Finding a Vet in Thailand

Problems can arise when looking for a vet in Thailand. If you pick the wrong one it could damage your pet's health.

I have recently learnt the hard way the importance of finding the right vet in Thailand. My dog has been having problems with her eyes for about a year now. We took her to a local animal hospital as soon as we noticed a problem. They began treating her with eye drops. My dog Cola is a small Shih Tzu and we were warned that this type of dog was at risk of eye problems. The local vet told us that she had a corneal ulcer.

We live in a small Thai town and there is not much selection when it comes to choosing animal hospitals. They seemed to know what they are doing though, and I felt reassured by the number of different eye drops that she was being prescribed that she was being well looked after. We would take her back for a check-up every week or so. My wife became a bit concerned because there seemed to be a different vet every time she went and my dog's eyes did not seem to be improving.

This week there was a new vet at the local animal hospital and he claimed to be the head vet. He told my wife that my dog would need to have one of her eyes out or she would lose the sight in both eyes. This came as a big shock. I decided to get a second opinion. We brought our dog to another vet and he said that there was no need for such a drastic step. I wasn't that reassured though because he hardly looked at my dog.

I did not want to get into a situation where I was going from vet to vet in Thailand until I heard what I wanted to hear. This would not be the best thing for my dog. I just wanted an expert opinion that I could trust and then do what is best for Cola. I had just had two opinions that contradicted each other; it was hard to know what to do. I went online to see if I could find a vet in Thailand with a good reputation. I came across the Acare website; they seemed like a professional outfit and they had an eye specialist connected to the hospital.

Acare is near Suvarnabhumi airport and is about 200km away from where we live. I thought the drive well worth it though if it meant getting proper advice. My wife and I decided that we would go with whatever recommendation we got from this clinic. My family packed into the car and we hit the Thai motorways.

Acare looked reassuringly well resourced; it also looked really expensive. The vet spoke excellent English because he has previously worked in the UK. He spent a few minutes taking a history and then called in an eye specialist. My dog was given a far more thorough examination then ever in the past; they even took bloods. Unfortunately Cola has lost the sight in one eye and her sight is poor in the other. The vet told us though that there was no need for us to remove the eye so long as we take good care of it. It turns out that our dog has high blood pressure and it was this that was causing the problem; she is now being treated for this. The service was expensive, but not as much as I expected.

The vet didn't come right out and say it but it is likely that our dog would not have lost her sight in one eye if we had taken her to a good animal hospital in the first place. My advice to anyone else is to always make sure you are taking your pet to a good vet in Thailand. It is worth the extra money for a good service that conducts a full assessment.