Thank you for reaching out and wanting to help care for animals. Hand to Paw is extremely busy currently but we are happy to give you the tools to be your own street dog hero (or cat).
Below you will find all the information required to help you help the animal in need. Please read the following article and share your journey of caring for an animal in need on social media and tag us so we can follow along.
Common Issues:
Fleas
Unfortunately many dogs and cats in Thailand suffer from fleas, ticks, and/or mange. The majority of animals, owned or on the street, receive little to no preventative care so they rarely get protection from these bugs. As a result, you will see them scratching away trying to get some relief. This is a very simple problem to fix which can save the dogs and cats from discomfort and disease. .
To help these poor dogs, giving a simple edible dose of Bravecto (available from veterinary clinics or Pet supply stores) will offer a massive improvement within 24-48 hours and all fleas and ticks will disappear. It will take an additional few weeks to see hair growth for mange but relief from the itchiness will occur very quickly.
To treat as many dogs as possible, we suggest buying the largest Bravecto tablet as it’s the best value for money and easy to break into smaller pieces. Some dogs will eat it pure, but others may need it mixed in with some yummy food. The large tablet works on dogs up to 56kg so you can usually use it for about 3 average Thai adult dogs. For perspective, most adult female Thai dogs are about 16kg and Thai male dogs are about 20kg. In our experience, Bravecto will keep fleas and ticks away for approximately 6 months so you are seriously improving the quality of their lives for many months to come.
For cats, we recommend Revolution Plus as it treats for ear mites, mange, and fleas. This is a drop that should be placed on the back of the cat’s neck. If you can’t touch the cat, you can place food near your feet and when the cat is eating, you can drop the drops little by little on the back of the cat, without ever touching it. 
Abandoned Animals
One of the saddest things you might see here are abandoned or feral puppies. The mother might live in the jungle or a local with no means to support has abandoned the puppies hoping someone else will help them with food. Depending on your circumstances there are things you can do to help them.
Your social media can be a great tool in soliciting support in the form of funds to care for them or even find them homes. However the first thing that should be done is take them to a veterinary clinic to have them checked, de-wormed, and vaccinated. Unless you are personally able to adopt them, we do not recommend moving them. Far too few people adopt, puppies from feral moms don’t usually make the best pets, and the reality is that they are far more likely to get adopted by Thais if they are left there. Kind people often will feed them and from there, they will get spayed by a rescue group and live together with their friends. If you remove them, you risk de-skilling them and if you can’t find a home for them (which is likely), they are more likely to die when they are abandoned as an adult without any street life experience. We understand that puppies especially pull at heartstrings but the best thing is often to offer support whilst leaving the dogs where you found them and to make a donation to a rescue group that offers mass spays in order to help prevent more of these litters from being born on the streets.
Wounded Animals
If you find a dog with a wound, treatment strategies will depend on how severe the wound is. Minor wounds you can treat yourself with a few simple items purchased from any pharmacy (ยา), some gauze, sterile saline to flush the wound and betadine to disinfect it. You can spray some Nanospray too and add powder to prevent maggots from forming. If you can, revisit the dog daily over the next week to continue treatment, and if you can’t even one treatment is better than none. If the wound is more serious you will need to take the animal to a clinic. Dogs in Thailand are rarely used to being picked up and may struggle. Wrapping the animal in a towel or blanket will be helpful. If you can’t pick up the animal but can at least hold the dog, then the best plan is to call Chiang Mai Animal Center and ask if they can send their ambulance to collect the dog https://www.facebook.com/chiangmaicenter. Joey Sutt is a pet taxi service and may also be able to help: https://www.facebook.com/joey.tatty . Both of these services will incur a charge and you must be ready to go to the hospital with the dog in order to help cover the costs and decide on treatment.
Once the animal is at the veterinary clinic they will assess the animal and provide an estimate of the costs. You are always welcome to tell the clinic your budget. If you can afford 3,000-5,000 baht, this will usually cover quite a bit already. H2P has very limited financial resources so we ask you not to send us any bills, rather reach out to your friends and family on social media in the case that you cannot cover the costs. Please note in general the cost of veterinary care in Thailand is quite inexpensive and a few thousand baht may make an incredible difference in the life of an animal.
Sterilization
The biggest issue Thailand faces is the constant unwanted litters of dogs and cats and spaying especially female dogs and cats is a key focus of H2P. If you find an animal that needs to be spayed you can help reduce the unwanted litters and the suffering they animals endure by either taking the animal to a vet or one of Hand to Paw’s spay days which occur almost weekly in different locations around: Mae Rim, Mae Tang, San Sai, Mae Jo and Doi Saket. Another option if you are south of Chiang Mai is WVS in Hang Dong who also offer free spays. Important to note that if you see a small notch cut in to an ear of a dog it usually means it has already been spayed.
Remember spaying is the key to stopping the cycle of misery in Thailand’s street dog population.
Rehoming
Another issue faced is finding homes for the animals who can’t live on the street. Unfortunately the need is much larger than the demand and is the reason H2P has so many dogs in permanent care. If you are in a position to give an animal a forever home please do so as the love and loyalty you will receive will only fill your heart with joy. If you can’t provide a home permanently, we do have several dogs who would do well in temporary foster homes or you can sponsor the costs (1,000 baht per month) of a particular dog in order to help provide it continued safety and love with us. You can also reach out to your social media and friends to see if anyone can provide a loving home or is willing to help sponsor!
Resources
Recommended vet clinics in the Chiang Mai area:
- Chiang Mai animal centre
- Family pet clinic Dr New
- Ban Mo Pet Clinic – Mae Rim
- Nakornping animal hospital – Mae Rim
- Nakornping animal hospital – Chiang Mai
- WVS worldwide veterinary service – Hang Dong
List of transport
Joeys pet taxi.
+66821064617
Starting from only 150 baht
Someone must be with the animal on arrival.
Red ride
General transport but includes animals
+66899546001
Approx costs
Please understand you can let Veterinary clinics know you are on a budget as they will do what they can to accommodate your budget.
Brevecto for fleas and ticks. 54kg tablet 900 baht
Deworming 10-30 baht
Wounded dogs 300 to 3000 baht
Spay Cat 1000 to 1500 baht
Spay Dog 2000 to 4000 baht
Transport – from 150 baht depending on location