WNIC PET CARE GUIDE

This section is made from valuable feedback of foreigners living in Changsha. If you have experience of these recommended places, or know of a new, better pet care centre, please share it with us: wnic@qq.com

Recommended veterinarians/animal hospitals>

 
Warning: there are many small, independent animal clinics scattered across the city. Many of these are run by either poorly qualified or trainee vets. It is highly recommended that you head to one of the listed animal care centres (below) which have been 'tried and tested' by one or more of the expats who have been living in Changsha for some time. The most central "pet street" is adjacent to TaiPingJie. We have given one of these pet street clinics a space below due to positive feedback, however, some Chinese have reported that the vets in this area are dubious (at best).
Animal Hospital (beside No.9 Building), Agricultural University campus, RenMin Dong Lu. FuRong district.
湖南农大动物医院 芙蓉区人民东路1号
Tel: 0731-84673710
Agriculture UniAnimal Hospital

WNIC review (inspected by the WNIC team)

This animal hospital claims to be the only fully licensed animal hospital in Changsha as this is a faculty building in which all vets are trained veterinarians, some of whom are sent from Beijing to teach animal care.

The hospital is located in the south of the campus. It is open during most lunch times although calling ahead is recommended. Numerous buses will take you there (it is the terminus for the 802 bus). The university is located in the far East of Changsha (in the direction of the airport).

No.47 Middle Laodong Rd, Yuhua District,Changsha City.
Tel: 15116301521 85534563 to book an appointment.
长沙市雨花区劳动中路47号。 电话：15116301521 85534563（提供预约服务)

> Dr. Kp: wechat ID: 15116301521 

Animal Hospital of Hunan

Description (provided by the organisation)

"湖南省动物医院，前身是湖南省兽医总站动物医院，成立于1990年，拥有先进的诊疗设备和雄厚的技术力量。主要开展宠物防疫、诊疗、寄养、用品销售等服务，是长沙市动物狂犬病疫苗指定注射发证点"

"The Hunan Province Animal Hospital started in 1990.We are committed to offering you and your pet exceptional service through advanced equipment and professional veterinary knowledge, including diagnostics, medical and surgical treatments, neutering, vaccinations, parasite control, grooming, boarding, pet food and pet accessories, etc.We are also the authorized animal rabies immunization point."

BBK has about a dozen branches across the city. 
The organisation's hotline is 0731-85464508 or 0731-84318758. You can call to find your nearest outlet.
Website
BeiBeiKang

Translated description from the official website:

"Beibei Kang pet hospital chain was founded in Hunan in 2001 by Mr. Xiong Jinsong and is Hunan's largest pet care specialist, including pet health, pet supplies, pet grooming, pet foster care and more. BBK uses Toshiba pet special X-ray machines, United States imported examination lab equipment."

LOOKING FOR A PET KENNEL NEAR CHANGSHA?

The following organisation has been recommended by WNIC members in chat forums:

Some WNIC members have reported a good facility in the north of the city. They have 4 or 5 outdoor spaces (roughly 25/35m2) with a dog house and each has a bit shade (near a  tree). Since our two dogs were raised in the village, sleeping outside and all that was fine for them.

They take dogs for walkies 2 times a day and might also send you a video of how your pooch is doing. Dogs interact with each other and allow you to feed your own dog.  every day. They also have a pool where dogs can swim.

Scan the code below to chat directly with the managers of the kennels for further discussion and information. Your dog may need all the vaccines and paperwork, if applicable, for reside at this place. Expect a full dog house during peak times. Has your pet stayed at this or any other kennel? Let us know!

Need 'pet friendly' transport?

WNIC has found a city taxi driver who is happy to transport clean pets. His name and number is: Mr. Song 15084727798 (only speaksChinese). If you know of any other drivers' numbers please share them with us (email).

Are there any laws about pet ownership?

Legally, dogs should be licensed and as China tries to clean up it's cities, there are occasion crackdowns on stray animals. Many parks do not permit dogs and public transport usually refuses to carry animals (except small dogs). Travelling around with a pet can be tough.

Taking pets abroad

The following information is provided by Maxelli. Procedure for taking your pets abroad:
1) Rabies Vaccine injection for Dogs and microchip implantation
The first thing after deciding to take your pets abroad is to get them vaccinated. The rabies vaccine is the most important, and can be taken at a designated hospital in China. But please remember rabies vaccine takes effect 21 days after the injection and it lasts for only one year. Ensure that this vaccine is taken three weeks prior to your travelling arrangements at the very latest. Moreover, after getting the “animal immune certificate” issued by hospitals you can go through with the following health examination. In terms of chipping your pet (a necessity to enter the EU), these are not yet legally required in China, but can easily be obtained and implanted at the vet.
2) Serum collection
One month after the rabies vaccine injection you can bring your pet to hospital to give a serum sample. Serum is a blood separation and the laboratory often needs 1-2ML of serum for testing, which is separated from 5-10ML blood. Serum samples need to be stored in cool conditions.
3) Pet Health Check
If your pets passes the serum testing, it can go abroad three months after the serum collection. Before you leave, you will also need a health check at a hospital approved by the Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau for this purpose. If your pet is physically qualified, you will obtain a health certificate after 1-2 days. 4) Obtain an official “Animal Health Certificate” and “Customs Clearance” The certificate after the health check is just the first step. You will need to bring that certificate to your local Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau to get your official “animal health certificate” and “customs clearance”. With these documents you can bring your pets on the plane (animal health certificate, customs clearance, the injection report or animal immune certificate and serum report).
Buying pet food
The larger supermarkets stock brands such as Pedigree and simple toys and chew treats. Local pet shops may also stock simple biscuits. However, there are a lot of unknown pet brands floating around in China.
Long distance travel
You can find domestic pet transportation companies based in China. The best/easiest way is by road. Internationally, it is possible to take in and out pets to China but the process is lengthy and requires a series of vaccinations prior to approval. You can find such services easily on taobao.com (one expat brought a small dog from Shenzhen to Changsha using a service that did all the paperwork for 600Yuan, including airport-home delivery). See PetTravel.com for more on this.
Another source of useful info comes from this US-Embassy recommended company: http://www.ipata.org/ 
Vaccinations 
It is strongly advised to get your pet vaccinated, especially for dogs and cats. Hunan's foliage contains a lot of harmful bacteria that thrives in the summer heat. Tapeworms and other viruses are a major cause for concern. You should get your pet vaccinated at a young age (see pet centres, left).
Kennels and pet stays
Many local pet stores can look after pets if you plan to leave Changsha for a time although standards will vary and we don't advise this. There is a large kennel facility close to the roundabout of Laodong West Rd and HuangXing South Rd (opposite a large Joindoor superstore). But your best bet may be to keep it with friends though albeit for peace of mind. Warning: if your friends live in the countryside they may let your pet run around the neighbourhood freely which you may not want.