Guest Post: Cairo Pet Owners by cairopets.com

Hello Cairo Pet Owners!

It's a sunny day in Zamalek and I'm working on my pets website, www.cairopets.com

I'm a journalist and (bad) playwright from New York living in Cairo.  I have one fabulous dog that I brought with me. She's lived in NYC, New Orleans, Dublin and now Cairo. Lulu is better traveled than many people I know? I also have two cats that my partner and I adopted from the mean streets of Maadi.

Dogs, Cats, Horses and More in Cairo

Having lived here over a year, I've struggled a bit to find good vets, pet shops, kennels and other services for my dog and cats. To fill the need, I've created a website that aims to put all the info on one handy site; cats, dogs, birds, horses and others.  There are forums for pet-owners to talk to each other, extensive listings for vets and pet shops, kennels, plus a place to review the services that you have used.  Everyone wants to find a good vet - it is great to see how others before you have fared with a certain practice.

Animal Welfare and Volunteering in Cairo

Animal welfare issues are high on my list of priorities too. Using my experience as a volunteer coordinator, I have created a volunteer program at S.P.A.R.E., a local animal shelter. There are opportunities to travel with a group out to the location and spend some time at the clinic, doing some chores and playing with the animals. S.P.A.R.E. is a fantastic organization and with a bit of help could become a great resource for helping animals.

As our program grows, I hope to include camels, donkeys and other animals in the project. I am aiming to raise awareness about the needs of all animals in Egypt.

There are lots of resources out there, it is just a matter of finding them! I also hope to roll out a few new services in the next six months: Ordering supplies online, homemade dog and cat food and a few other features.

Cat and Dog Services

The other pet problem in Cairo? People who offer services have a hard time telling people about what they offer. www.cairopets.com has an inexpensive classified ads section where dog walkers, dog sitters, cat sitters and others can let owners know that they are available for hire.

Creating www.cairopets.com was an act of love by a person who loves animals. I am hopeful that it will make it just a little bit easier to care for a pet in this great city. If you have a listing that we don't have, let us know and we'll put it up. Please email me with feedback or any questions. We'll be happy to find the answer for you!

info@cairopets.com

PETS: Bringing pets to Cairo.

One Fleeting Glimpse has just made an excellent detailed post on bringing her dog in from the US.

Please note that experiences differ from country to country and it seems that the originating airport is the crucial difference, not the Cairo end.

Bringing in from the US seems a relatively painless challenge:

OFG - Moving your dog to Egypt from US


Bringing in from the UK:

OBC - Bringing cats to Cairo from UK Heathrow


Bringing in from Ireland via Germany:

Expat Focus forum post


If you want an Egyptian 'fixer' at this end "just in case", then several people have used the following for getting pets from the air cargo place (I have NOT personally.)

Quick Cargo
5 Tehran St. Dokki
P.O. Box 415 Dokki
Tel: 35390262/3/4/5
Fax: 35390383

Comments about Quick Cargo from someone who was glad she used them (it might not seem the most glowing review but she wouldn't have her dog without them).

"Quick Cargo was chaotic and very very time consuming. For a start no one seemed to know exactly where to find Quick Cargo and it took a couple of hours asking people and driving round in the taxi before someone caught on to the idea of calling them on the number I kept waving.

There were 2 Quick Cargo-ites Fady and Nagy. Fady rode a motorbike and zoomed off with papers here and there and Nagy rode with us leaping out at different buildings. When they found out the dog was at Heathrow it had already been about 4 or 5 hours since we landed.

Next day we set off again at 4.30pm and got the dog at 8.45pm finally. There were some nasty rows between "helpers" and the Quick Cargo men, as the helpers thought they were over charging me. 280$ plus 1,500 EGL import charge. After a huge to do the import duty was suddenly reduced to 300EGL. I could NOT have managed to get the dog without Quick Cargo so to some extent they had me over a barrel, the import thing is so complicated and my nerves were like strings. I thought (Rover) would be dead, suffocated, starved etc etc but she is fine.

I am so grateful to you for suggesting Quick Cargo whatever the cost. I think I would still be looking for the dog now without their help."


VETS IN CAIRO

Blog post I made with names and addresses:

OBC - Vets in Cairo

I have personally used Dr Rania Kashif ("Vets in Practice" - 6th October City and Maadi)

Vets in Cairo

This post refreshed and revised: 25th February 2010 and minor amendments 11th April 2011 and further on 8th September 2011.

24 HOUR EMERGENCY SERVICE: Dr Ahmed Hesham, Mohandseen,  Tel: 0106344025 - 02 37 626 883 - See (D) below for further details.

 (I have not used his services personally but two friends of mine have.).

VETS

I have listed a number of vets recommended to me by people in different parts of Cairo: 6th October City, Maadi, New Maadi, Heliopolis, Zamalek, Mohandseen, DownTown.

I have personally used Dr Rania of Vets in Practice (Maadi and 6th October City)- and I have given directions to her 6th October clinic below the list of vets. Another friend has used and highly recommends Pet Vet in Heliopolis.

Please note that people are advised to use the resources of Google EXTENSIVELY when checking out vets on line.  In particular you might like to google "Ingrid's Cats" Cairo
(Ingrid is not a vet, but someone with some experience you may wish to be aware of) concerning My Pet Clinic otherwise known as El Meeraj Pet Clinic. and may now be operating as Orabi Pet Clinic.  Not recommended is all I will say. DO YOUR RESEARCH.

