Pets not only need good food, but proper healthcare<\/p>\n
By T. Sima Gunawan<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Jacko loves rice and meat. In fact, he loves
\nboth so much that he doesn't mind having the same menu every day.
\nThis is not surprising at all, because Jacko is a bulldog.<\/p>\n
\"He eats two plates of rice and two ounces of meat every day,\"
\nJacko's owner, Ida Sunar Indarti, said.<\/p>\n
In addition, Jacko also takes a multivitamin pill daily. Once
\na month, Ida, a veterinary surgeon, gives him one injection to
\nstrengthen his muscles and another to make his hair grow better.
\nOnce every two months, Jacko receives an antiflea shot. To keep
\nhim clean, Ida bathes the dog once a week.<\/p>\n
\"Basically, that is what your pets need to stay healthy,\" Ida
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
But for some people, that's not enough. They also groom their
\npets, especially the ones that have long hair like poodles or
\nPekinese.<\/p>\n
Even though Ida, who has been practicing veterinary surgery
\nsince 1980, does not groom the bulldog, she offers a grooming
\nservice for her clients' pets. In 1992, she opened the Anyelir
\nGrooming Salon in her spacious house in Cijantung, East Jakarta
\n\"to meet the clients' demand\". The service, which costs Rp
\n30,000, includes bathing and nail cutting.<\/p>\n
\"Cats also need bathing,\" Ida said.<\/p>\n
Pak Mochtar, the grooming specialist, does not have any
\nproblem handling a small dog, but he could use the help of an
\nassistant when the \"costumer\" is big and heavy. More effort is
\nrequired when pets resist.<\/p>\n
\"They often bite me, but not seriously. I have never been
\nreally attacked by the pets,\" Pak Mochtar said.<\/p>\n
\"You must not be hesitant when handling a dog,\" he said.<\/p>\n
For busy pet owners, a pickup and delivery service is also
\navailable. This service not only applies to the animals which
\nwill be groomed, but is also for pets who need check-ups or
\nmedical treatment.<\/p>\n
The grooming salon is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., but the
\nclinic is open 24 hours.<\/p>\n
Ida is assisted by two other veterinary surgeons, a grooming
\nspecialist, two paramedics and two drivers.<\/p>\n
Between 10 and 15 pets are treated at the clinic each day.
\nMost of the patients are dogs and cats; the others include cows,
\nhorses, birds, monkeys and iguanas.<\/p>\n
\"In the past two years, I've handled many iguanas with various
\nproblems. For example, they would not eat, they had skin
\nproblems, or in some cases, their tails were broken,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Iguanas became popular as a pet in Indonesia only a few years
\nago.<\/p>\n
She charges between Rp 15,000 and Rp 35,000 per treatment. The
\ncost could exceed Rp 200,000 for surgery. For example, one has to
\npay Rp 250,000 for their dog's vasectomy.<\/p>\n
\"It's the anesthesia that is expensive,\" Ida said.<\/p>\n
Taking care of pets can be expensive. According to Ida, one
\nhas to spend between Rp 50,000 and Rp 100,000 a month to feed and
\ncare for a small dog, and up to Rp 400,000 for big dogs like
\nDobermans or German Shepherds.<\/p>\n
\"This does not include the clothes the pets wear at beauty
\ncontests,\" said Ida, who organized a dog contest last year.<\/p>\n
She displayed several pieces of modest-quality dog shirts made
\nin Singapore and Thailand, which cost Rp 90,000 each.<\/p>\n
Care center<\/p>\n
Ida not only runs a clinic and a grooming salon, but also a
\ncare center that can accommodate 20 dogs.<\/p>\n
But not any pet can be put under Ida's care.<\/p>\n
\"We only accept pets which have been vaccinated,\" Ida said.<\/p>\n
She said a dog has to receive five different vaccinations, for
\nrabies, distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis and parvo.<\/p>\n
\"Vaccination is a must because once a dog is attacked by a
\nvirus, it will surely die. This is not the case with human
\nbeings. If you haven't received a vaccination, you might survive
\nafter being infected with the virus, but dogs won't,\" she said.<\/p>\n
People who want to send their pets to the care center have to
\npay between Rp 15,000 and Rp 30,000 per pet per night. This
\nincludes meals and a walking service in the morning and
\nafternoon.<\/p>\n
\"But some of my clients bring their own food for the cats they
\nsend here, especially Japanese,\" Ida said.<\/p>\n
There are three kinds of pet food: dried food, canned food and
\nfresh food. Ida said the pets would receive the same kind of food
\nthey got at home.<\/p>\n
A dog that eats fresh food every day will not accept dried or
\ncanned food, while dogs that eat dried or canned food will take
\nfresh food, according to Ida.<\/p>\n
\"Once a dog eats fresh food, it will not eat other kinds of
\nfood. Therefore, it is important to ask the owner what kind of
\nfood the dog eats at home,\" Ida explained.<\/p>\n
Even though her only dog, Jacko, eats fresh food, this does
\nnot necessarily mean that fresh food is better than canned or
\ndried food. Ida said dried or canned food might be better than
\nfresh food in the sense that they contain every substance the pet
\nneeds, as recommended by experts.<\/p>\n
\"I received Jacko as a gift from a friend about three months
\nago. At that time, Jacko had been used to fresh food. Therefore,
\nI have to give him similar food. Otherwise, he won't eat,\" she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
One of Ida's clients, Zulkifli, has a family of five cats. The
\nparents are seven and three years old respectively, while the
\nkittens are each three years old. Their main menu is tongkol
\n(tuna fish). For practical reasons, he also gives them dried
\nfood. \"But they prefer fresh food. One of them even refuses to
\neat dried food,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He spends Rp 50,000 monthly for dried food and Rp 100,000 for
\nfresh tuna fish for the cats.<\/p>\n
Although he doesn't groom them, he pays full attention to
\ntheir health. When a cat itches, he immediately takes it to Ida
\nto have its ears cleaned. Once a year, the cats receive rabies,
\nhepatitis and parvo vaccinations. Zulkifli, an employee of a
\nprivate company, paid Rp 90,000 for the three vaccinations for
\neach cat.<\/p>\n
For Zulkifli, money doesn't matter.<\/p>\n
\"I regard them as part of my family,\" said the man, who is
\nstill a bachelor.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/pets-not-only-need-good-food-but-proper-healthcare-1447893297",
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