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Incidents, bad reputation mar pet establishments
There is no shortage of regulations on pet establishments, yet pet owners in the city still frequently deal with inappropriate treatment of their furry friends, sometimes after spending millions of rupiah
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span>There is no shortage of regulations on pet establishments, yet pet owners in the city still frequently deal with inappropriate treatment of their furry friends, sometimes after spending millions of rupiah.
Numerous recent media reports describe pets meeting their fatal fate after being taken to vets in Jakarta, instead of getting better.
In November last year, Andid Pralampita from Cibubur in East Jakarta took her sick Samoyed dog, Russel, to the vet in the neighborhood but did not see any results after a week of treatment.
“They lab-checked my dog. He got injections of antibiotics and other drugs. [Russel] underwent everything suggested by the vet,” the 29-year-old housewife said.
“On the eighth day, a senior vet took over Russel’s treatment. He did another laboratory check and it turned out that the previous diagnosis was completely wrong,” Andid said.
“It was a nightmare. After seven days it turned out that all of those high-dosage drugs [did not match] the diagnosis and may have been toxic for my already sick dog.”
Andid said she had spent around Rp 2.5 million (US$176) during the seven days of wrong treatment.
A gory fatality occurred earlier this year when the bloody remains of a Siberian husky named Sky were found in a sack at a pet shop in Depok, West Java. Footage on the incident spread quickly through social media, adding to doubts about the professionalism of pet establishments in Jakarta and its satellite cities.
Karin Franken, owner of Animal Clinic Jakarta (ACJ), regrets that many pet owners are losing trust in vets, groomers and other professionals involved with pets, given that an abundance of strict rules and requirements must be met when hiring vets, paramedics, kennel boys or groomers.
She also stressed that services should be offered with love, “as if we were treating our own pets.”
“We have animals in treatment pens and hotel cages 24 hours, so our kennel boys, especially the ones on night shift, should not mind cleaning up pee or poo from cages in the middle of the night. One could not do that unless one loves animals,” Karen, who has worked in animal welfare for more than 20 years, told The Jakarta Post.
When they land a job with the ACJ, they will get training to enhance their skills. They will also be sent for seminars and workshops, sometimes abroad.
To establish an animal hospital, pet shop or grooming place, a founder must follow certain legal guidelines, although the regulations are not as strict as when founding a beauty or health clinic for humans.
To establish pet businesses, founders must obtain business permits in line with Law No. 3/1982 on business registration. Founders also have to obtain trade business permits published by mayors or regents.
Animal health facilities and pet shops that sell drugs also have to comply with Farming Ministry Regulation No. 18/2009 on animal drug permits. The regulation mandates that such establishments obtain a recommendation from the Indonesian Animal Medicine Association.
Senior vet Ooy Komariah said that, in addition to all the regulations, clinics should have standard operation procedures for treating sick animals or pets.
“The first thing we have to do is prevent them from running away,” she said. “My patients cannot express their feelings with words. Instead, if they feel scared or threatened, they would run away from the source of the threat. Therefore, we are very strict with closing-the-door rules, to prevent pets from running out onto the street,” she said.
Ooy, who is also the head of the Small Animal Practitioner’s Association, said identifying good, trusted clinics was tricky, but pet owners should not be afraid to admit their pets to one with good reviews when their pets needed help.
“There are no vets who would want their patients to die,” Ooy said.
“However, pet owners have to actively identify trusted clinics. They should not be afraid, as it’s for the best of their pet’s health,” she said. “Don’t admit your pet to a clinic only when they are really sick. Often it is too late for vets to save their lives and they die on the surgery table.”
