Time was when the expression ‘it’s a dog’s life’ was meant to convey an existence characterised by tough times, sacrifice, even privation. These days, increasingly, there is evidence that some dogs’ lives are on the up and up. We still have our fair share of strays that must forage for food every day, while keeping a keen eye out for hostile humans who see stray dogs as objects of derision. While it may be an overstatement to suggest that the tables have turned, a case can definitely be made for suggesting that these days, greater numbers of dogs enjoy more rewarding lives than many humans.
Pets, primarily dogs and cats, have always been common features in Guyanese homes. These days, however, the country’s multi-million-dollar pet industry is linked to lifestyle changes associated with wealth, travel and upward mobility.
Indicators of growth in the pet industry are manifest in the proliferation of pet shops in coastal Guyana and the popularisation of veterinary services.
“The health and nutrition of pets has become serious business in Guyana,” says Veterinarian Dr Ozaye Dodson. He believes that growth in the enthusiasm for pets is largely a function of travel and the increase in remigration. “People have actually been importing their pets into Guyana for some time now and the industry has been responding to the various services that they require,” he says.
Our visit to a pet shop proved instructive. Pet shops offer a bewildering array of goods associated with the health, nutrition and well-being of pets. Soaps, shampoos, toothbrushes, car seats, chew toys, clothing and shoes for pets, primarily dogs are available for sale. Meanwhile, the sale of pet food has now extended way beyond pet shops. Imported foods – for cats and dogs primarily – can commonly be found on supermarket shelves. A modest can of dog or cat food, a single meal for a fully-grown animal, can cost as much of $400, while a bag of dried food that might last three or four days, at best, will cost around $1400.
So much has the local pet industry changed that retaining the medical records of pets has become one of the major responsibilities of veterinarians. Vitamins for animals can cost around $1200; pampers, $1500; combs and brushes, $900 and nail polish $1500.
Margaret owns two poodles and concedes that it is a costly indulgence. Looking after her dogs can cost as much as $20,000 monthly, which includes vitamins, food and de-worming. Monthly visits to the vet cost $3,000. Whenever she leaves the country for extended periods there are dog-minding fees.
Dr Dodson agrees that the growth of the local pet industry has created new business opportunities for veterinarians whom, hitherto, were primarily employed by state agencies, like the Ministry of Agriculture, to oversee the health and breeding concerns of the livestock sector. These days, the better-known veterinarians have built up their clientele of pet owners and the incomes that derive from the pursuit can be significant.
Outside of the formal pet sector, there continues to be a significant growth in the cage-bird industry. This newspaper was introduced to a birding event at which caged birds were changing hands at upwards of $15,000 each and tiny portions of elixir for the birds were being offered at $35,000. Interestingly, minding caged birds has remained a largely working-class pursuit.
Dr Dodson says that the growth of the pet industry is also linked to a unique and seemingly continually growing interdependence between humans and animals. “The interdependence might have to do with the services that a dog provides to a blind person, for example, or the therapeutic role that a dog or another animal might play in a person recovering from illness or perhaps as a companion for a child or an elderly person,” the vet says.
The current preoccupation with dogs is one of the primary features of the pet industry. Pedigree dogs have been elevated to the level of status symbols and, these days, dogs have become indicators of social class.
An Italian Mascot pup, for example, can set you back around $60,000, while a German Shepherd can cost as much as $160,000.
Veteran Guyanese Veterinarian Dr Steve Surujbally points out that the increase in demand for pedigree dogs has led to aggressive inbreeding of animals, which maximises the returns for breeders but also results in the proliferation of less healthy animals. Dr Surujbally says he is concerned particularly with inbreeding that is designed to meet seasonal demand and the consequences that include hernia, twisted legs and other forms of external deformity as well as internal ones like liver deficiency and heart defects.
Dr Dodson also talks about another unpleasant side of the dog trade – dog fighting. Pit bulls have becomes the poster dogs in the local dog combat industry that has attracted increasing numbers of adherents.
Another local veterinarian who says he abhors dog fighting, but feels “compelled to treat injured dogs,” says he believes that whilst the pursuit is illegal the authorities turn a blind eye to it. “Sometimes the wounds are superficial and the owners will pay well to get [the dogs] well again,” he says. “Treatment may include various types of surgery that may cost thousands of dollars. They always seem able to afford it. [But] there are cases in which the injured dogs are simply abandoned.”
This veterinarian, who agreed to talk with Stabroek Business on condition of anonymity says there are men who see fighting dogs as “extensions of themselves. The fights are essentially fights between the dog owners and very often it is the bragging rights as much as the winnings that are important. I know of a case where an owner shot a pit bull dead immediately after the animal had lost a fight.”
He says “dog fighting has become the sport of well-off people and the attendant gambling is worth many millions.”
Dr Dodson agrees that these days, increasingly, injuries resulting from dog fights are finding their way into the clinics of veterinarians.
in Guyana
He says government is in the process of preparing legislation aimed at tightening regulations associated with protecting animals. He says that this development is long overdue and comes in the face of the popularisation of the use of animals in blood sport as well as what he says is likely to be the increasing need for dogs in the years ahead. He sees the growth of the housing sector, particularly the surge in the creation of gated communities, increasing the demand for dogs, both as pets and for security purposes. “Obviously, where there is an increase in the numbers of those types of dogs we are likely to see growth in the services associated with animals,” he opines.
While dogs and cats remain the most popular household pets, Dr Dodson says that there is an increasing demand for veterinary services associated with larger animals and exotic pets. He says that while the sector already has a considerable amount of experience in the care of large animals – horses, mules, donkeys, cows, et al – there is relatively less experience in the treatment of exotic animals.
One of the major concerns in the sector, according to Dr Dodson is that Guyana may be hard-pressed to provide all of the resources associated with the growth of the pet industry. He points out that while enterprising businessmen will continue to take advantage of the continual increase in the demand for goods and services associated with the pet industry, the greater challenge will be redressing the shortage of trained veterinarians to service the sector. “As far as I am aware there are only about 30 trained veterinarians working in Guyana and the issue immediately arises as to whether there are enough professionals to service the sector,” he says.
He points out that apart from addressing the needs of the local livestock industry, veterinary services will also have to “cover” the increase in the numbers and types of pets appearing in local households.
