Pet medical tourism hit hard, Bangladesh paw-fall plunges to zero across city clinics
Times of India | 8 August 2025
Kolkata: The footfall of Bangladeshi pet parents at veterinary clinics across the city has dipped to nil in the past year, since the upheaval in the neighbouring country. The clinics that receive furry patients from Bangladesh mostly conduct surgeries on cats, which have remained suspended since July last year. However, some of them are providing virtual consultations over the phone or through email to the pet parents in the neighbouring country.
The feline treatments and surgeries conducted in the city include tumour removal, fracture repairs, eyelid fixation and cataract operations, gastrointestinal surgery, surgical intervention for congenital issues, and removal of swallowed objects.
While other foreigners also fly to Kolkata for pet treatment, most are from Bangladesh, according to Susmita Roy, who runs a veterinary hospital at Taratala. "The pet parents can easily commute to Kolkata from Bangladesh with cats. Given the ongoing tension, however, only medical visas are being given to Bangladeshi nationals to come to India. For pet treatment, they need a tourist visa. Until the situation improves, Bangladeshi pet tourism to Kolkata will not resume.
"Sudipto Nag, a veterinary consultant, said, "For the last five years, we have been getting a huge number of pet patients from Bangladesh, and over 90% of them are cats. In most cases, Bangladeshi pet parents visit our clinic for surgeries on cats after they consult virtually and fix surgery dates. But ever since Bangladesh has been on the boil, pet parents have stopped coming here.
"The city has around 200 registered pet clinics that receive nearly 500 patients from Bangladesh on an average every month, according to veterinary doctors. They have started online consultations and telemedicine facilities, but critical patients are at high risk, they said.
Payel Chatterjee, a veterinary officer of the state govt, said, "Though virtual check-ups are on, it is a daunting process for us to guess the feline disease and prescribe treatment. We are depending on the comprehension of pet parents while prescribing medicines. This can also be risky.
"Cat owners from Bangladesh come to Kolkata for pet treatment due to cheaper travel and accommodation expenses, said Rohit Raj, a senior veterinary doctor attached to various clinics in the city. "We mostly conduct surgeries on cats from Bangladesh. The current turmoil has hit pet medical tourism from the neighbouring country. In the past year, I have not had a single patient from Bangladesh. We started facilities for feline surgeries only for Bangladeshi nationals who own cats," said Raj.
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