Animal hospital allows owners to stay overnight

Just like people, pets can be vulnerable after surgery and need companionship in order to recover more quickly

At most animal hospitals, owners make phone calls to check on the condition of sick pets left overnight. However, in one hospital in Nanjing, capital of eastern China's Jiangsu province, cots and sofas are available for owners who want to stay by their pet's side till morning.

The AMC Center Animal Hospital in Nanjing's Jianye district has 12 folding cots, and there are nurses on duty to take care of the pets at night.

Each cot, topped with a thin mattress, is placed beside a pet's cage for the owner to conveniently stroke or comfort their pet. The cot is surrounded by a wooden fence encompassing about 6 square meters. Owners can hang their clothes, towels or other necessities on the fence.

Mao Yingyi, the owner of a golden retriever, said her companionship will give her dog the strength to help it recover sooner.

"As a clever animal, he'll feel sad and anxious when he's left at the hospital for unfamiliar medical treatment," Mao said. "We can also chat with other owners about the joys and hardships of taking care of our pets.

"It's our responsibility to accompany them since they've brought us so much fun and became a member of our families."

However, she said that one overnight stay at the hospital costs 300 yuan ($44), which is expensive for many local people.

Deng Yue, the hospital's operations director, said that like many people, animals can be very vulnerable after surgery and need a companion.

"It helps the animals recover sooner if they're accompanied," she said. "Most people whose pets have surgery in our hospital choose to accompany their pets at night."

Veterinarians at the hospital came up with the idea of providing overnight stays after many owners requested such services when their pets had major surgery or cancer treatment.

According to the China Pet Industry 2018 White Paper, which was released by the Goumin website in August, more than 56 million owners kept 91.5 million dogs and cats in China. The consumer market for dogs and cats reached 170.8 billion yuan.

However, the paper also said that 47.1 percent of owners are not satisfied with medical services for pets.

Deng said most animal hospitals in China are private and have no State subsidies, which makes medical care for pets expensive.

"The medical supplies are also not cheap," she said. "Animals can endure more pain than humans, so most owners don't think that their pets are in serious condition when they take them to hospitals."

Deng added that, like babies, animals show they are in pain by making noises and moving around.

Hence, some owners, especially those of smaller animals, become anxious and angry when medical operations cause a lot of pain to their pets, and this also leads to their dissatisfaction with pet hospitals.