This is not an exhaustive list.

(A) -VETS IN PRACTICE  - Dr. Rania Kashif - MAADI and 6TH OCTOBER

Personally used by me.

All services for pets:
- Maadi Branch
24 D. A. Shokery Abd-el Halim St., New Maadi,
Tel.: 002-251 644 28, Mobile: 010-620 56 94

- 6th of October Branch (instructions to find this practice towards the end of this post).
District 8th, El Tahrir St.,
Tel.: 002-383 783 36, Mobile: 010 900 87 36

There is a Facebook Group for this practice: Vets in Practice Facebook Group

(B) - PET VET - HELIOPOLIS

Recommended by a friend who has used them personally. (Also see comments posted below - the vets have been invited to respond but have not yet).


20 El Horeya St. Heliopolis, Cairo, Egypt
Tel: 002 02 24170494

Website: Pet Vet Clinic

Email: info@petvetclinic.net


(C) Dr Amir Mikhail - NEW MAADI

used to work at ESAF, now clinic in Maadi and online shop.

5/1 Small Lasilki St, New Maadi.
Tel (SMS ONLY): 0103458080, and 02-25203267 (12-4pm only)

Website: Our Pet Clinic
 
He also has a free online advise response. http://www.ourpetclinic.com/clinic_contacts.html

(D) VET FOR PET ANIMAL HOSPITAL - Dr Ahmed Hesham El Nabrawy - MOHANDSEEN

42 Adna Street - Off Shehab Street, Next to El Safa medical tower - Mohandessen

Tel: 0106344025 - 02 37 626 883

Dr Ahmed Hesham Facebook Group

Emails: dr.ahmed@vetforpet.net / dr_ahmedeka@hotmail.com


(E) Dr. Rafik Nashed Helmy - ZAMALEK and DOWNTOWN

7 Shafik Mansour St., Off Hassan Sabry St.
Zamalek, Cairo

- 50 Kasr El Nil St.,
Downtown, Cairo
Clinic: 3914314
Mobile: 012 3102401

Boxer8@hotmail.com
 

(F) Dr. Farouk Bahgat head of Cairo Veterinary Association, Veterinary Consultant to ESAF and has his own clinic in Maadi

14/3 El Shatre El Shabeh St.,
Apt 2, New Maadi, Cairo
Clinic: 7044225
Mobile: 012 2198733

(F) Dr. Nevin Hosni Hammad,
20, Sh. El-Hegaz, Mohandessin,
Tel.: 334 756 40, Mobile: 010-141 20 22.

I have personally used Dr Rania of 'Vets in Practice' - in fact one of my poor kitties is there right now waiting to have an xray on his leg tomorrow. Also, one of my cats got very ill in May - some kind of accident I dont know what - we think she must have fallen very awkwardly but couldn't use her backlegs at all - spent 10 days in Dr Rania's and is now 99.5% better - back to being a naughty, cheeky 12 year old kitten ;)
Update on my boy: Not good news for my baby boy - he is suffering major age-related defects - the x-ray showed no fluid in his knees joints, a herniated disc in his spine and a partially collapsed lung with a 'shadow' in it. She said that these would have been coming on over several years.

Costs: (Cat1) 4 nights in vets + xrays + meds = 270LE, (Cat2) 10 nights in vets + meds = 250LE.

Update: 25th February 2010 - Both kitties are very very well now after their trials and tribulations of their first few months here. Approaching their 14th birthday and I couldn't wish for 2 healthier kitties.

Update: 11th April 2011 - my boy has been a bit poorly. Had halitosis and dribbling for a while. Then on Friday he went to eat a few times but didn't, and on Saturday took a bite of nugget food and fair screamed in pain. So we went to Rania in the evening and he had a broken molar and swollen tonsils and a couple of other minor things. Anyway, we now have a much happier kitty and no halitosis :)  Just need to find somewhere to get gauntlets for administering the mouth wash.... Both kitties are just 10 weeks and 1 day off their 15th birthdays and healthier now than they were about 3 years ago.

Anyway - how to get to Dr Rania in 6th October City:

Vets in Practice - Dr Rania - has clinics in 6th October City and Maadi. Mobile 0109008736.
The 6th October clinic is located in 8th District, El Tahrir St, 6th October City, approx 5 minutes drive from Hosary Mosque.

I will give directions if you approach Hosary Mosque from the North. Reach the roundabout at Hosary Mosque and turn right (towards Diamond Mall). Continue straight on and cross the Mehwar, continue straight on with the garden centre on your left. Follow the road round - you are driving down the right hand side - keep a look out on your left - the opposite side of the road - for a small parade of shops with a pharmacy at the right hand end and the red and white striped Vets In Practice sign visible. You need to drive down the road until you can do a Uturn, then come back up the other side. The entrance to the vets is round the corner from the sign that you saw and a very neat and pretty garden in front.

ESAF = Egyptian Society for Animal Friends

Egyptian Society for Animal Friends


The Egyptian Society of Animal Friends is an officially registered charitable organization (registration # 5034, issued March 12, 2002) based in New Maadi, a suburb of Cairo, Egypt. Our mission is to increase public awareness of both welfare issues for all animals in Egypt as well as how those issues impact the living environment for the people of Egypt, and to give a helping hand to abandoned and stray animals.

As of 2006 ESAF received a new registration number, this was because of ESAF moved it's H.Q from Maadi district in Cairo to Shabramont district in Giza . The new registration number is 2798 /2006.