The pet care industry is expanding, offering various services, but Concerns about unnecessary procedures and high costs are rising, says Geeta, exclusively for Different Truths. 

I do not know if it is a recent phenomenon, but suddenly there are many hospitals for dogs. In addition to the regular clinics where a dog’s owner takes it for consultation with a vet, there are small hospitals with few facilities and those that can accommodate a greater number of dogs.

Also, there are different kinds of hospitals—simple ones that provide minimum facilities to corporate ones that function like any other corporate hospitals again those with comforts and luxury.

Then there are spas, kennels, and even boutiques, hotels, and restaurants exclusively for dogs.

With all these facilities, there are disappointments. A friend of mine lost her dog due to sheer negligence, she said. Her dog was a little restless at night. So, she took her to a fairly good hospital. As soon as she reached there, the vet examined her and said the dog needed a complete health check-up as he was not sure of the real cause of the problem. Worried, she gave her consent.

The tests included blood tests, tests for liver and kidney functions, x-rays, and scans. After all that they said they found the cause. The dog had cancer and had to be operated on immediately.

My friend was shocked. She loved her pet and was in tears. She had to save her. She immediately gave her consent and paid all the bills. But now she had to wait for a senior vet who said the dog had to be transferred to another hospital.

Well, the story continued. In the end, the dog had to be taken to a Govt. hospital. By then it was too late, and the dog died on the table. She was very angry and upset, but of no use as the dog was no more.

She called me and told me to be very careful if I took my pet to this hospital.

The story is so like the hospitals for humans.

However, there are good hospitals too, and organisations such as Blue Cross. They even send their vets home. If a dog is sick, they send an ambulance to take the dog for treatment, if required. They inform us about the pet’s condition throughout its stay at the hospital.

Generally, most vets are animal lovers. Like any other doctor, they are sincere and caring. But the business of running these institutions is becoming a burden.

Despite everything, hospitals are mushrooming.     

Picture design by Anumita Roy

Geeta Varma

Geeta Varma is a poet, an author and a journalist based in Chennai. She has worked as a teacher and a freelance journalist for some time. She has to her credit two books of poems and is a regular contributor to a few online magazines. Her next book will be published soon. She lives in Chennai with her husband Shreekumar Varma and has two sons, Vinayak married to Yamini, and Karthik.

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