Sri Lankan dog travels to Indore for cataract surgery, highlighting pet medical tourism trend

A nine-year-old female Yorkshire Terrier named Annie arrived in Indore from Sri Lanka for cataract surgery, underscoring an emerging trend of pet medical tourism to India. Her owner, US citizen Bethany Ann Hopkins, chose Indore because specialized veterinary ophthalmologists for cataract procedures are limited in Sri Lanka.

Dr Narendra Chauhan, a veterinary eye surgery specialist, noted that his centre has performed manual cataract surgeries since 2014 and sutureless phaco surgery since 2016. Cost considerations also influenced the decision—cataract surgery in India costs around ₹1 lakh compared to ₹6 lakh in the US, with comparable technology and equipment. The centre has trained veterinarians from 13-14 countries including Nepal, Bangladesh, UAE, Philippines, Mauritius, and Maldives.

Annie will remain in Indore for 10-15 days post-surgery before returning to Sri Lanka.