Well equipped veterinary hospital caters to pets' needs

Well equipped veterinary hospital caters to pets' needs

JAKARTA (JP): When the veterinarians of Jakarta's Pet Hospital
in Ragunan, South Jakarta, decided to put Astor, an ailing,
handicapped Doberman, to sleep, the facility's kennel boys got
angry, protested and cried.

"It's a common sight here, employees crying because an animal
they have been taking care of has died. So, it's not only the
owner of the animal who feels sad. All of us we feel sad too,"
said the director of Rumah Sakit Hewan Jakarta (Jakarta Pet
Hospital) Wiwiek Bagdja W.

The debate on euthanasia to end the sufferings of human beings
is still lingering, but the pet hospital has set its policy.

"Well, as veterinarians, we have to be able to suggest the
best solution. We know it's painful to put a pet to 'sleep', but
just imagine if it is an old dog which has untreatable cancer.
Isn't it too cruel if we let it live in pain?" Wiwiek argued.

Consequently, it is quite a common sight here to see pet
owners hold tightly onto their pets to say goodbye with tears in
their eyes. And if the pet has been at the hospital a long time,
the employees, who have been fond of it, usually weep as well.

"And, usually it is not only the owners or employees here who
feel attached to an animal. The animals taken care here too
sometimes are very fond of us," Wiwiek revealed, adding that a
dog may become fond of a particular kennel boy, veterinarian, or
even a security guard.

Whitney, a local breed dog, for instance, was fond of Wiwiek
herself. Everyday, during the time when the animals taken care of
in the hospital were supposed to take a walk, Whitney usually ran
to Wiwiek's office and rested under her table.

"If the door was closed, she would scratch and push it to
enter to the room," Wiwiek recalled.

The Jakarta Pet Hospital, owned by Sapta Nawawi Bhakti and
managed by PT Pramukarti Semesta, is managed under the
cooperation of Jakarta's local authorities, the association of
Indonesian Veterinarians and the Veterinary Department of Bogor's
Institute of Agriculture. It opened late in 1993 as the first of
its kind in the city in response to the demand of pet lovers.

There are around 150 private-practice veterinarians in the
city, with has a human population of nine million.

"The 150 private-practice veterinarian offices are not
adequate to meet the demand. Currently, there are more and more
people who keep pets. Maybe it is related to the fact that people
have fewer children now. So, to fulfill their need for
accompaniment, they keep pets," Wiwiek said.

Therefore, the idea that an animal hospital, or a
veterinarian, caters only to rich people who have pedigreed dogs
of foreign breeds is not true at all, she added.

Those who come to the hospital to have their pets checked and
treated are from every walk of life. A great range of pets are
brought to the hospital, including local and foreign breed dogs
and cats, rabbits, monkeys, birds and pet chickens of the ayam
bekisar and ayam kate breeds. Lately, due to the fact that
people's interest in keeping exotic pets, such as iguanas and
snakes has risen, the hospital has to serve these new kinds of
patients as well.

The establishment of the hospital was also a response to an
appeal made by former Jakarta governor Wiyogo to convert the
capital into a "service city" where all kinds of services can be
found.

Sometimes the hospital has to take care of wild animals, such
as a white tiger from Ragunan zoo, which is located in the
neighborhood.

Jakarta Pet hospital has complete facilities for taking care
of all kinds of animals. It has X-ray equipment, a computerized
laboratory, surgery facilities, a special room for pets, which
have problems in delivering their young, a special kitchen for
providing the pet's food and two ambulances. It also has 10
clinic veterinarians and dozens of kennels boys who are in charge
of the care of each animal there. A pet shop and a pet cemetery,
located in front of the hospital, are also available.

With the services offered, no wonder it is not only Jakartans
who bring their pets to the hospital, which is open from 9 a.m.
to 9 p.m. daily. People from all over Java and even some other
islands bring their ailing pets to this Jakarta veterinarian
facility.

"And because we are cooperating with the veterinarians'
association, we also have special rooms where training for
veterinarians is provided. It is time to enhance the veterinary
sciences, and we want this hospital to help produce better
veterinarians, who specialize in pets," Wiwiek told The Jakarta
Post.

She said that for 25 years Indonesia has emphasized veterinary
sciences for cattle or food animals in accordance with the
country's program to develop human resources through better
nutrition. As a result, the pet veterinary sciences have been a
little neglected. "It is time to catch up," she said. (als)