Pet at Home? 5 Online Helplines Offering Vet Consultations, Pet Food
Worried about your pet at home? These services across India might help you get pet food or even access to vet.
“My sister’s pet golden retriever seems to be in a lot of pain. He is under treatment for a kidney issue, but unfortunately, due to the lockdown, we are unable to take him to his vet who lives in Delhi. Could one of you suggest a vet in Gurugram or help me with a number of a vet who would be available for an online consult?’ read a Whatsapp message in my apartment complex’s group chat.
This is not an isolated request as many pet parents are worried about running out of food and medicines for their pets. Furthermore, some are unable to contact doctors to consult in case of emergencies.
Fortunately, there are people trying to help pet parents across the country with essential services like food delivery, and medical consultations.
But, it is important to understand what constitutes a medical emergency. Listed below are some of them:
• Seizures
• Excessive vomiting or diarrhoea
• Fractured bones, severe lameness or inability to move leg(s)
• Choking, difficulty breathing or nonstop coughing and gagging
• Bleeding from the nose, mouth, rectum, coughing up blood, or blood in urine
• Inability to urinate or pass faeces (stool), or obvious pain associated with urinating or passing stool
• Injuries to your pet’s eye(s)
• You suspect or know your pet has eaten something poisonous (such as antifreeze, xylitol, chocolate, rodent poison, etc.)
• Heat stress or heatstroke
• Injury in a traumatic accident or in an attack by another animal
In need of pet food or a vet? Here are five helplines working across India for pets.
PetKonnect
PetKonnect is an app launched by Devanshi Shah in September 2019. It provides pet parents access to various services, which include – storing medical records, accessing emergency services, and calling for an ambulance. PetKonnect app is now running a 24/7 helpline to assist pet parents during the lockdown.
Devanshi says that since the lockdown they have seen almost 5,000 new app users. You can log on to their official website here and the app is available for download for both iOs and Android users. The charges for a consultation begin from Rs 300 for 20 minutes. Pet parents are advised to send in details like the pet’s age, weight, temperature, and history of any ailment.
