Dr Diu Somani.
India's pet boom is moving fast. The country had about 39 million pets in FY25, and that number is projected to pass 60 million by FY30. Behind the numbers are families, many of them first-time pet parents, who love their animals deeply and expect healthcare to keep up. The system they are walking into hasn't caught up. Most of the load still sits with a single general practitioner, specialists are clustered in a handful of metros, and cases that need expert care often don't reach it in time.
Dr. Diu Somani sees that gap up close as the founder of The SkinVet, India's first clinic dedicated only to veterinary dermatology, and as convener of The SkinVet Symposium, whose first edition brought together more than 150 veterinarians. In this conversation, Dr. Somani explains why India's pets need an ecosystem and not just more vets, and what it will take to build one.
Q: You often say India doesn't just need more vets, it needs an ecosystem. What do you mean?
A: Human healthcare works because it has layers: a family doctor, specialists, diagnostic labs, pharmacies, insurance, and doctors who keep learning & upskilling throughout their careers. Each layer supports the others. In pet healthcare in India, most of that weight still sits on one general practitioner's shoulders. That vet is expected to be the physician, the surgeon, the dermatologist and the counsellor, often in a single fifteen-minute consult. No individual can carry that. A system can.
Q: Where are the biggest gaps today?
A: I see three. The first is workforce. Our veterinary training and public posts have historically been built around livestock, and government estimates suggest India needs around 65,000 veterinarians. The second is specialisation. Companion-animal specialists in dermatology, oncology, cardiology or rehabilitation are still few and concentrated in a handful of metropolitan cities, however, tier 2 & tier 3 cities still lack the option of specialist practice. And the third gap, which is the one we talk about least, is referral culture. Cases that need a specialist often don't reach one in time. Referrals to a specialist practice should be as robust and easy as it is in human practice in order to ensure great standards of pet health care.
Q: Why does referral matter so much?
A: Because chronic disease is where pets suffer longest. Take skin disease for example. Large Indian studies have found skin disorders in one in five dogs, and in some clinics one in three. Many of these are complex, multifactorial and lifelong. When they are managed with repeated short courses of steroids or antibiotics, the pet gets temporary relief and the problem returns. A timely referral changes that trajectory. From a doctor's perspective, referring a case is not losing a client; it is gaining a partner. And from a pet parent's perspective, the responsibility of managing a chronic and complex condition now lies with one dedicated practice or doctor who will hold their hand and walk them through the process.
Q: What role do diagnostics and data play?
A: A central one. We need to diagnose before we treat. That means access to cytology, culture and sensitivity testing, allergy workups and imaging, at prices pet parents can manage. It also means better records. Using a reliable software to maintain patient records and having in-house diagnostics has definitely helped our clinic and doctors manage cases in a sustainable way. It also helps us make decisions using evidence seen from diagnostics and making clear notes about every patient, every visit and every drug dispensed.
Q: Where do pet parents and cost fit in?
A: They're the locus of pet health! 70% of pet parents in India are first-time owners. They love their animals deeply, but many are learning as they go, often from social media. Education is now a crucial part of treatment. When a pet parent understands why a diagnosis matters, or why a medicine must be finished, or not discontinued unless the vet advises so, that's when outcomes improve. We at The SkinVet invest time in helping pet parents understand pet health better. But cost shapes clinical decisions more than we admit. Specialist care and good diagnostics can often weigh heavy on the pocket, and pet insurance in India is still in its infancy. Families often choose the cheapest short-term fix, but prevention, early diagnosis and better financing would make the right choice the affordable one.
Q: What changes would you like the industry and fellow professionals make?
A: Collaborate! Working together, learning from one another and collaborating is JUST what our professionals need. That is why we started The SkinVet Symposium: to put oncologists, ophthalmologists, dermatologists, surgeons, and all other specialists and young graduates in one room. Our first edition brought together more than 150 veterinarians. Forums like this build referral relationships, spread shared protocols and give younger vets mentors. By having important conversations and updating our knowledge, we keep getting better and in return, providing better health care to our pets.
Q: Where would you like India to be in five years?
A: In an ideal world, in 5 years, every pet parent in any city should have a general practitioner who knows when to refer, a specialist within reach, a lab that returns results quickly, and a financial safety net that helps them pay. That is not a distant dream. Every piece exists somewhere in India today. Our job is to connect them.
