Cover Story: Pets

from Thani Talk 2020 March

Feature: Culture Corner

Cover Story: Pets All About Pets Buying, Caring, & Transporting

Thani Talk 1 4 March 2020 This cover story “All About Pets” came up completely by accident during a conversation that Liz Lu, our editor, and I had one day while we were discussing story ideas. She was giving me examples of cover stories and what they should contain. “Pets” is something she proposed because in the Facebook group Expats of Nichada, lots of people had been asking all sorts of questions regarding pets, especially questions regarding pet relocation. We both agreed it was a great topic worth exploring.

Luckily, I have found our local expert, Fabia Feuerabendt, to help out with the topic. Hopefully it will help a little to ease the minds of pet owners who are in the process of moving or travelling with their pets.

For those looking to buy or adopt, several resources are listed here as well. For those who currently own pets, lists of suppliers, groomers, and local veterinarians are provided. Have fun reading! first Google search result that comes up when one Googles where to buy pets. Puppies sold there are known to have been bred by various puppy mills around Thailand. They are badly treated, caged all day and often have health or temperament problems right after they are bought. Most are in ill health and hence die shortly after.

Secondly, conduct more in-depth research before you buy specific breeds. It could be tricky to find good breeders in Thailand. But there are several ways. If you are looking for a pure-bred dog, consider referrals by asking a friendly dog owner whose dog you admire. Ask where they got their dog from.

Another venue where you might find breeders is to visit the Thailand International Dog Show. The next one will be held at Impact Exhibition Center from June 25- 28, 2020. If you cannot wait that long, purchase local pet magazines and start browsing advertising sections

Even though the magazines are in Thai, most breeders do advertise there. The final resort is to get on the internet, but you have to make sure that you only buy from responsible breeders. How do you know who’s a good breeder? First rule of thumb is to always visit the breeders’ homes or places where puppies are bred. Ask a lot of questions regarding the puppies’ background, pedigrees, parents, medical history, etc. Be prepared to spend upwards of 40,000 baht for a good, pedigree dog.

For a more thorough guideline on how to identify a responsible breeder, visit humanesociety.org. Obtaining a Pet Where to Buy After you’ve done your research into what kind of pets are most suitable for your family (for example, how big a dog you want, how much space you have, dogs’ temperament, etc.), the first thing you need to do is to NOT head to Chatuchak Pet Market, even though it is the

The Adoption Option Finally, and most importantly, consider adoption. You live in a country where there are a countless number of abandoned, unwanted animals living on the streets.

Thailand has numerous pet adoption channels, including one in our neighborhood called Nonthaburi Animal Welfare Alliance (NAWA). NAWA was established by a member of the Nichada community, Liz Garrigan, with the purpose of sterilizing, providing medical care, and a home for street animals in and around Nichada Thani.

Several of us in Nichada have adopted from Soot Liang Woo, a Malaysian native who moved to Thailand about 17 years ago. She founded a home for abandoned animals, called Furget-Me-Not Sanctuary. Currently the sanctuary holds over 200 dogs and employs two employees. Soot herself is out there daily to catch and neuter/spay street dogs all over Bangkok and the surrounding vicinity. She also opened her own home to dogs that can no longer survive on the streets due to permanent disability, safety concerns, or lack of food.

web site at www.soidog.org Dog trainer Fabia recommended Pic-APet4Home (https:// www.facebook.com/ Pickapet4HomeBangkok/), Soi Dogs Matter (https:// www.facebook.com/ s o i d o g s m a t t e r / ) a n d Bangkok Pet Lovers (https://www.facebook.com/ groups/1269576256388857/)

Please remember that adopting or getting a pet is a commitment for life. Too many pets here are left behind broken-hearted when their owners leave to go back to their home country and for any reason cannot take their pets with them.

Taking Care of Your Pet

Thani Talk 1 5March 2020 The cost of neutering/spaying these dogs is funded by the Soi Dog Foundation. However, the cost of other necessities, including food, medical supplies, transportation, etc. has to be self-funded by Soot. Although she receives donations from various sources, every little bit helps. In order to help Soot, please visit her Facebook page at Furget-Me-Not Sanctuary or adopt one of the recently rescued puppies featured on page 20. Another very well-run animal shelter is the Soi Dog Foundation. I visited the headquarters in Phuket recently and was amazed by the work of this organization. They must have rescued countless animals over the years, including dogs destined to be exported for the meat trade. They maintain a very good web site with extensive information on how to adopt dogs/cats. Check out their Pet Supply Stores Two of the pet supply stores that I really like are Manoon Pet Shop and Kittisak Pet Mart. Manoon Pet Shop is located on Chaengwattana Road about a 10 to 15-minute drive from Nichada Thani (with no traffic). They have been in business for a really long time. Their original store which I used to visit when I was young is still located in the Or Tor Kor market in Chatuchak. Hence their price is very competitive and selection very extensive.

