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Culture
Event 
| Puppy
Love By Animal Freak Who can pass up an adorable puppy or kitten, shivering in the cold, alone in a box, and unprotected from the weather? Well, if you are not careful, you may find yourself looking right at one of these critters, in the middle of one of Tianjin's puppy/kitten street-markets. Probably, by now, you're stumbled upon a puppy or kitten for sale on the street. One of the more popular street-marketsÕ is located strategically in front of McDonald's on WeiDi Road. But, you should be aware, that buying one of these cuddly guys on the street-markets, from unlicensed pet vendors, perpetuates a longtime problem of encouraging these illegal animal vendors to continue breeding their pets in unsanitary and disease-ridden conditions. As a result, the poor new puppies and kittens suffer and most likely die without proper medical attention. But, if you are looking for a new furry bundle of happiness, don't worry; there are options in getting a healthy pet for your homeÉ.One of Tianjin's local Veterinarians, Dr. Shao Zhong Ding (tel: 2336-5887) on occasion, has puppies and dogs in need of a home by owners who either abandoned their pets, or are too ill to care for them. So do give him a call if you are interested, his pets will be healthy! Also, Beijing now has at least three professionally
run animal shelters with all kinds of animals in need of new homes. And, more recently, Beijing has seen the opening
of two more animal shelters. One is co-sponsored by International
Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). This shelter can help with pet adoptions.
Grace Gabriel, IFAW Beijing, assures that, "all dogs are treated
humanely and are vaccinated and spade or neutered." For more
information on their shelter, please contact: And, IFAW, along with the Royal Society for the Protection of Animals has opened a new animal shelter that will also provide first-rate boarding facilities. The shelter, which will be called the Beijing Man and Animal Environmental Education Center, and will be located in Changping near the aviation museum. For more information about the shelter also please contact IFAW. Other Beijing Vet Hospital and Vet Names Dr. Ann-si Li First, canine and feline distemper and parvovirus are rampant in Tianjin and Beijing. These are deadly viruses that strike the young and old the hardest. Survival is possible, but the vast majority do not survive. You should know that most, if not all, of the cute
and cuddly critters you see on the street-markets have been taken
away from their mothers much too soon, in order to get them on the
street to turn a profit for the vendor. As a result the most important
milk-time with the mother is cut far too short, giving a serious
blow to their little immune systems. The new critters are now inadequately
prepared to fight off the everyday cold-type virus to the devastating
distemper or the parvovirus. You can learn more about distemper
and parvovirus by doing an on-line search. You can learn a wealth
of information, from symptoms to look for and even recommended treatments,
and prognosis, etc. So, if you still find you just absolutely cannot resist buying that new critter on the street, here are a few MORE things to knowÉ Be Aware: Most if not all the puppies and kittens (and bunnies) are sick with illnesses ranging from poor nutrition, common colds, kennel cough, etc., to the more serious distemper and parvovirus, etc. Be Aware: Do not handle the critters. You can very
easily carry the illnesses (including distemper) on your clothing.
In other words, if you must handle an animal, just handle the one
you plan on buying. Be Aware: The vendors will typically tell you that the animal is 3 or 4 mos. Old. This is typically not true, usually they are about 4 weeks younger then they say they are. Be Aware: The vendors know to keep the animal's eyes/nose and rear-end's clean, so you won't see any obvious signs of illness. Be Aware: The animal has not had any immunizations. Be Aware: (*)Tianjin does have pet licensing requirements. (*) Ideally, prior to or soon after getting a new puppy, you should contact your nearest Police Bureau and inquire about the initial registration and yearly re-licensing costs of your dog. Do not be afraid of what you have heardÓ about these costs...they are much cheaper than Beijing, and typically (this may have changed) only cost from 200rmb to 1,600rmb depending upon what district you reside. Apparently, these costs are to cover official "pooper scooper" fees (to keep the city beautiful) and liability costs should, heaven forbid, your pet bite someone. If you need help in contacting your local police bureauÕ, just let me know, as this can be tricky, too! Within 2 days (sooner the better) of buying your new street-marketÕ pet, you should go to a Veterinarian Clinic, and here is list of some basic things you should expect to be performed on your new pet: 1) Take temperature. (Normal temp is 38.5c). If the pup appears to be in good health, and at least 6 weeks old, your Vet can begin the immunizations, as seen below. If your puppy is more than 6 weeks old when it begins its immunizations, merely move the amount of weeks out accordingly. Most important to remember that your puppy/kitten is well, before starting any immunizations!!! Recommender Puppy Immunization Schedule |
