Dr. Shaveta Sood, Head of Product Management and Marketing at Vetina Healthcare recently sat down with Ms. Priyanka Tanwar, Editor of Creature Companion Magazine to discuss about her company’s veterinary medicine and animal care products, pet insurance plans, veterinary management software, and future plans. Excerpts . . .
Give us a brief introduction to Vetina Healthcare. Educate us about your product range.
Vetina Healthcare was established in the year 2016 under the guidance of our CEO Mr. Prakash Khaire. It is promoted by Parekh Integrated Services (PISPL) group of companies, one of the leading logistics providers in India. PISPL was established in 1981 with the power of 2,500 employees and 350 distribution centers across India to handle cold chain products with a Centralised Monitoring System. The company is a renowned name in the Animal Healthcare Sector.
Vetina offers a wide range of products for Companion, Ruminant and Poultry Animal Healthcare. The product range includes Medical Devices, Pet Food, Neutraceuticals, Biologicals, Drugs, and Feed Additives.
Which international brands is Vetina Healthcare associated with? What services do you provide to these global names?
Vetina is associated with internationally renowned brands like Covertus, which is a Fortune 500 company; Calibra; Dechra; Oxyfresh; Thoroughbred Remedies Manufacturing Ltd.; Vetramil and Igusol. We are the Marketing and Distribution Channel for these brands across India.
What are your strengths that help you stay ahead of competitors?
Vetina’s core values are Quality Driven Products and Services; Strong Technical Team and Post-sales Service. We also provide Value Addition Services to Vets and Pet parents which include Practice Management Software “Vet Buddy” and Medical cover for Pets “Pawtect,” launched for the first time in India.
Tell us more about the Veterinary Practice Management Software “Vet Buddy.”
Vetina Vet Buddy Practice Management Software is a cloud based software for Vets that is extremely easy to use. It is a tool to ease the practice of Vets. It is Ideal for all types of Veterinary services – Start Up Practice, Hospital Model or Multiclinic Practice. For pet Parents, there is a service called as Patient Portal, where a pet parent can access their pet’s complete medical information. All the records are handy and accessible with a single click.
You also told us about Vetina Healthcare’s “Pawtect” service. What are the benefits of pet insurance in a developing country like India?
As welcoming a pet to the family entails a lot of costs and responsibilities, securing the pet with Medical Cover at an early stage of life is the best gift a pet parent can give to his/her pet.
India is an evergrowing Global Market, and the cost of owning a pet depends on its age and breed. Medical Coverage offers immense benefits by covering major and minor illnesses. If we take a rough approximate idea, for a dog of 12 years the average lifetime expenses should be in the range of 2.5 – 4.0 Lakhs. If the pet is medically covered, it helps the pet parent to provide the best services in terms of right treatment and right institution, with all the routine and major healthcare expenses.
What are the salient features of your pet insurance service? What kind of coverage does Pawtect provide?
Vetina has launched “Pawtect – Medical Cover for Dogs” for the first time in India with partner GoDigit, which is backed by Fairfax group that has operations across 30 countries.
Three plans are offered by Pawtect which are – Blue, Yellow and Red Ribbon Plans. These cover Major Illness, Accidental Injury, Third Party Liability, and Major Soft Tissues Surgeries.
Medical Cover starts from 8 weeks upto 6 years of age. The offerings vary on the basis of age and breed of the dog.
In your opinion, what challenges is the Indian animal healthcare segment facing at the present moment?
The Indian Diary Industry market is highly fragmented with an average farm size of 3-5 animals in backyard farms. Bigger farms are emerging. A major issue is represented by the per capita expenditure on cattle rearing in India.
Poultry Industry is an organised sector but there is uncertainty due to raw material prices, diseases and production profitability.
Companion animal industry is small but growing at a larger pace. It is taking time to reach the masses as quality spending on pets is still low in India.
How has the veterinary products sector changed over time to meet the growing demands of pet parents?
Veterinary sector is emerging to meet the demand and supply gaps. There is greater business ease in the Indian market due to the Indian Government’s “Make in India” initiative; many companies are investing in Research and Development, and coming up with innovative products to meet the growing demands of pet parents.
Vetina Healthcare regularly organises webinars and seminars for pet parents and veterinary professionals. What topics do these sessions cover? What benefits do they provide to pet owners and vets?
Yes, Vetina regularly organises Webinars and Seminars. The main aim is imparting and sharing knowledge with Vets and Pet Parents. The topics covered are of Vet’s interest and current new practices followed in the Industry. The major benefits are knowledge enhancement for vets. For pet parents, the main aim is to create awareness about nutrition and well being of pets.
What is your current market reach? Share your future expansion plans.
Currently, we have a great team of 18+ Customer Relationship Officers spread across India which is lead by our Sales Head Mr. Vikas Anand and Product Manager Dr. Seema Talokar.
We import our products to SAARC countries. Our future expansion plans include addition of value added products and services for the Indian and Global Pet Industry.
How do you keep abreast of the latest happenings in the veterinary sector?
We do this by participating in Indian and International Shows, Conferences, and Seminars. We update our knowledge through regular newsletters and keep abreast of new Research Trends through National and International Journals.
Suggest some animal healthcare books that pet parents can read to provide basic care for their pets at home.
There are many books available online and offline for Pet parents like Cat owner’s Home Veterinary Handbook, and Dog Owner’s Home Veterinay Handbook. Creature Companion is a good magazine which covers all needs of pet parents
