Business | Your Money
Costly vet bills can be lowered through careful selection
Expert recommends researching breeds before purchasing as some are more prone to certain diseases than others
- By Cleofe Maceda, Staff Reporter
- Published: 00:00 November 7, 2009
It's a scene straight from a movie. A dying dog is rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment. As he lies on the operating table for hours, his master stands outside the surgery room, crying and waiting frantically for some good news.
Jacky Menhennet, an expat from Malta, went through exactly this experience about a year ago, when his favourite pet, a German shepherd she fondly calls Kyo, suffered from gastric torsion, a serious, often fatal condition that affects dogs extremely quickly.
"It happened at about 9.30pm at night and they operated on him until 1.30am … We felt so sick and sad, and cried all through while waiting in the clinic for any news they could come out and give us," recalls Jacky, who is married to an expat from Scotland.
Jacky says the incident horrified her, as it made her feel like she had a child in the hospital undergoing some life-saving or life-threatening operation. "With Kyo being only five [years old] when he had his gastric torsion, it was a nightmare. I couldn't bear the idea of losing him when he is still so young."
Jacky has few other pets in her home: a Shihtzu, an African grey parrot, six Sulcata giant tortoises and three Graeca tortoises. Although all of her pets are her favourites, the German shepherd holds a special place in Jacky's heart.
"I've had him since he was a puppy and we brought him with us from Malta, so we've had him for five years now and he's with me 24/7," she says.
About two months ago, Jacky was again shaken when Kyo had to be taken to the hospital for another surgery.
"The dog decided he would like to eat my face cloth, which he did. We had discovered this only four months later when he suddenly became very ill, lost tons of weight. He had to go in for tests including a Barium exam which showed there was a major blockage in his small intestine. When they operated, no one could believe what they found — a face cloth still with its label attached," Jacky says.
Those two major surgeries on one dog did not only affect Jacky emotionally, but financially as well. "In the last year, we have sadly spent approximately Dh22,000 on two major surgeries on the German shepherd," she says.
Like humans, medical care for animals can be very costly. A root canal performed on one dog alone cost Aisha Kelaif, another pet owner in Dubai, about Dh3,000.
When her daughter's Russian blue cat was ran over by a cab, Kelaif spent about Dh7,000 in vet bills.
Dh35,000 bill
Her biggest expense was when her deer broke his leg while trying to jump. "We had to get a special vet for him. It cost me around Dh30,000 to Dh35,000 to get him back to walking," Aisha recalls.
Ursula Manvatkar from India spent about Dh27,000 in the last two years to get some of her pets treated for different ailments. One dog needed an eye surgery that cost her about Dh3,000 to Dh4,000. Six puppies had ringworm which consequently cost her Dh6,000. Then there was a cat which had kidney and urinary bladder problems, resulting in medical bills worth Dh8,000. Another cat also had kidney cancer and required treatment that cost a total of Dh9,000.
Illnesses and accidents are some of the problems that come with pet ownership. Dr Sara Elliott of the Al Safa Veterinary Clinic says that in one week, she sees more than 100 animals needing medical attention. Many of these animals suffer from various illnesses that range from serious cases like tumours, lumps and infections, to common ailments like coughs and colds.
The cause of illnesses stem from a lot of factors. Some breeds are more predisposed to certain health problems and hereditary diseases than others. And, as with human beings, animals develop illnesses when they get older.
To avoid spending a lot of money for treating serious diseases, Elliott advises pet lovers to do some research before buying just any pet from a shop. She notes that in the last two weeks alone, their clinic has attended to three puppies that came from sources which were not reputable.
"One has died, two have lived. These are problems that come from taking animals from irreputable sources. Putting money into the pocket of the people who are selling these animals in unsuitable states means the problem continues and worsens," she says.
"That's why before getting a new pet, you want to research exactly what you're going for. Or go to a rescue centre. You want to look at the general nature of the breed that you're buying. You have to research ... various diseases and problems that a particular breed may be more likely to suffer from," Elliott advises.
It is also equally important that people pay attention to the kind of food they feed their animals. "People often tend to feed home food to their pets, where they lose out on nutrition, often leading to health problems. Pets in Dubai suffer a lot from allergies and skin problems. My recommendation would be to stick to good-quality professional food," said Mahindra from Pet Corner Trading.
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