Vets in Mauritius - Animal problems. - Mauritius forum

Vets in Mauritius - Animal problems.

124POSTS

15 years ago

I have a number of animals (cats/dogs) and I would like to share some knowledge to pet owners in Mauritius, regarding Vets. This is not advertising (i get no commission out of this. I will mention names and places so just google for location details of said vet) but I just need to share this knowledge, as I understand the frustrations when you love an animal, it is hurt or injured and you DO NOT KNOW the pros and cons of the vets on this island (I have been in such desperate situations myself sometimes, to the point of nearly crying). Some charge big figures, some may not even charge, some are good, some very inexperienced (my cat lost her eye through inexperience), some I would classify as GREAT and worth every penny - and would travel across the island if need be.
Up north in Pointe Aux Cannonier, there is Dr Bourdet. He's qualified UK (Reading University). Many says he has a 'bit of a character' but, in my own experience, I like this guy. He's just straight-forward and frank that's all... so take no offense. He's very trained with Horses. He is on 'top scale' of payment but does a good job with cats and Dogs and has x-ray machine. Does not work Sunday and have strict opening hours, so much ring and confirm first.
Also up north (Trou Aux Biches) there is a young lady russian vet (married local man) newly qualified from Russia. A very nice lady..She works for MSPCA but has private practice after 4pm. Personally i would go to her in emergencies (where time is a matter of life or death, and you cannot find anyone and u live up north), or for simple stuff. She has no xray, operating equipment and lack a lot of supplies, however she has nice clean room for animals. She only just started so things will improve. She is Dr Anastasia Sohatee. She will not do house visits.
In Tamarin is a great doctor by name of Dr Eric Bestel. Not sure but I think he's qualified South Africa. I have seen him perform surgery and he is precise and to the point. I ran over my cat (both legs and part back body) with my 4X4 Double Cab. As a last resort I took her to Dr Bestel (after considering sending my cat to South Africa for operation if nobody could fix her in Mauritius). Interestingly, after two visits to other vets, he was the only one to hold my cat in the air and say 'NO.. your cat spine is not broken or injured... we can try and fix her'. I immediate got worried and thought either he was a VERY clever guy, or he was a total idiot. Others, including myself, thought severe spinal injury had occurred. It turned out HE was VERY CLEVER... fixed my cat after several operations (this cat now runs faster than my other 5 cats). You can see this man has genuine love of animals. Twice also allowed me in at 3am for emergencies (Many vets will not pick up the phone at that time). And he won't hesitate to tell you off if you've done something wrong. My advice is if it's serious, and you need confidence, go to him.
Calebasse has one doctor (Dr Jaumally) who is also a government vet. He's a very nice guy but always has a long queue. Many bring cats and dogs there. Charges less than others, sometimes it could be free for something very minor. His method of speying female cats is the old method... hence cats can take several days (could be up to 5 days) to recover. Dr Bestel uses newer methods (cut under the belly, not from the side) and cat takes few hours, maybe 1 day max, recovery.
Port Louis has a guy called Dr Abdullah (from Plaine Verte). The good thing about him is he does house calls (must ring and confirm a day before). I used him in an emergency situation when i found stray dog by the road, with a big hole in rear end, full of maggots eating the dog bit by bit. I brought to Dr Abdullah, he filled this massive hole with some strange petroleum like thick substance, put lots of medicines on this dog. I have to say this dog recovered in a day (I was charged approx Rs 600) Great work and generally cheaper than expensive vets. Good for emergencies on stray animals.
Note:- I'm not a vet and all my opinions above are that of a simple pet owner. Whatever I say is based only on my own first-hand experience only. Some of you may have had different experiences which I respect. If any of you require more information, just send me a private mail message.

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keno Active member

69POSTS

15 years ago

wow thanks for all the fantastic info!

Nathalie0805 Member

13POSTS

15 years ago

I agree!
It would be fantastic to do the same for other topics, such as doctors, handymen, plumbers, electricians etc...

Yud ViP

7031POSTS

15 years ago

Hello Stormtrooper,

Brilliant post

alisa_ram Serial expat

612POSTS

15 years ago

Great Job!!!!

neha12 Active member

40POSTS

15 years ago

ITS REALLY VERY HELPFUL AND WELL DETAILED,
CONGRATS MR STORMTROOPER

GOOD JOB

musheer Serial expat

264POSTS

15 years ago

Can we have one on Cars and Mechanics ( not to mention Air Con guy, electrician, etc etc.,)

Merci Beaucoup!!

