Surgeries on hold as vet clinics out of medicines

Dubai: A critical shortage of drugs in veterinary clinics has set alarm bells ringing among pet owners in Dubai.

Teresa, a stay-at-home grandmother and active cat rescuer, is worried what could happen to her tabby in case of illness. “Chrissy is quite old now and I shudder to think what I would do were she to need emergency medical help. Everyone I’ve spoken to lives in the same constant fear.”

While some veterinary clinics have refused to comment, many told XPRESS off the record that due to regulations they have run out of anaesthesia products and have completely stopped performing surgeries on animals.

One Jumeirah-based clinic on condition of anonymity explained that they have “received instructions from the municipality clearly stating no clinics are allowed to perform any operations at the moment.”

A few clinics however, have been more forthcoming with their patients. The Al Barsha Veterinary Clinic sent out a message informing pet owners of the change of status in the availability of veterinary medicines.

An extract from the note read, “Due to reinforcement of the law and import regulations for veterinary medicines, all medications are under review. Most of our suppliers are forced to renew their previous import licences from start and it has shown to be a lengthy process. This results in veterinary clinics losing access to important ways of supplying you with the right medication in order to ensure the correct treatment, either medicated or surgically, for your pet(s).”

As solution to the possibility of pet fatalities due to lack of medication, the clinic says, “If you are our client and your pet is on any special long-term medication, please contact our staff so we can provide you with a prescription via which you can personally import (via online vet pharmacy) the medication for your pet.”

The clinic has also set up an askthenurse@abvc.ae email address to discuss alternative treatments and/or medication for pets. On their website the clinic’s management goes on to inform clients that they have discontinued the out-of-hours emergency service as of September 1. The reason cited: “Due to the current difficulty of veterinarian resources in the UAE, it has become untenable to continue this service.”

As a result, there’s growing alarm among both pet owners and veterinary managements.

“The last thing I want is to lose an animal because of technical, legal or governmental issues,” says Australian animal rescuer Laura. “What the vets have explained to me is that the municipality has decided to make all veterinary medical suppliers reapply for all their drugs and it is taking ages to get them approved.”

The owner of a popular veterinary clinic in Dubai said the situation is a total disaster.

“The municipality isn’t really clear on what we should and should not do,” she says. “Ever since May, they’ve started saying that as vet clinics we are not allowed to have or use certain machines such as X-rays and blood scanners, because it’s illegal for us to possess them.

“Only labs are allowed to possess such scanning devices. But all the clinics have these machines for routine regular check-ups. Moreover, we have been specifically warned against performing operations in the clinic, since only animal hospitals are allowed to perform operations. “But there’s only one animal hospital here for smaller domestic animals and how can they expect to handle all the surgeries? What about us?

“We’ve been in this business for years. We’re family doctors to so many pets and dogs. This goes well beyond the millions of dirhams clinics such as mine have lost over the summer. This is about ethics and principals. It breaks my heart to not be able to help animals I’ve spent a lifetime looking after.”

An immediate comment from Dubai Municipality was not available.