How to use public veterinary hospitals in SP – 12/12/2023 – Balance

The city of São Paulo has public veterinary hospitals for the care of dogs and cats. There are four units distributed across different regions and all service is free.

Hospitals treat urgent and emergency cases, and perform surgeries, laboratory tests and consultations. In total, seven specialties are offered: ophthalmology, cardiology, endocrinology, neurology, oncology, orthopedics and dentistry.

The service operates from Monday to Friday, from 7am to 5pm, and is exclusively for low-income tutors residing in the capital.

In hospitals in the north, east and south zones, care for non-emergency cases works by appointment in person. Once the service has been scheduled, the owner simply returns to the unit with the animal on the defined day and time.

The veterinary hospital in the west zone, located on the USP (University of São Paulo) campus, follows the first-come, first-served model. Password distribution takes place from 7am, Monday to Friday.

Coordinator of Cosap (Domestic Animal Health and Protection Coordination), of the Municipal Health Department, Analy Xavier states that it is possible to seek care in any of the four units, not just the one closest to the indicated residence.

She also says that many of the health problems treated in hospitals could be avoided and reinforces the importance of responsible custody.

“There is a high incidence of animals being run over. There are situations in which an accident occurs and the animal escapes, but the largest number of cases are people who let the animal access the street alone”, he explains.

Another risk of free access to the street is infection with sporotrichosis, a ringworm that causes skin lesions and can be fatal for cats. Felines are also frequent victims of falls from apartment windows, which can be avoided by installing screens.

Still in the context of prevention, Xavier highlights the development of tumors that could be avoided with castration. The city hall has a permanent reproductive control program for dogs and cats, also with free service.

The service is available to any resident of the city of São Paulo who has pets and also includes vaccination against rabies, microchip application for identification and issuance of the RGA (General Animal Registry). See how to request here

Mandatory documents

To attend veterinary hospitals, the owner must present a document with photo and CPF, proof of address, proof of registration in a social program (if applicable) and the General Animal Registry.

The RGA is a document required by law in the city of São Paulo and can be requested on the city hall website or at service points.

“In cases of urgency and emergency, the animal is attended to even if it does not have the document, but for appointments and other types of care, the RGA is mandatory”, explains Xavier.