Pets in Mauritania

Pet care in Mauritania is organized through a fragmented mix of public veterinary services and local or informal arrangements. The Direction des Services Vétérinaires (DSV), within the Ministère du Développement Animal, works on animal health, prevention, disease surveillance, veterinary pharmacy, veterinary public health and related professional matters. Twelve regional delegations in the interior, a Délégation de Nouakchott and inspections in each moughataa, a department-level area, provide the public structure, but practical access is uneven. A national pet register, pet licence and state shelter or surrender pathway are not documented in the available information. A formal national purchase, breeding or adoption system is not documented. In Nouakchott, Dogs of Africa provides non-state rescue, boarding and adoption support. Its availability and coverage outside Nouakchott are unclear. Informal placement can therefore function as an alternative when an owner cannot continue keeping a dog or cat, but it does not provide nationwide coverage. The documented owner duty for dogs and cats includes rabies vaccination from three months of age. The vaccination procedure is recognized through DSV direction, and the owner pays the cost. Published vaccination intervals, routine treatment availability, a complete veterinary register and current tariffs are not established in the available information. Costs for treatment, boarding, relinquishment and import are likewise not publicly documented in the consulted sources. After a bite, scratch or lick from an animal suspected of carrying rabies, contact a service vétérinaire immediately. The animal should remain under veterinary supervision for at least 15 days, with the owner bearing the related costs. In an infected commune, the documented control rule provides for systematic killing of stray domestic carnivores and at least 15 days of sequestration for owned domestic carnivores; release is only with a leash and muzzle. Local orders can add practical requirements. Decree 75-111 requires dogs and cats of any origin entering or leaving Mauritania to have a valid certificat international de vaccination antirabique (C.I.V.A.) and a health certificate. The health certificate must be issued less than three days before departure. An animal under three months may travel without a rabies certificate, but it still needs a health certificate. Missing documents can result in refusal or, where the applicable control measure provides for it, killing, destruction or disinfection. Carrier and border practices, possible additional permits, fees and processing times should be confirmed with the DSV before travel because no current online pet-travel procedure establishes them. Psittacidae, including parrots and related birds, require a special permit from the veterinary service. Requirements for other companion-animal species are not sufficiently documented. Human rabies treatment follows a separate health pathway: the Institut National de Recherche en Santé Publique (INRSP) and the Division vaccination antirabique provide post-exposure treatment reported as five doses over 21 days at no charge. This health service does not replace immediate veterinary reporting of the animal exposure.