By Valerie Sartor

Mary Peng is a woman on a mission.

She wants to provide the very best veterinary care for people and their pets in Beijing.

In 2007, along with her partner Frank Fan, she created a state-of-the-art 5,000 square foot veterinary hospital with 15 staff members in Chaoyang District.

“We wanted to create a place in China that was comfortable, where you and your pet would be treated with kindness and respect,” she said. Not only does she have a full service international standard vet hospital with western trained veterinary doctors (DVMs) and local Chinese vets, but also she offers dog grooming, pet boarding, and a pet store stocked with safe foods and excellent accessories for animals. Moreover, her hospital has an official government license to dispense the rabies vaccine. Ms. Peng also sponsors on-going academic learning exchanges between veterinarians from Western countries and Chinese veterinarians.

Ms. Peng feels like a radiant ball of energy when it comes to talking about her life’s work. Small, attractive and extremely articulate, she exudes enthusiasm toward pets, their owners and her hospital.

“When I first moved to China in 1991 I saw that pets were not really popular,” Ms. Peng said. “In fact, it was in the early 90s in Beijing when I saw my first handful of Pekinese dogs. Prior to 1992 dogs were not allowed in Beijing. But at that time to register dogs was very expensive, about 5000 RMB and then 2000 RMB on an annual basis. The city had strict rules concerning where you could walk your dog and when you could walk a dog, from 7AM to 7PM.”

In fact, under Chairman Mao’s leadership pets were actually discouraged because they were perceived as western bourgeois influences. In the early People’s Republic and during the Cultural Revolution food for people was scarce and too dear for the majority of the population to accommodate pets. People mostly raised agricultural animals that served a purpose.

“When I took my cat to an agricultural university in the early 90s to get her treated I was stunned,” Ms. Peng recalled. “Everything was geared toward herd animals and everything was done herd style: animals grouped together all getting the same inoculation at the same designated time. There was no personal care; no acknowledgment of the individual animal. That’s when I realized there was a great need in China for the very best in veterinary services and holistic health care for pets.”

Raised in New York City, Ms. Peng was used to having her local vet give her animals individual attention.

“And vets back home educated me: they told me the how’s and why’s of taking care of my animals,” she said. “They asked pertinent and personal questions, gave me detailed tips and conducted follow up visits. In China veterinary medicine still is geared toward agricultural production - preventing disease and promoting longevity – it does not focus much on small companion animals. They’re an afterthought.”

She explained that until recently many animals were either owned collectively or treated as communal property so this Western veterinary concept for smaller animals is relatively new.

“You’ve seen people taking turns feeding wild cats in their neighborhood,” Ms. Peng said. “They’re kind to the animals but no one really takes ownership so the animals do not receive the best care.”

In China, feral animals, especially cats, may carry rabies. The China Daily reported in October 2006 that rabies killed more people than any other infectious disease for the fifth consecutive month. The newspaper said: “In September there were 318 deaths caused by rabies while 393 people were reported bitten by rabid animals.”

Because of these statistics, Ms. Peng is bent on informing the public about transmittable diseases and how animals play a role in this.

“A great deal of my work is education,” Ms. Peng said, “I think many foreigners come her and just assume that the situation is the same as their home countries. But unlike Australia, Europe, Canada and the U.S.A. – where the rare cases of rabies comes from wild animals who bite dogs and transmit the disease, here in China rabies is still a problem. China, like other parts of the emerging world - Africa, India, Indonesia – has many kinds of transmittable diseases that are eradicated or extremely rare in the developed world.”

Significantly, Ms. Peng has turned this problem into an asset.

“Vets from developed countries come here as part of an exchange program so that they can see first-hand cases of diseases like rabies,” she said. “We are giving them the opportunity for real experiences, and they in turn help our students with other aspects of veterinary medicine. Our exchanges last from three months to three years.”

Her hospital also has many posters and free information concerning rabies, importing pets into China, registering animals, and animal health.

“The Chinese government rewards any pet owners who register their dogs; they get a free rabies vaccine at designated, licensed clinics and hospitals,” Ms. Peng said. “We also provide thorough examinations, neuter/spay services, dental services, and we have an in-house lab as well as a large x-ray machine. We can examine an animal, do his blood work or culture or check an x-ray immediately. This saves the owner from running around to many places and saves the animal from any additional suffering.”

Mary Peng can be trusted and her bilingual staff respects and adores her along with the clients and their pets. She knows everyone who walks through the door by name. And although the services at her hospital are not cheap, it’s evident that Ms. Peng is not in this business to make a fast buck. Clearly, she loves animals and wants them all to be healthy, safe and comfortable.

    Channel: Movers & Shakers     |