Stormtrooper Contributor

124POSTS

15 years ago

I am pleased this post has helped some of you. I love cats, overly so I think. I do have some extra tidbits of info for pet lovers.
You are not supposed to have more than 3 cats. I have 6 and got a visit from the local police station. They obviously thought this was a serious issue.. a crime is being committed... even worse than parking on an invisible yellow line.... they sent 3 policemen.. i guess one for each 'slippery' cat, to tell me this. I believe in crime situations (robbery etc) they send only two. Then again it may be the fact that one of my cats is officially named 'Naughty boy' (.. he IS naughty).
I was told if I kept more than 3 cats I'll need a 'breeders licence'. I commented the same law should apply to couples having more than three children in this country. This didn't go down well with the policemen (family men i believe), one thing led to another, then I remembered I was here on 'Occupation Permit' (***YIKES!!!!****)... my tone changed to....'Yes officer'.... 'no officer'... 'three bags full officer'....... (you get the picture).

I will try to write about other things if i can. I don't know much but will just throw-in bits I know of...

Merci

alisa_ram Serial expat

612POSTS

15 years ago

musheer wrote:
Can we have one on Cars and Mechanics ( not to mention Air Con guy, electrician, etc etc.,)

Merci Beaucoup!!

Musheer you are !

Create a new thread for it! If am not mistaken there was one for useful contacts. You can post there.

maurilady Active member

36POSTS

15 years ago

#10

Ha Ha I hope they dont come and visit me.

Stormtrooper wrote:
I am pleased this post has helped some of you. I love cats, overly so I think. I do have some extra tidbits of info for pet lovers.
You are not supposed to have more than 3 cats. I have 6 and got a visit from the local police station. They obviously thought this was a serious issue.. a crime is being committed... even worse than parking on an invisible yellow line.... they sent 3 policemen.. i guess one for each 'slippery' cat, to tell me this. I believe in crime situations (robbery etc) they send only two. Then again it may be the fact that one of my cats is officially named 'Naughty boy' (.. he IS naughty).
I was told if I kept more than 3 cats I'll need a 'breeders licence'. I commented the same law should apply to couples having more than three children in this country. This didn't go down well with the policemen (family men i believe), one thing led to another, then I remembered I was here on 'Occupation Permit' (***YIKES!!!!****)... my tone changed to....'Yes officer'.... 'no officer'... 'three bags full officer'....... (you get the picture).

I will try to write about other things if i can. I don't know much but will just throw-in bits I know of...

Merci

musheer Serial expat

264POSTS

15 years ago

#11

alisa_ram wrote:
musheer wrote:
Can we have one on Cars and Mechanics ( not to mention Air Con guy, electrician, etc etc.,)

Merci Beaucoup!!

Musheer you are !

Create a new thread for it! If am not mistaken there was one for useful contacts. You can post there.

the useful contacts thread has gone out of sight like white flowers on Valentine's day :p

HeyJude Contributor

172POSTS

15 years ago

#12

Thanks for the Vet report.聽 We have 3 cats and 3 dogs, 5 of them rescued from the streets of Mauritius.聽 I wish I could help more of the animals I see every day in such poor condition.聽 We have used Bourdet and also liked him - his manner will not suit will with everyone.聽 We also use the MSPCA at Calodyne and have found them to be very good but lacking in facilities and equipment.聽 I would go to Bourdet in an emergency.

Mauritius could certainly use some more vets and facilities for animals and I hope in time this will happen.

janmully Member

1POSTS

15 years ago

#13

Thanks the info.聽 I can vouch for Dr Eric Bestel.聽 He is great.聽 He is a nice person, who loves animals and is very good.聽 His clinic in Tamarin has the best view in the world of Tamarin Bay!聽 he spayed my little cat (who I rescued as a kitten from drowning) and it was done is a quick and professional manner.聽 He also reassured me (several times) as I was an anxious cat mother!聽 I recommend him.

Another shortage in Mauritius is for reliable catteries/kennels.聽 I know of one person, Melissa, who runs a clean and well cared for kennels/cattery, formerly based in Flic en Flac but has moved to Bambous.聽 Does anyone know of any others?

Stormtrooper Contributor

124POSTS

15 years ago

#14

@HeyDude - Interestingly a piece of information has just sprung to mind. A few weeks back, a small column in a local paper stated Mauritius will have its' FIRST Veterinarian School. I can't remember the details but this will surely give us more Vets (or 'emergency vets'!).

