The needs of young people give birth to pet health care and the medical dilemma remains to be solved
"Don't let it go to the forklift!" On the evening of November 5, an exclamation came from near Exit 3 of the Provincial Government Station of Changsha Metro Line 1.
Two anxious young men and women hurriedly hugged Schnauzer "Didi" and carefully looked at the puppy that Sa Huan had just rushed into the reinforced concrete jungle of the sidewalk reconstruction area, whether there were any injuries on his body.
For Xiao Zhuo and her boyfriend Zeng Weifeng, the Schnauzer that has been raised for more than two years is a darling.
A visit to a pet hospital in September spent half a month's salary for Xiaozhuo, who was teaching in a vocational college, and "Didi" almost lost his life.
According to Professor Chen Tieqiao, executive director of the Veterinary Surgery Branch of the Chinese Society of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, who has been engaged in scientific research and clinical practice for nearly 40 years, pets require careful care. At present, there are many antiviral diseases. Even if vaccinated, viral infections cannot be completely isolated. .
Chen Tieqiao said that pet diseases are similar to humans, including respiratory diseases, digestive tract diseases, skin diseases, etc., as well as bruises, and the situation is complicated.
In those days when he took "Dak" to see a doctor, as a "single dog", he really felt a little bit of pity for the same illness.
According to data released by Beijing Zhiyan Consulting, in recent years, the number of pets kept by domestic residents has increased rapidly. In 2020, the number of pet cats and dogs in China's cities and towns will reach nearly 100 million.
The raising of pets has developed from animal sexual function to the level of family companionship.
Especially urban youth, the financial investment given to pets is considerable.
With the improvement of people's living standards, pet owners pay more attention to the health of pets, and provide care from pet feeding, vaccination, health care products, and physical examinations.
The 24-year-old Xiong Bingqiang works in a software company in Changsha. He bought a competition-level golden retriever "Dak" in the pet market.
Six months later, Xiong Bingqiang felt that his energy was overwhelming. The most troublesome thing was the daily cooking.
"In the beginning, I gave it a shower and blow the hair dryer for more than an hour. In the end, I can only send it to the pet shop, 120 yuan each time." In addition, there are "hair trimming, pet vaccines, dog food, dog snacks, dog nutrition , Diapers, disinfectant spray, regular deworming medicine, etc., as well as the cost of dressing up the pet."
But compared to the previous night and night battles, he gradually felt that the little life around him could calm his heart.
"You have to take care of it, just like raising a child, you even have a new vision for life."
Professor Yi Jin'e from Hunan Agricultural University said in an interview with a reporter from China Youth Daily and China Youth Daily on October 15 that the fast pace of urban life can easily lead to increased mental stress, especially young people who have just recently worked, often feeling lonely. The demand for companionship of pets has been triggered, and the number of young people raising various pets in the city has greatly increased.
For most young people, the cuteness of pets is enough to engender people's hearts and relieve stress.
During the National Day, "Dak" had a decrease in appetite and some symptoms of diarrhea. Xiong Bingqiang hurriedly took him to the hospital and was diagnosed with acute enteritis.
Only then did he discover that the seemingly strong golden retriever was also ill, and needed injections and medicine like a human, and needed the care of a doctor.
Xiong Bingqiang told reporters that veterinarians are even more difficult, "The patient will not answer any questions to you. It depends on experience and inspection equipment."
He said that in those days when he took "Duck" to see a doctor, as a "single dog", he really felt a little bit "sick and pity", and later became more intimate with him.
Chen Tieqiao believes that pet owners have the mentality of emotional compensation.
He recalled that as early as the 1990s, there were some young people in Changsha who kept pets and their emotions were similar.
Once, when he was on duty in the hospital opposite the No. 11 Middle School in Changsha, a young woman hurriedly walked into the hospital holding a small dog and shouted, "Let’s show my son, it doesn’t seem to work anymore." The boy who staggered behind him reluctantly corrected his mother, "Mom, I am your son, that is a sick dog!"
