Online veterinary service in Peshawar helps pet owners during lockdown

PESHAWAR: An online veterinary service launched by freshly-qualified veterinarians has proved to be a blessing for pet owners amid the lockdown as now they are able to seek online treatment for their animals.

DIGIVETPK Mobile Veterinary Service in Peshawar provides free online consultation about pet feeding, treatment guide for mild illness and home service on nominal charges in case of examination of the pet.

The DIGIVETPK consists of fifteen vets, including a female, and provides help to the callers free of cost and in case of a visit to the home for the examination of a pet animal or bird, charge a limited amount.

It is the first-ever mobile veterinary service in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa which includes highly qualified veterinary doctors.

“We have decided a to charge a fix amount of Rs 700 for visiting homes for treatment of an ailing animal or bird while the cost of medicine is borne by the owner," Dr Ameer Hamza the founder of the digital service told APP. 

Dr Hamza claimed that the digital service has helped a large number of pets during the coronavirus lockdown due to closure of clinics.

Estimates suggest that there are around 10,000 pet animals in Peshawar and the number of birds is much more than this figure.

Many animals and birds become sick due to different reasons mostly due to change in weather or environment and needed treatment from a qualified vet.

Also read: Shortage of vets spells misery for Karachi zoo animals

“The animal lovers were facing problems during corona lockdown in taking their ailing animals and birds to clinics for treatment, but DIGIVETPK came to their rescue. Our Vets have a vast experience of dealing with major animal rearing at homes or farms for production, breeding and recreation purpose," said Dr Ameer Hamza.

The vet shared that he is also attending classes for a relevant course to launch his own 'app' on Play Store for easier access.

Umair, a university student and dweller of Darra Adam Khel, in the outskirts of Peshawar, was worried about the treatment of his German Shepherd dog.

“I was worried where to take my dog because pet clinics are closed in Peshawar and in Darra the vet service is not up to the mark,” said Umair.

Sharing his experience of getting treatment for his ailing dog from DIGIVETPK, Umair said he searched for online vet services on social media.

"Soon I got the clue of DIGIVETPK team on Facebook and contacted them about the problem being faced by my dog which is very dear to me," he said adding, DIGIVETPK team after listening to the problem prescribed a medicine which he purchased from Darra and soon his dog recovered from the hair fall issue he was facing.

He also said that the startup team did not charge any fee for the prescription which was astonishing for him because on the basis of his past experiences of taking a dog to pet clinics, a huge amount was charged.

Umair said that the number of pet lovers was increasing with each passing day and provision of such services was the need of the hour because a number of animals were dying due to lack of proper treatment.

Also read: Karachi’s shuttered Empress Market echoes of wailing animals amid lockdown

He said he would inform all his friends and relatives who were keeping pets to benefit from this service and ensure better health of their favorite animals and birds.

“There are so many cases where timely intervention by DIGIVETPK helpd saved different animals and birds during the coronavirus lockdown,” said Dr Umer, a team member of the mobile veterinary service. 

He said people approached them for help in a state of worry and informed about the condition of their pet.

After the visit and proper examination the animal and birds were saved and recovered, he added.

Dr. Umer said the prevailing trend of VET service in the country was very expensive and was only in the reach of affluent pet lovers.