123 Kolkata: The West Bengal Livestock Development Corporation (WBLDC) has started a diagnostic service for pets, especially dogs and cats, in the city and suburbs. The corporation, a state govt undertaking at Salt Lake, has engaged its unit, the Centre for Laboratory Animal Research and Training (CLART) at Kalyani, to conduct tests on animals for diagnosis and treatment.
Pet owners can book tests online for the collection of blood or stool samples from home by logging into the official website of the govt laboratory. The reports will be sent through email or SMS to them.
The static collection points for samples are state animal health centres (SAHC) in Salt Lake and Barasat as of now, according to Utpal Kumar Karmakar, managing director of WBLDC. The WBLDC has roped in a private pet care company called Onpets to provide logistics support for this diagnostic service.
Anirban Chanda, an employee of the pet care company, said, "As part of the partnership, we are availing of the equipment and facilities at the govt lab to conduct diagnostic tests on pets." As per bookings on the govt lab website, the private phlebotomists of the company visit the houses of pet owners to collect the blood or stool samples, which are first brought to the static collection points and then dispatched to the new facility at Kalyani. "For home collection of samples, we are charging fees. But if pets are brought to the static collection points, the service will be free," Karmakar said.
Karmakar pointed out that there are disease investigation labs run under the directorate of animal resources and animal health in different districts of the state. "In rural areas, people can access the nearby diagnostic labs, but we felt the necessity to start a pet diagnostic facility for those living in Kolkata and its adjacent suburbs. The tests will be done at the laboratory in Kalyani, and we will have samples collected from the centres at Salt Lake and Barasat."
The govt laboratory at Kalyani, spread over 30,000 sq ft, has advanced veterinary diagnostic tools. "Along with diagnostics, we are also doing research on animals and livestock. For research purposes, we are rearing animals like rats, guinea pigs, rabbits, hamsters, and zebrafish to conduct experiments. We are also supplying these animals to other laboratories across the country for tests. Last year, CLART raised Rs 7 lakh from animal sales, while we are targeting Rs 17 lakh in revenues from the same this year," Karmakar said.