In addition to feeding expenses, illness is even more annoying
Every time she sees her daughter doting on the domestic cat after school, Tang Xi, who lives next to the Tianxin District Government in Changsha, feels that she should treat it better.
In the ups and downs of the epidemic last year, Tang Xi's wife calculated that the tabby cat in the family had food for more than 10,000 yuan a year, because all meals were salmon.
Tang Xi, who manages finances for many steel traders, disagrees: "This is a tabby cat of British descent. It is a rare breed. After eating salmon, the coat color is different and shiny."
What bothered him was that this spring, the cat developed a tumor and underwent an operation at an animal hospital in Hunan, which cost a lot of money.
"Said it is benign, but the spirit is obviously bad now."
Wu Jing, a Ph.D. from Hunan Agricultural University who specializes in animal nutrition, said he disagrees with his high-input feeding model.
He pointed out that some wealthy families in the city have a passion for pets, and their own food is not advisable.
This is because a single food structure is also prone to nutritional and metabolic diseases for animals, such as the lack of some trace elements.
"Cats and dogs are just like humans. If they eat too well, they can easily cause diabetes and hyperlipidemia."
Wu Jing advocated the use of industrialized animal food for feeding.
"Because of those branded products, they are more mature, the food is rich in nutrients, and more detailed, which can basically cater for the needs of animal growth."
Relevant data shows that nearly 70% of pet owners in my country are born in the 80s and 90s, and there is a clear trend of younger pet owners.
They have received good higher education, have stable careers and economic sources, and their consumption concepts and levels have been improving year by year. However, due to longer working hours, they have a higher demand for pet companionship and a stronger willingness to consume.
The "White Paper on China's Pet Consumption Trends in 2021" released by iResearch shows that China's urban pet (dog and cat) consumption market will reach 206.5 billion yuan in 2020, an increase of 2% over 2019.
There are 4 listed companies engaged in pet food production.
At the same time, according to data released by research institutions, the average price of pet food in China has increased year by year in recent years. In 2019, the terminal consumption price of pet food in China was 32.7 yuan/kg, compared with 26.8 yuan/kg in 2015, which represents a compound annual growth rate of 26.8 yuan/kg. 5.1%.
The data inquired by the reporter shows that in 2020, the sales of pet food and supplies on Taobao and Tmall will increase by more than 100%, and many of them will increase by more than 10 times.
JD.com announced that on the first day of "Double 11", the pet category has become one of the top 5 categories in terms of transaction volume growth, a year-on-year increase of more than 3.5 times.
A young man said that the expenses of keeping pets basically accounted for 30% of monthly income.
Many young people interviewed said that their situation is similar.
In addition to feeding expenses, diseases are even more annoying.
The relevant person in charge from the Animal Hospital of Hunan Agricultural University informed that there are about 30 pets sent to the hospital every day, more than 10,000 pets per year.
Dr. Yang Lingchen, who graduated from Nanjing Agricultural University in Clinical Veterinary Medicine, pointed out that the pet industry has developed rapidly in recent years. Data from multiple institutions shows that the number of dogs and cats in the country will reach 100 million in 2020.
He believes that pet diseases have an important relationship with their living environment and the care of their owners, but some diseases are related to the breeder's obsession with so-called rare breeds.
He mentioned that the puppet cats have so-called pedigrees, which can even sell for more than 100,000 yuan; some dogs are certified by the American Pet Association, or that the parents of the dogs have participated in certain types of competitions, similar to "Beauty pageant champions" are very expensive.
"In fact, in the eyes of our doctors, there is little value in having blood. The more thoroughbreds, the more the diseases are, because there are genetic diseases."
Once he was treated with a purebred bully dog. The dog owner brought it back from the United States. When he bought it, it was about 200,000 yuan.
Because of the pursuit of breed purity, it is easy to inbreed.
As a result, the puppies have cracked lips and choke as soon as they drink milk, which cannot be cured.