Another bonus for us is they just opened an additional store (right next to the one on Chaengwattana Road) that sells special dog/cat food including prescription food. A veterinarian is always at the store to offer advise on how to select the right product for your needs. To get there, just type in Manoon Pet Shop in Google Maps on your phone or computer. Kittisak Pet Mart is another store located near us in Muang Thong Thani. The price at this store is comparable to Manoon Pet Shop. They have a more extensive selection of things such as hamsters and supplies for small pets. The store is bigger than Manoon, but parking

Cover Story: Pets can be a challenge. To find them you have to type in Kittisak Pet Smart Clinic. It would yield the result to the one closest to us.

Of course, there are many stores around Central Chaengwattana and other malls that sell pet supplies. Their prices might not be as good, but trendy items such as pet clothes (for every occasion) can be found there easily. Shops in Central Chaengwattana are located on the ground floor of the parking building B. They are Dee Dog, Star Pets, and others.

Thani Talk 1 6 March 2020 Grooming The two most convenient pet grooming facilities for Nichada residents are: - Khun Jum (formerly 4 Legs) now has an inhome bathing and grooming service. Dogs can be dropped off and picked up at the Sichaitong gate. Call to schedule appointment at 084-424-6545. - Buddy Grooming on Samakkee Road is the one I currently use. I like the way they cut my toy poodle. Appointments can be easily made by calling 080-945-4615.

Thonglor Pet Hospital and many other hospitals and clinics around Nichada also offer grooming and boarding services. Call them for details.

Boarding and Training Khun Jum offers boarding services if she has space. Call her for details.

Friendly Dog Village is located on the Pakkred Bypass Road Soi 41. The place offers training, basic obedience class, boarding with training, dog swimming, doggy day care, etc. Find them on their Facebook page by typing in Friendly Dog Village. Fabia currently offers both group training and private training classes for dogs right here in Nichada Thani. Classes offered include, but not limited to, obedience training, cage training (for dogs that need to travel) and others. She mentioned that the most popular class is called Nose Work, on Friday and Thursday mornings. In the Nose Work class, dogs are trained to sniff out objects. K9Bangkok.com is another web site you should check out when looking to train your dogs. Both group and private training classes are offered.

Medical Services There are so many veterinarian clinics and hospitals around the area. - Dr. Sayan Clinic: Located right outside the main gate of Nichada Thani. Hours are Monday to Saturday, 10am - 18:30 pm and Sunday, 10am - 3pm. - MJ Pet Hospital: Located on Chaengwattana Road on the same side as Central near the expressway. MJ actually stands for Mor Jeab or Doctor Jeab. The veternarian staff includes Dr. Korakot who is normally there full time unless she is on vacation. Dr. Korakot comes highly recommended by several Nichada residents. Facebook: MJ Pet Hospital; Phone: 095-512-2499 - Monster Care: A fairly new hospital opened on Prachachuen Road accessible by Samakki Road. This

hospital has a salt water swimming pool for dogs. - Thonglor Pet Hospital: Dr. Thanakorn, specially trained in dermatology, and Dr. Ubonrut, a pet cardiologist, come highly recommended by several Nichada residents. Thonglor Pet Hospital is open 24 hours and is well equipped for emergencies. - Animal Hospital Kasetsart University: The hospital is a teaching hospital located at Kasetsart University on Ngamwongwarn Road, one expressway exit from Nichada. It is one of the two biggest government animal hospitals in Thailand (the other one is Small Animal Hospital Chulalongkorn University in downtown Bangkok). Animal Hospital Kasetsart Univesity has a big swimming pool available for your dogs’ exercise, and it has all the special equipment any hospital should have. The only downside is since the veterinary fee is minimal, the wait could be long. Prepare to spend about half a day there. The hospital opens at 7:30am for people to take a queue number (4:30pm for evening hours). Clinic hours for normal visits are 8:30am - 2pm, and 5:30pm - 8pm..

For emergencies, the hospital is open 24 hours, and it is your best bet if your pet has a major accident, since it’s very well equipped. sure that they get one for proof of ownership.

Local veterinarians can implant one by injecting it under the skin, after which they will issue you a certificate proving that you are the owner of the dog with that microchip.

Second, you will need to have a blood titer test done for your dog. It is used to detect the rabies virus neutralizing antibody (level of rabies serum in the blood stream) after vaccination. Most of the countries requiring the test, require that the pet be vaccinated for rabies at least 30 days prior to the blood sample being drawn, even if the pet had been vaccinated before.

Traveling with Pets

Thani Talk 1 7March 2020 This may come as a surprise to many of you, myself included, but to travel or relocate with your pets to some countries, including EU countries, you should start getting your paperwork in order at least 90 days in advance! That means if you plan to travel in June, you should start the process right around March.

According to Fabia, because your pets will be traveling from Thailand, a country where rabies is endemic, your dogs need to have their blood tested (Serologic Testing by the Fluorescent Antibody Virus Neutralization (FAVN)) and certificate presented before they can travel with you. The procedure is as follows: First, if your dog does not have a microchip implanted, you will have to make Please note that the vaccination certificate issued by local veterinarians are sometimes either stamped or signed. However, this will not be sufficient when travelling. The vaccination record must BOTH be signed and stamped.

