Within five days of buying a puppy from a pet shop in Katabon, Shihab found his puppy was affected with parvovirus.
“The general symptoms of parvovirus are lethargy, severe vomiting, loss of appetite and bloody, foul-smelling diarrhea that can lead to lethal dehydration. Early vaccination is important to cure such diseases. Dogs and cats are sold in Katabon are not administered any vaccine, and are more susceptible to illness,” said founder and chairman at People for Animal Welfare (PAW) Rakibul Haq Emil.
The two and a half months old pet is now under treatment at the PAW Life Care Clinic in Lalmatia.
The whole episode might have well been avoided if the traders had vaccinated the puppy. The vaccine costs Tk1,000.
Recently, adoption of stray animals have become popular, just like buying foreign breeds from local shops.
In most cases, first-time pet owners do not know from where they can avail the treatment for ailing pets or what to do.
Some government and non-governmental hospitals provide treatment, but they are not equipped with any particular medicine for dogs and cats.
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Rohini lost her pug, Jabba, last November, after she was infected with a skin disease. Foreign dogs usually face skin diseases as the weather here is conducive for the growth of parasites on their bodies that can infect blood, and sometime lead up to gangrene.
“I went to many vets for Jabba, sometimes they treated her with human medicines, sometimes with horse or cattle medicine. After a year, Jabba died because there was no proper treatment in the country,” said Rohini, who adopted 10 cats and dogs between 2012 and 2018.
“No doctor could give me proper on how to care for my pets. I had to do the research and learn myself,” she added.
Often, ailing pets are administered common veterinary drugs, and, as a result, many pets continue to suffer even after the treatment, alleged pet lovers.
“I do not know whether the medicine prescribed for my pet is actually for animal or human. I have also come to know that the medicine prescribed to prevent its vomiting is actually a medicine meant for humans. I am actually confused about their prescription and the outcome,” said Shihab.
He said, “There are no separate pet medications in our country. The pets are given medicines used for human and other animals like horse, cow, goat, mainly cattle. The government hospitals do not have any special medication for cats and dogs.”
Dr Kazi Mujibur Rahman, former chief vet of Dhaka’s Central Veterinary Hospital, said: “In our country, we do not have separate treatment for pets no matter if those are foreign or local. We do not have any such study in veterinary education. Because of this, doctors are prescribing the same medicines for all animals. Sometimes the medications include the ones used for treating humans.”
The vet also admitted that he offers the same services to the patients of his private pet clinic.
When asked, Dhaka’s Central Veterinary Hospital Additional Veterinary Officer Dr Md Mahbubul Alam Bhuiyan said they prescribe the medicine to animals based on their dimension and size, but the medicine is the same for all the animals.
“Even though pets are not treated differently, we treat based on the symptoms. We currently do not have any plan to import specialized medicine for cats and dogs. It cannot be done under the existing medical or veterinary system,” he concludes.
Emil suggested that pet care related studies should be incorporated in the medical and veterinary education in Bangladesh.
“At PAW Life Care clinic, we bring medicine and experts from India and other foreign countries because we want the best for our pets,” he said.
Emil also mentioned that Obhoyaronno - Bangladesh Animal Welfare Foundation, also has trained vets for pet treatment. Obhoyaronno also trains volunteers, and provides medicine for select pets.
