Owners can now share rooms with ailing pets at SPCA

The compact ward includes two independent rooms — one air-conditioned (A/C) and another non-A/C— with separate toilets and medical facilities,one common sitting area,basic furniture and five A/C kennels for those who want to leave their pets separately. The rent is Rs 1,500 for A/C room and Rs 1,000 for non A/C room per night; the kennel charge is Rs 500. “We allow two persons to stay with each patient overnight. An extra person can stay by paying Rs 500,but we don’t encourage the entire family to stay in the hospital,” Khanna said.

A pet owner,who had moved into the ward on Tuesday night,said,“My dog was diagnosed with liver and kidney problems. It is a blessing that I could stay at the hospital with my dog and comfort her. I made a deposit of Rs 10,000 and paid Rs 1,500 per day. Since it’s a new facility,there were teething troubles too. But I was glad I could be with my dog during her treatment,” the owner said.

Hospital sources said that the facility was opened for admission a week ago and they are still in the process of drawing up the rules and regulation. “The ward is a big hit already,and we have seen three to four admissions since last week,” hospital representatives said. The ward,however,doesn’t allow admission to animals with contagious diseases. “If a dog already admitted in My Pet Ward is diagnosed with a contagious illness like gastroenteritis or distemper,we will immediately it to another ward. This is to ensure that other pets are not affected,” Khanna said.