@Janmully - Catteries? I didn't know we had catteries here. My partner just commented she didn't realise we had 'Doggeries' here too ('Kennels' dear.. 'Kennels').
Yes, I too would really like to know if we have some Catteries on the island and their details (location, rates etc). Every time we have to fly somewhere I have to ask my Mum to stay in my house because of the animals. This isn't bad for a week or two.. but when it's something like 3 months.. I think i need a Catterie.

Re: Finding Birds in Cyclonic conditions.
IF returning to nest:-
I'm not a bird (flying kind) expert. However if you do find a tiny bird-ling.. maybe an egg fell out of a nest, or newly born... try not to touch it with your hands if you plan to return it to its' nest. Your scent will be on the bird and big mummy bird will kick it out of nest.

If taking home with you:-
Alternatively if you cannot return to nest, the biggest challenge is 'what to feed it?'. They will not eat anything. I tried 'egg yolk' but then i thought I was steering it towards 'Cannibalism'. I then tried the 'whites' of egg.. this helped a bit. I don't know the official answer what to feed a tiny bird but I fed mine 'Whiskas Cat Food' (Canned - available from Winners, Super U, nearly all stores i think). Take a tiny bit, mix with a bit water to get semi-water consistency, then feed them with tiny finger. Finding out what kind of bird it is helps a lot. If it's 'seed-eating bird' you can try mixing some 'Muesli' with it. We did this and the bird was fine with it. My hatchling survived till he/she got feathers.
However, having said all this, in retrospect I do not think it was a good idea simply because I should not have just released it 'in the wild'. The bird would not know where to go and be 'lost' and so, next time i do rescue one, I may have to keep it caged. Alternatively i may not interfere. Tough call really

Davidoff New member

7POSTS

15 years ago

#15

Hi all,

For those of you looking for a vet in the central region (Quatre Bornes etc...) here is one who has been fantastic with my pets and who does house visits. He's fast and reliable. I've been through 2 mentioned above and rather not name or comment since the outcome was pretty sad...

Hope it helps.

Dr Beeharry: 7589112

HeyJude Contributor

172POSTS

15 years ago

#16

Does anyone know a vet in the north who makes house calls?

Stormtrooper Contributor

124POSTS

15 years ago

#17

Dr Abdullah, but you must let him know a day in advance.

HeyJude Contributor

172POSTS

15 years ago

#18

Thanks Stormtrooper, do you have a contact number for him?聽 Day in advance is fine for vacinations and the like, easier than taking 6 animals to the vet.聽 We have them all synchronised to be vacinated around the same time.聽 I have been a lot of reading lately about annual animal vacinations and it seems lots of top vets in the UK, USA and Australia are saying it is not necessary.聽 Interesting reading.

Stormtrooper Contributor

124POSTS

15 years ago

#19

@HeyJude - Dr Abdullah - 242 3393

I also remember reading about how top vets say some vaccinations may not be necessary. It didn't make sense at the time however, after a while, we came to the conclusion that, perhaps, the reason why they say this is because such diseases in聽 'advanced countries' are quite minimal. In UK, for example, the dogs and cats are so much healthier, bigger, better looked after in all cases. Hence diseases are so minimal, even amongst strays.

HeyJude Contributor

172POSTS

15 years ago

#20

Hi Stormtrooper, yes it is interesting.聽 Our 3 cats and 3 dogs are very well cared for and I wonder if it is necessary for them.聽 Do you know what the major diseases are in Mauritius?

Stormtrooper Contributor

124POSTS

15 years ago

#21

HeyJude wrote:
Hi Stormtrooper, yes it is interesting.聽 Our 3 cats and 3 dogs are very well cared for and I wonder if it is necessary for them.聽 Do you know what the major diseases are in Mauritius?

Nope. The vet just says 'this and that' and I comply!

HeyJude Contributor

172POSTS

15 years ago

#22

LOL, I am usually fairly compliant as well

聽 I have found though that the MSPCA vets and the Russian lady have differing opinions on a number of issues.聽 Just have to listen and make up our own minds what is best for our pets when that happens.