Most major hospitals previously listed should be able to collect a blood sample to be sent to labs abroad. But for certain, the blood titer test can be done at the nearby Friendly Dog Village or at Dr. Sayan’s Clinic. Pet owners should expect to get results back via e-mail within 7-14 days.

The original test result documents will then be mailed out to the owners. This process can take up to 40 days. In some cases, only original documents will be accepted. However, in some cases, e-mailed results have been accepted. To be safe though, always present original documents.

Cover Story: Pets Within 90 days from its blood having been drawn, the dog must travel. Before you travel (1-3 days prior), you must take your dog to the Suvarnabhumi airport to the Animal Quarantine Station to show: 1) The microchip certificate; 2) Vaccination record (that has been both signed and stamped); and 3) The original document (an e-mail copy may not be accepted) of the blood titer test results.

Then if everything is in order, the Thai authority will issue: 1) an export permit from Thailand; and 2) an import document for the countries that you are visiting. Keep in mind, if you take your pet out of the country for travel and plan to bring them back, you MUST keep the export permit issued to show them when you come back into Thailand in order to avoid paying import fees when you re-enter the country.

For the USA (except Hawaii), it’s much simpler because you only need to show proof that your dog has received the proper rabies vaccinations and that it’s updated. For info regarding blood titer test, check out PetTravel.com. To avoid all the headaches above, two agencies handle pet moving/relocating. They are United Pet Express at www.unitedpetexpress.com and Boonma Pet Movers (https://www.boonma.com/pages/pets). Fees charged could be quite steep, so do check and compare rates. Flying with Pets Whenever you travel with pets, it’s always best and cheapest for the pets to fly, either as excess baggage or in the main cabin, with you. Shipping pets separately could cost you in excess of several thousand US dollars.

Every airline’s rules are different. Normally the weight of pet and carrier combined must not exceed 20 pounds (about 9 kilograms) in order to fly in the main cabin with their owners. The carrier must fit under the passenger’s seat, and your pet must remain in there the whole time. Rules vary by airline, so do check beforehand. Larger pets can be flown as excess luggage. en.people.cn pointsguy.com

Fabia recommended not sedating your pets when flying since that could lower their blood pressure too much and endanger them.

Best airlines to fly pets are KLM and Lufthansa. For the reasons above, flight volunteers are always sought after. Contact jan@soidog-foundation.org and let her know that you are interested and indicate your interest as far in advance as possible. There is no expense on your part.

Vara Sumetanon

Fabia Feuerabendt, her husband, Stefan, and their two dogs came to Thailand 15 years ago from Germany as volunteers for Soi Dogs Rescue (currently Soi Dog Foundation). She then went on to get an undergraduate degree in tropical agriculture and international trade from Kasetsart University. She was then offered a scholarship to complete her Ph.D. in polymer science from Chulalongkorn University.

When she first came here with her dogs, she was hoping to do dog sports with her dogs here in Thailand before (disappointingly) finding out that there is no such thing in Thailand. Her love of dogs has led her to obtain several certificates in dog training such as a Certified Trick Dog Instructor, Certified Canine Conditioning and Fitness Coach, and she is also certified according to the German Animal Welfare Act. She is currently working on obtaining her AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator license.

She currently lives in Nichada with her husband, an 8-month-old baby boy, Tom, and five dogs including Natasha (8-year-old female Belgian Shepherd), Shauna (4-year-old female Boston Terrier), Leki (9-year-old Belgian Shepherd), Ogi (8-year-old Great Dane), and Stella (6-year-old wolf). Ogi and Shauna are therapy dogs working with special needs children at ISB. The family also has five other dogs at her house upcountry.

Liz Garrigan: Our Local Dog Rescue Hero

Thani Talk 1 9March 2020 Liz Garrigan, who regards herself as a simple country girl from North Carolina, relocated to Thailand from France two and a half years ago. She, together with two other ladies in Nichada (who have since moved), started working with street dogs a few years ago by rounding up the dogs near the Nichada Thani Expressway gate to have them neutered/spayed.

She continued her work by helping to take care of the dogs in the two dog runs that were started by one of the Nichada guards. One of the runs is in Premier Place 2 and has four dogs. Volunteers were recruited to help walk the dogs daily. The dogs receive veterinary care and yearly vaccinations.

The other run, started by the same guard, has seven dogs. However, since the dogs in there are not comfortable with strangers, volunteers are not allowed to help walk them. Liz herself was bitten by one of the dogs in this run. The wound required six stitches and it took eight weeks for it to heal (including six weeks of going to the hospital daily to clean the wound). Liz proudly calls it her “Thailand tattoo”.

L a s t y e a r, L i z established Nonthaburi Animal Welfare Alliance (NAWA) as a place where volunteers can be solicited and donations can be collected in order to keep up with the good work they’ve been doing.

To support the work of NAWA, please contact Liz at the group’s Facebook page: @NAWAlliance.

Vara Sumetanon