The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation’s (PCMC) veterinary department clinic situated at Meghaji Lokhande Bhavan in Pimpri has reported a rush of owners bringing their pets, including cats and dogs, for health and beauty treatment and consultancy.
PCMC veterinary chief Dr Satish Gore told DNA, “The awareness about pets’ health and beauty is increasing among citizens. They take basic home pet grooming tips and advice from the veterinary staff at clinic.”
He said that nowadays clients regularly bring their cats for hair cutting, bathing and other treatment to the clinic.
“Rarely did cat owners visited our clinic earlier,” he said.
There are nearly 5,000 registered pet dogs in Pimpri-Chinchwad city.
Pet owners said that with no pet parlour in the twin town, they had to go to Pune. However, they can avail of the facility at the veterinary clinic for minimal charges.
Sonali Sharma, a pet owner in Chinchwad said, “We treat pets as a part of the household. We are obliged to give proper care and attention to them to make them look good and healthy just like what we are doing to other family members.”
Gore said that the parlour provides facilities like scrutinising fur during summers when most pets face problems of heat; giving hair falling treatment during winters and proving treatment for skin diseases.
He said that pet dogs are one of the most adventurous pet animals. They tend to explore different parts of the house, backyard, and even the streets. Because of this, they acquire different smell (a stinky one, for instance), their furs are stained, and different parasites sticks to their body and make them itchy.
As children are mostly close to these pets, it is necessary to take proper precaution of pets. Proper hygiene practices that are similar to human beings are one of the basics in pet grooming.
It is a well-known fact that cats are really afraid of water. It is a challenge to lure this feline to take a bath, Gore said.
The civic official said that the PCMC had planned in 2009 to have a separate pet parlour in association with a non-governmental organisation (NGO), but it did not work out.