Stormtrooper Contributor

124POSTS

15 years ago

#23

Hi all, if you want to watch a lovely film (true story) about a Dog named 'Hachi', the film is on youtube in 9 parts. The title is 'Hachi - A dogs tale' and stars Richard Gere (also directed by him) and made in 2009. It's about a dog who used to wait for his 'master'(a professor of music and dance) at the train station every single day. When the professor died', the dog carried on waiting for the next nine years. The house was sold, the dog had new owners, but the dog ran away and lived astray. He was fed by those at the station and passers-by who knew about him. The newspapers eventually ran a story on the dog and, when it died, a bronze statue was erected in the same spot where it would wait. The film got 8/10 ratings out of 15,000 votes and, on a 'Kleenex tissue' scale, it will be 11/10.

alisa_ram Serial expat

612POSTS

15 years ago

#24

This story is mentioned in spiritual books too.

Can a human being ever be capable of this kind of loyalty?

maurilady Active member

36POSTS

15 years ago

#25

I have see this wonderful film and yes it did make me cry.What comes to mind is - A dog is a mans best friend.
Its heartbreaking when you see the cruelty subjected to so many animals.

Rod2009 Member

22POSTS

15 years ago

#26

Vet Island- Dr Sam, If you in the central region Floreal, Curepipe, etc 9249457

Stormtrooper Contributor

124POSTS

15 years ago

#27

A 'Dog Parlour'is opened/being opened up north in Pointe Aux Canonier. Apparently this lady will make your dog beautiful, pampering sessions, perfumed, cut nails etc... and I'm not sure what else goes on in there.
This was in the papers but I forgot to post the details. I will add more info on this when i find it.
Stormtrooper

HeyJude Contributor

172POSTS

15 years ago

#28

It is a nice little parlour that has been open for sometime although they are mostly set up for small dogs and the pet accessories are for small dogs as well.聽 I beleive they will take bigger dogs but last time I checked the dog bath was not big enough for my largest one.

janepa New member

9POSTS

15 years ago

#29

Thanks for a great post! We have a cat and a dog, adopted from PAWS.

We usually use Dr Bourdet in Point aux Canonniers. As mentioned he can be very 'to the point' and not a vet you should try to get into lengthy conversations about the health of your pet with. But we had our cat(male) and dog(female) fixed there and were very happy with both the process and the recovery time!聽聽
We have also used Dr Jaumally in Calebasses a few times. He is a really nice guy and very helpful. The times we have been there he has had long lines of people waiting.
We have used the MSPCA in Calodyne for a stray dog we took for mange treatments. As the vets change from day to day it can be a bit confusing if you go there repeatedly as part of a treatment. Not sure how their schedules聽 work but when going Saturdays a very nice and competent young woman was working (unfortunately I didn't catch her name).

Stormtrooper Contributor

124POSTS

15 years ago

#30

@JanePa - If she's white chances are she's the young russian lady vet I've been speaking of (Anastasia). If she's any other colour then I don't know who it is.

I have another bit of info for Cat Owners regarding TABLETS (PILLS)

Many of you would be giving 'Worm medicine' in the form of these yellow pills (1 pill per 1Kg of your cat weight). For quite some time i've had trouble giving them this. I stick it in their food.. they obviously spit it out. If they don't spit it out immediately do NOT be fooled. They'll spit it out later so keep an eye on them. For a while we've been crushing the pill and mixing it in with the food. If you have one cat this may work. If you have many then feed them one by one.

Yesterday I discovered another method to give them pills which didn't even involve crushing the pill. Don't feed them for a whole day... or even 1.5 days. At this point they're really hungry. Then cook them something you know they'll really like (in my case they love cooked chicken liver.. every day we cook foods for our cats... works out cheaper for 6 cats).

Now, before giving them their food, stick a pill in a piece of juicy liver (At this point they've not eaten yet). Now hopefully your cat is really meeowing at this point.. then feed them ONLY that piece of liver. Whilst they're eating WATCH if they spit it out. Chances are they won't... they gobbled it up too fast! Works in 80% cases (1 of my 6 spat it out twice.. obviously she found a mouse at some point and broke her 'fasting'!).

Hope this info helps a frustrated cat owner!

DR

Stormtrooper Contributor

124POSTS

15 years ago

#31

Cat Food聽 - Recession hitting us now, food prices going up... I figured some of you by now must be thinking 'Do I feed the cat or eat it instead?' (if it's the latter then consider 'CAT-LESS'!)

Well have no fear!

Cat food in Mauritius is bloody expensive. Whiskas Tin is now Rs66 I think. I think 3 cans of Mimil Jelly Tuna works out at Rs66 too.

