From bustling urban cities to rural villages, you can find pet animals in almost any household in India. They are considered family members, even among poorer communities. With this diversity in class and geographies in pet ownership, veterinary hospitals and services need to be customized according to the discretionary limits of their clients.
In addition to this, running a successful vet clinic requires extensive staff training, standard equipment and maintenance, as well as achieving a good return. Let’s dive into how a top-of-the-line vet hospital is run.
Rural Vs. Urban Pet Health Care
The difference between pet care in rural and urban India is vast. With an increase in the discretionary income of a household, the trend is for pet owners to spend more on their pets. Spending patterns change from merely taking necessary precautionary measures like vaccinations, deworming, etc. to getting more high-budget facilities like wellness programs and skin care for the pet.
Naturally, the challenges faced by clinics catering to lower-income households vs high-income households are different. The prior focuses on giving primary medical facilities in return for low-profit margins. There is negligible scope for highly qualified vet doctors, or assured care/facilities for pets left there for a few days. On the other hand, guidelines for good treatment, hygiene standards and quality equipment are ensured in urban clinics where the customer is selective about such services. With an increased list of services, the clinical profitability and operational costs increase as well. Many more factors are to be considered. Also, specially in the case of a hospitals like ours, we are a global chain & we commit ourselves to the cause in a manner that we educate one and all irrespective of where they come from. The relationship between a pet and the pet owner is one of sheer love, care and commitment and knowing how to ensure your pet’s health, look at the watch out signs and be able to provide the best care is common to one and all. We believe in ‘empowering’ the pet parents and support them when needed cause the end objective is a better world for our animals.
I’d like to still lay emphasis on two very important elements however common across pets be it rural or urban: vaccination & birth control. We at DCC make as many efforts as possible to vaccinate one & all irrespective. Additionally responsible breeding is a major topic of concern & there are myths around it that need to be busted. Neutering & spaying are totally safe & with close guidance of the vet, one can ensure a better tomorrow for our animals.
Economic Factors
The profitability of veterinary clinics can vary significantly based on location, services offered, and scale of operations. The India veterinary medicine market size is projected to grow at a CAGR of 10.3% from 2024 to 2030. However, this growth is tempered by challenges such as low pet-to-human population ratios and the need for greater awareness about pet care. DCC tackles this by regularly engaging with pet parents and prospective adopters in awareness programs, and booths set up to cater to pets and their needs, also going on ground as and when needed for community welfare initiatives & awareness. We focus on making people understand that adopting a pet is a lifetime commitment. It needs readiness prior to the adoption, it also needs continuous learning as a pet parent alongside maintaining a good regime when it comes to regular health check-ups and mor. Last but not the least being able to commit to ageing pets’ needs is also a very important part of pet parenting because we can get caught up in our life, but we mustn’t forget that our pet at any age is dependent on us and choices we make for him/her.
Quality or Quantity
When it comes to treatment, quality is paramount. Focus on quality extends to all aspects of the service, from the initial consultation to complex surgeries. Anyone in the veterinary stream must understand that to start one’s own clinic or hospital, sure one eye on revenue is necessary for existence of the set up however one eye, a heart full of empathy & care, a commitment to self to ensure best in class hygiene, products and medicines are provided to the pets must be ensured as well. Creatures of love can only be healed with love, expertise for sure yes!
The Role of Wellness Programs and Preventive Care
Much like humans, animals require more than primary preventive treatments to feel happy and supported. Primary care and spreading awareness about nutritional needs are vital components of veterinary practices. Prevention and wellness today are better health tomorrow! Planning nutrition for example across the growth stages of the pet is a key part of their wellbeing but often goes unnoticed however if the vet specifies this at the time of regular vaccination and takes interest beyond the problem-solution we will stand to have more aware parents & healthier pets. Nutrition is a vast topic and much like us, pets can benefit & healthier longer lives if we focus enough on it.
The challenge in the vet-care industry lies in the gap between the ratio of animals to well-trained vet doctors available. Balancing affordability with the quality of care and ensuring that even basic needs are met with the best available equipment and practices, all these are challenges that both urban and rural clinics and hospitals face. Even in case of doctors, the quality of healthcare they provide over the number of doctors/vets available cause while age old practices that we see, usually in case of animals a lot of hit and trials are done while in case of humans we believe in diagnosis and therefore prompt care. I am of the opinion, because we follow global standards at DCC, much like other parts of the world, vets need to believe more in deep diagnosis and that comes with experience and advanced learning. Its only then that we can cure a pet in time and bring in the requisite relief, because they are part of our family and relief must come through at the earliest. Therefore, upping skill sets of vets would help create a mindset of this nature.
Staffing and Training
‘Staffing & Training’ are the primary factors of how a veterinary hospital comes together in terms of its mission and vision. Staff implies all and not just vets cause the pet owner and the pet have an interaction with many across levels from the time they enter to the time they leave with hope and positivity. Reception staff, being the first touch point must have a solid understanding of fundamental veterinary needs and be empathetic towards both pets and their owners. Veterinary assistants, or paravets, go through several interviews and rigorous training to ensure they are well-equipped to deliver top-notch care. Each member must be handpicked to ensure they are not only in it for the money but also have a heart that goes out to the pets they interact with, therefore being a kind person and being empathetic are primary plus points, of course skills need to support for successful recruiting.
Operational Challenges
The veterinary services market in India is complex and diverse, reflecting the country’s varied socio-economic landscape. Establishing and running a veterinary hospital comes with its own set of challenges. Finding the right location is crucial, as it impacts accessibility for pet owners. Major expenses for vet hospitals include staff salaries, medical supplies, equipment maintenance, rent, and utilities. These costs must be carefully managed to ensure the clinic’s sustainability. One of the biggest operational challenges or as one would say ‘key point to focus on’ is hygiene. We deal with so many pets, some seriously ill and some coming in for regular check-ups and more. We must always ensure hygiene, cause secluding the ones with possible communicable issues is necessary to ensure health of the puppy that walks in next. Therefore, be it isolation cat and dog wards, regular floor mopping with antiseptics and many more such things that we do with our tools etc must be diligently done with a 100% commitment cause you’re dealing with lives. Also pet parents must understand sometimes not being on the lookout for such things and going by factors of cost, distance from home can end up becoming a lot more detrimental for their pets. Awareness is key.
DCC’s Solution-Oriented Approach
Facing the above challenges strategically, DCC Animal Hospital , a global veterinary chain of hospitals (with a vast spread over Asian market – Japan, Thailand & Vietnam) with several branches in Delhi-NCR, offers comprehensive health solutions right from puppy management, health checks, nutritional & wellness guidance to basics of deworming, dental concerns, vaccination & more. We even undertake surgeries like neutering & spaying, cherry eye and all need based surgeries we are equipped to perform. For the more complex surgeries we even consult with our global teams and come up with the best way to combat the issue the pet is facing with least pain. Being a global company, A ‘Alda Pte Ltd which is the parent company of DCC Animal Hospital, we are known for some of the best medical senior resources we have on board therefore each pet we interact with across countries is dealt with diligent care, cause for us pets are partners.
