‘Even the slightest hope’: pet owner drives 1,400km across China seeking best medical treatment for dog with paralysis
- The 5-year-old dog has had an assortment of diseases including canine coronavirus since he was adopted at two months old
- After being told his latest health issue was untreatable by local vets, his owner travelled across China to Shanghai in a bid to save her pet
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The woman, surnamed Chen, from Dongguan in Guangdong province, undertook the cross-country journey with her five-year-old dog named Qiuqiu earlier this month, Chinese video-sharing platform 021 Video reported on Wednesday.
Qiuqiu has had an assortment of diseases including canine parvovirus and canine coronavirus since Chen adopted him when he was just two months old.
When Qiuqiu was four years old, he developed acute renal failure (ARF), but pulled through after Chen paid for expensive medical treatment.
“I’ve never expected that he would get paralysis so soon after he had ARF,” Chen said.
Despite Qiuqiu’s need for constant medical support, Chen said she has never once considered giving up on him. When she discovered Qiuqiu had paralysis at the beginning of this month, she made every effort to get medical treatment in Dongguan and nearby Guangzhou.
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The diagnosis from the local vet hospitals Chen went to told her that Qiuqiu’s case was hopeless. However, she refused to accept this and decided to take Qiuqiu to Shanghai to see if she could find someone who could help save her beloved pet.
After driving 1,400km with Qiuqiu beside her the pair arrived in Shanghai. At the local vet hospital Chen visited, medical workers undertook a complete physical examination of Qiuqiu.
The doctors gave Qiuqiu a different diagnosis from what Chen had received at the vet hospitals in southern China.
Chen didn’t explain the exact nature of the dog’s current illness, but said she is following a planned treatment designed by the doctor in Shanghai.
She has spent over 10,000 yuan (US$1,500) on his medical bills so far this time around. The signs are positive so far with Qiuqiu now able to sit up, she said.
“Excepting my parents, he has been with me for longer than anyone else,” said Chen.
“Even with just the slightest hope, I will treat him.”
After Qiuqiu’s story went viral online, Chen won praise across mainland Chinese social media, with many saying she was setting a good example as a responsible pet owner.
“How lucky Qiuqiu is! Chen gives a good lesson to all pet owners,” said one commenter.
Another wrote: “Pets have become parts of our family. We should take care of them.”
Data showed that in 2021 the number of pet owners in China had reached 68.44 million, compared to 62.94 million in 2020 and 62.8 million in 2019. In 2021, cat owners accounted for 59.5 per cent of the pet owners, while dog owners occupied 51.7 per cent, according to news outlet Hexun.