"There are also Garfield cats that are hyped up. In fact, it is not suitable for breeding because it has many respiratory diseases. The pre-popular fold-eared cats have a large extent of achondroplasia."
Domestic pet drugs are currently facing the dilemma of fewer categories and low quality
Wushu instructor Guo Wensu has raised a golden retriever, a Samoyed, and a pet cat. He has been seeking medical treatment in many pet hospitals.
He said that most pet hospitals are private, and small hospitals seem to be more expensive.
Last year, the pet cat in the family went to a hospital due to illness.
The doctor made a list, which cost thousands of dollars for one round of examination.
He was transferred to a public hospital, including surgery that cost more than 3,000 yuan.
The reporter learned that pet diarrhea treatment may cost one or two hundred yuan, sterilization surgery costs nearly 1,000 yuan, fracture surgery costs 2,000 yuan to 3,000 yuan, if you encounter tumor resection, a one-time excision ranging from 1,000 to 3,000 yuan, postoperative recovery costs In addition, the cost of anesthesia and color Doppler ultrasound is not low.
Chen Li, a partner of a pet hospital in Changsha, said that there are special reasons why pets are expensive to see a doctor.
He believes that most pet hospitals are private, and the equipment costs far exceed ordinary people’s imagination. The price of a pet DR (digital X-ray machine) is about 200,000 yuan. Hematology analyzer, biochemical analyzer, black and white B-ultrasound, etc. They are all tens of thousands of yuan.
On the other hand, pets see a doctor in a small size, and their depreciation costs are high, so the amortized cost is naturally much higher.
In addition to the high cost of labor and shops, pet hospitals can operate normally only if they maintain a certain price.
He said that pet medical treatment has its particularities.
Pets can't speak, and they won't tell the doctor what is uncomfortable, so the doctor has to use related equipment to troubleshoot.
In terms of pharmaceutical equipment, pets have special medicines. At present, Chinese veterinary medicine companies mainly focus on raw materials and economic animal medicines. Pet medicines are less developed and sold, and high-priced imported medicines occupy most of the market share.
At the same time, pets do not have medical insurance, so the cost is naturally high.
An expert from Hunan Agricultural University pointed out that the number of pet cats kept in cities has increased rapidly in recent years. From their experience, the incidence of congenital heart disease in cats is relatively high, and color Doppler ultrasound has become a common method.
The reporter inquired that according to the statistics of the International Federation of Animal Health (IFAH) in 2020, in mature markets such as the United States, pet medical output accounted for 38%.
According to the "White Paper on China's Pet Industry" released by the pet social platform Goumin.com, my country's current pet medical market accounts for about 20%.
According to the "Market Prospect Forecast and Investment Strategic Planning Analysis Report of China's Pet Industry from 2020 to 2025" issued by the think tank service organization Foresight Industry Research Institute, my country's pet medical market will reach 40.5 billion yuan in 2019.
The pet hospital market in my country is relatively fragmented, with chain hospitals accounting for less than 15%.
Among the nearly 15,000 pet hospitals in the country, 80%-90% of pet hospitals are small-scale single-store operations or chain operations of less than 10, the market is relatively fragmented, and the number of large-scale chain hospitals accounts for less than 15%.
According to the data of the Prospective Industry Research Institute, domestic pet medicines are currently facing the dilemma of fewer categories and low quality.
In terms of pet vaccines, foreign-funded companies have a market share of more than 90%.
At present, import manufacturers account for nearly 70% of the domestic pet medicine market. Between 2014 and 2019, there were 37 new pet medicines registered by domestic companies (according to the common name statistics, vaccines and testing reagents are not in the statistical scope), and the proportion of new drugs in the first category Less than 10%.
Chen Li said that as industry insiders who have opened pet hospitals for nearly 10 years, they also look forward to being covered by social insurance.
He said that with the continuous development of pet medical-related industries, the coverage rate of domestic pet insurance is less than 1%. Obviously, there is still a lot of room for development.
China Youth Daily and China Youth Daily reporter Hong Kefei Source: China Youth Daily