Mahendran of CGS Hospital. There has been a change in the mindset of young medical students too who see a bright future in this profession. “The stigma attached to being a vet doctor is a thing of the past,” he adds.
Surgical Treatment for Pets
Laparoscopy: For spaying, biopsies and preventative gastropexy, in which the dog’s stomach is sutured to the body wall, preventing it from twisting
Endoscopy
Oesophagogastroscopy: This allows viewing of the oesophagus and stomach and retrieving foreign bodies such as bone, stick, rock, toy, coin or hair ball
Colonoscopy: To fine inflammation, abnormal swelling and tumours
Rhinoscopy: Endoscope is inserted in each nostril to evaluate upper respiratory passage. Fungal infections, nasal tumours and foreign bodies can be detected
Bronchoscopy: Endoscope is inserted through the mouth into the trachea. This permits viewing of intra-tracheal lesions, and stenosis. It also allows for diagnostic and therapeutic tracheal washes
Cystoscopy: It is used to evaluate urinary bladder lesions
Routine Surgeries: Soft tissue, spaying, neutering, urinary bladder surgery, abdominal surgeries
Orthopaedics: Titanium elastic nailing, bone plating, bone nailing, intramedullary pinning, external fixation application