The Malaysian Insight

MORE and more pets are turning up at animal clinics and hospitals because their owners are buying unsubstantiated pet food and products online simply because they are cheaper, said veterinarians and pet shop owners.

They told The Malaysian Insight there are questionable medication and food sold online and pet owners are resorting to those because they are cheaper and convenient.

There is no control over some of the products sold online, they said, adding that more coordination and enforcement is needed between government agencies to care for the animals’ wellbeing.

Cyberlynx Animal Hospital clinical director Dr Sam Mohan Aruputham told The Malaysian Insight that affordability and availability are the main reasons which influence pet owners to go online.

“There are a lot of questionable medications and repackaged food on Lazada, Shopee, etc. Today, the sky’s the limit and it’s up to the individual owners to decide,” said Sam.

“The relevant agencies must be given the enforcement authority to deal with this problem before it becomes a crisis.”

For example, he said, the National Pharmaceutical Board has control but no expertise over veterinary products sold online.

This should be handled by the Veterinary Services Department but for that to be done, laws must be amended.

Sam served in the Veterinary Association Malaysia’s executive committee from 2018 to 2020 and is currently the president of Malaysian Society of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine.

There are many animal lovers in the country but unfortunately, they are ignorant when it comes to animal welfare, including both domesticated and wildlife, he said.

“Education is the key to making a change. The fundamentals must be addressed and we cannot blame the government only.

“The major flaw is that the Department of Veterinary Services is under the Ministry of Agriculture while the Department of Wildlife is under the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources.

“Hence, the issues cannot be resolved or coordinated.”

He suggests that the Education Ministry and Health Ministry should be part of the education process.

Another veterinarian, Dr Mazrul Fahmi Mahadzir, 33, also alerted on the ambiguity of online pet products.

“Everyone can sell now without requiring any certificate. So, it is not fair to the owners if no proper explanation is given about the products that they want,” Mazrul said.

“The online scenario also brings competition to many pet stores.

“Pet shops are having difficulty during the movement-control order (MCO) as customers head to Lazada and Shopee because of the attractive monthly sales.

“It’s easier to get the supply for their pets as it’s delivered directly to their home.”

The veterinarian owns Nadia Veterinary Clinic with two branches in the Klang Valley. Last year, he set up a pharmaceutical company for veterinary products within the region.

“Our clinic does not just cover cats and dogs but we also treat goats and cattle.”

Mazrul said his business is not affected much from the pandemic as they are considered front-liners to animals.

However, other pet businesses told The Malaysian Insight that they are feeling the pinch.

Losing out to MCO, online

The owner of a vet clinic in Kajang, who requested anonymity, said appointments have reduced to some extent but added this could also be due to the movement restrictions.

For Exotic Pets Studio in Summit USJ Mall, the niche business has fallen drastically.

“Selling exotic pets would need a lot of explanation and we prefer face-to-face dealings with customers,” said store manager Ray Khor Yu Xuan.

“With the lockdown, we are being careful who we sell to and for now, it means only to the experienced keepers.”

There are about 150 pets currently in the store and their best seller is the Colubridae, small colourful snakes which they specialise in.

“The Colubridae eat frozen pinkie mice. Only for special cases like if the snake is not eating, then we will offer them live mice.”

Khor, 22, said there’s no sign of price increase for exotic pet food unless certain sellers are taking advantage during the challenging period.

Last April, Putrajaya said veterinary clinics can operate during the MCO.

Despite that, Sam said the veterinary industry had to cut operating hours even for hospitals, some of which operate 24 hours.

“The roadblocks cause fear for our customers and the authorities only allow clients to come on an appointment basis and not walk-ins.

“This has seen a reduction in the number of cases we handle daily.”

Cyberlynx also registered a 30% to 50% drop in income.

“In recent months, there has been an increase in the price of pet food and other pet items, especially from the start of 2021.

“Suppliers have increased most of the products by 2.5% to 8% (forcing) our clinic to increase our prices, too.” – January 31, 2021.