If you have one cat that's fine. However, 3 cats or above, this is gonna cost quite a bit. Also check out the ingredients in a Whiskas tin. I think meat content is less then 5%, the rest is cereal etc.. even COLOURING! Now..WHY the 'EFF' would someone put colouring in food for a cat? Bloody massive company like Whiskas, with all their cat scientists, you'd think they'd know cats use their nose to figure out what to eat.. they're not bloody humans! Well.. they put the colouring to con the human serving it on the cat plate.. like we're gonna drool over it.. well maybe in times of recession some actually would drool over it, but that's not my point (Besides, it doesn't taste all that good anyway.. unless you add some salt, a pinch of pepper.. then Bob's ya uncle mate!!)

After figuring out i'm paying Rs66 for 5% meat.. and i get 500 grams of pure chicken liver for the same price, it didn't take long to figure out we're being massively conned. I'm quite amazed at how gullible we've all been too. If someone can sell 5% meat for Rs66 then I think someone should tell our cartel friends back in Medellin-Columbia to start diversifying. Actually it wouldn't surprise me if they DID own 'Tinned cat food' companies.. I swear i'm hearing hints of Latino in my cats 'meeowing' now...

Now, i'm not an expert in cat nutrition etc. I still give the odd Whiskas and Mimil for variety. However here are some other options.

1) Chicken liver (cheaper in Super U.. bloody expensive in Winners) with Rice. I'd say mix 60-70% liver 30-40% rice.
2) Beef liver (any supermarket) and rice. You can also mix in some veg (like whiskas do) which is a good idea.
3) Beef mince meat (i think Rs65 per 500grams). Mix that with rice and bits of veg too.
4) Heart (sheep/beef), mix with... hmmm now let me think... rice and veg?

I'll add more when my partner wakes up. She cooks their dinners and I do the talking.... it's an arrangement we have... ying yang...

DR

alisa_ram Serial expat

612POSTS

15 years ago

#32

Hi Stormtrooper

how about fish? don't cats eat fish as well?

Stormtrooper Contributor

124POSTS

15 years ago

#33

Hi Alisa_Ram

Yes, Mimil is fish and i give this often too. I'm scared of other fish because of their bones.. some bones are so thin and tiny. Sometimes it seems my cats get problems with it and, because of it I don't do fish except Mimil. DR

alisa_ram Serial expat

612POSTS

15 years ago

#34

I found some frozen cat/dog food in Jumbo, phoenix at Rs.12-17 per 500g; if that might be of some help!

Stormtrooper Contributor

124POSTS

15 years ago

#35

@Alisa_ram - yep, i do buy that too. However I find some of my cats don't really like it. For dogs it may be good as they're not generally fussy.

alisa_ram Serial expat

612POSTS

15 years ago

#36

@stormtrooper: have you tried buying from butchers?

I have an aunt who has an agreement with a well known restaurant in QB whereby they give her fresh meat/fish leftovers (from cleaning, processing etc..) for her dogs and cats. Can you try that around your place?

I had a cat who loved eating raw chou chou; don't know why (nothing to do with the fact that am vegetarian

), but she loved it!!

The doggies ate their veggies; no fuss as you mentioned. If I find anything worth sharing in terms of cutting cost of animal food, I'll be glad to share.

Stormtrooper Contributor

124POSTS

15 years ago

#37

Watch the below if you love dolphins and cats....

Good ideas@alisa_ram

Asheer Member

1POSTS

14 years ago

#38

Hi everyone, I would like to share a contact. The vet is Dr Jha from India but already working a long time in Mauritius initially as an official government veterinarian and is great with cats and dogs. He is located in Quatre Bornes and I go to him everytime for my dog. He has his own clinic now and even does home visits.

Phone & Fax : +230 4275860
Mobile: +230 7362402, +230 9837902
Address: Brown Sequard Ave, Quatre Bornes

Rosiewestie Serial expat

593POSTS

14 years ago

#39

Well I can definitely vouch for Dr Eric Bestel in Tamarin - he has given such great care to my dogs from the UK and the 2 street strays I have recently adopted.

He is passionate about animal welfare too

Marusya Member

12POSTS

14 years ago

#40

Dr Bourdet is great. went to him when there was some problem with our dog.
last month we went to MSPCA (Rose-Hill) to adopt a kitten. I was just shocked how badly they keep kittens there. all of them were dirty, could hardly open their eyes because of the eye infection.And there is a vet there. In PAWS it was much better.Finally we got a kitten in MSPCA. was so sad for them. wish I could take all of them.