Addis Ababa - Post Report Question and Answers
Are qualified veterinarians and/or good kennel services available? Do animals need to be quarantined upon entry to the country? Are there other considerations regarding pets that are particular to this country?
There are several good vets here. No quarantine requirements. No other considerations I'm aware of. - Dec 2023
There are two-three vets that most diplomatic community people use. Basic pet care is okay. Decent pet food is expensive and hard to get, so take it in your consumable’s shipment or order on Amazon. The Embassy compound has green areas (keep your dog on a leash) and a dog run. Some homes have yards, others do not. It is generally not good to take your pets outside for walks, due to the sizable population of rogue street dogs who may attack your pet. - Aug 2023
The vet was nice when he performed a spray on our cat, but she died the next day. So, not really sure on how to judge the quality of vets. However, you will not find ANY pet supplies at all in the city. I remember seeing one place that offered fresh food, but it received many complaints about the quality. HIGHLY reconsider if you want to have a pet. - Aug 2022
Most Ethiopians don’t have pets. I haven’t heard of vet services, however vaccines and medication for pets is available. - Jul 2022
In my opinion, this is a bad place for both humans and pets. However, there are good veterinarians around, or so I'm told. - Jun 2021
Vets are available but there are no advanced diagnostics - scans, xrays etc. Basic vaccinations are available. Surgeries such as de-sexing are usually undertaken on your kitchen table. Blood tests have to be sent offshore. It is not possible to walk dogs outside in the community due to the large number of street dogs. There is a dog owners group on FB that arranges weekend dog walks in a group in park environments outside Addis. They need to be visited in a group due to a prevalence of crime against foreigners in some locales. - Aug 2020
There are several vets used by the expat community. They seem good. I wouldn't want to deal with a major health issue here, but as long as your pet is healthy, they can keep them happy. Out cat has allergies, and the local vet is taking good care of him. They are even knowledgeable on some holistic options which have helped a bit (probiotics and fish oils). There are lots of strays, so walking a dog can be difficult. All that said, bring you four legged family members. Or consider adopting one while at post. - Feb 2020
We only know of one veterinarian and not sure he's qualified but it's all we found here. We adopted two kittens from the street and this veterinarian came to our house when we needed his services. The cats seem to be fine. - Feb 2019
Yes, some veterinarians, not many, but some will come to your house. Not sure about kennels, but hypothetically you could pay your maid, gardener, or guard to take care of the dog for a monthly fee lower than one day at the kennel in some countries. - Oct 2018
Vet care seems to be poor. I have heard spaying and neutering are not done in sterile environment and sometimes on a kitchen table or in a carport. There is no quarantine. Rabies is common and there are street dogs are in many places. I have heard that the government puts out poisoned meat for street dogs to eat with absolutely no notice to the public. It could then be picked up by birds and dropped in yards which could then be eaten by family pet. Adopting local pets comes with risks but many people do it. - Aug 2018
There are vets, but we do not have pets, so we do not know much one would spend. - Jul 2018
I do not have any pets so I am not sure, but I know that people have vets for their dogs and cats. - Jan 2018
There are a few vets who can provide basic services, but only the basics. - Sep 2017
This was an important issue to us as we came with animals (cats) and of course, given the stray dog population in this country, we now have dogs (NB: for animal lovers like myself and my husband, this place is heart wrenching. I know many other countries are as well but it's worth mentioning. I almost can't stand going outside because inevitably, you will see dog/cat/donkey/other carcasses (once saw two recently hit/killed donkeys just lying there and for days. People drive like hell and most people don't know how or understand the potential damage a vehicle can do to humans/animals). There are a couple of decent vets but they have limited vaccines and equipment. There is not one x-ray machine in this entire country accessible to animals (so I'm told by the vets; not even at the university). We've picked up two dogs both abused on the street and each with a broken leg. The vet could not x-ray them and had to palpate by hand (which itself necessitated anaesthesia-- all IV...no access to gas anaesthesia, which is far more tricky for dosing and takes longer for the animal to recover from). One dog's leg could not be set so he's had to live with the consequences. Vaccines are another issue. If possible, if you have a good relationship with your vet, see what can be arranged although I know there are strict regulations on the movement/transfer of rabies and other vaccines (plus they require cold chain so they would have to on your person when you came over). Complicated but there is very basic vet care here. - Aug 2016
I understand vet services are quite limited. There is one that is frequented by the expat community. I understand services are expensive, with a lot unavailable here. As for the rest - travel.state.gov. Lots of street dogs, spottily cared for by day guards it appears. There is a tendency for locals to use poisons to keep away rodents, etc. We've heard several stories of poisons being inadvertently broadcast by birds, etc., resulting in inadvertent pet deaths even within home compound. - Aug 2016
No quarantine. There are a few vets, all of whom make housecalls and are cheap compared to US standards. There are no advanced facilities here, but for routine vaccinations and the occasional check-up it's fine. However, rabies is endemic among the street animals, and locals leave poisoned meat on the streets to control the stray population, so people generally keep their animals only within their gates. - Feb 2016
No quarantine, some decent vet care (ours was trained in Cuba) but no kennels. Usually you have household help or guards who can watch pets while you're away. - May 2014
No quarantine. There are at least two fairly decent vets in town that can do basic care. Lots of people adopt street dogs, and they can vaccinate for rabies, and treat for flees and ticks. The vets can spay and neuter. One vet will come to your house and do it on the table (weird). The other vet does a better job with pain meds for these procedures and also does it in his office and can keep the animal for the day. The street dogs here are awesome compared to what you might find elsewhere in the world (night and day between Turkey's homeless dogs and those of Ethiopia). The dog we found in a ditch here has turned out to be the best dog I've ever had. Instead of hassling with trying to order and stock dry food (unhealthy anyway), we crock-pot meat and appropriate veggie scraps, plus some oats (google proper recipes). This is much healthier and a lot cheaper than dry processed dog food, plus you'll never run out. We send our day guard out to buy meet once a week and cook it over night. I'm often tempted to eat it myself and the dogs love it and it makes the vet happy. - Jan 2014
No quarantine. A few okay vets here (one spayed and microchipped our newly-acquired Ethiopian cat with no problems). No kennels we are aware of. - Nov 2013
No. Many people here have pets. - Jun 2012
No. - Jun 2010
