Noahs Sign 1
Noahs Sign

CONTRIBUTED BY ALEXANDRA KEY

For all the pet lovers on Okinawa, I need to fill you in. Vets out in town aren’t scary. Sure, the Kadena veterinary clinic is fine but the waits can be long, the waiting room cramped, and the yard a little, for a lack of a better word, “poopy”.

My Oki mix needed to get a heart worm test quickly so we went to Noah Animal Hospital out it in town, which accepts walk ins-but only at certain days and times, so be sure to look at the calendar before you load Fido and go.

When we arrived at the clinic, I was stunned. I hadn’t seen a yard this big since I’d left the states. It was complete with a small play area for young kids, a bird bath, benches, a table and chairs, and lots and lots of grass to roam and play on (by Oki standards, mind you). There is even a convenient Coke machine and a sink to wash your hands at just by the front door. However, there are no pooper scooper bag dispensers like on Kadena, so be sure to bring your own.

Noahs Yard
Noahs Yard

The waiting area is pretty spacious, big and bright white, kind of like a hospital waiting room. There is a shelf of children’s books for the little ones while you wait. Fortunately, it shouldn’t be a long wait. When I arrived there were three people in front of me and I was seen in no more than ten minutes. The staff spoke English fluently and was patient with me while I filled out all the needed paperwork with two preschoolers in tow.

The vet himself is kind and a quick worker. Tinkerbell’s blood was drawn in no time and I was told the results would be ready in ten minutes. It doesn’t get much better than that. The whole thing cost approximately 3,900 yen (although, they also accept dollars and credit).

Noah’s animal hospital is very conveniently located right outside of Kadena gate three. Just go straight until you see the sign on your right hand side. If you pass Marui gas, you have gone a litte too far.

Phone: 098-934-4477

Directions: Go straight out Kadena Gate #3 on Route 26 and it is approximately 2 km down on the right.

Hours:
Sunday 2-6
Tuesday 9: 30- 11 and 3 -6
Wednesday 9: 30-11 and 3-6
Thursday 9: 30-11
Friday 9: 30-11 and 3-6
Saturday 9: 30-11 and 3-6
*closed for all national holidays

Website: https://www.noahanimalhospital.com/

15 COMMENTS

  1. Took my 15 year old Chihuahua to have his teeth cleaned here. The staff spoke very good English and were very helpful with any questions I had. I was very nervous about having the procedure done but they took excellent care of him. I would recommend them to anyone.

  3. We have been using Nohas for two years now and love this place! I would like to share my most recent experience with Noah’s.
    Sadly we had to put our almost 14 yo lab down earlier this week. The vet and techs were amazing!! They let us come in after everyone else had left so we could basically have the office to ourselves. They were very informative and helpful! They let us take our time before and after and never once were impatient or pushy. They let our whole family into the room which they had a bench and tissues set up right in front of the table our dog was on. I picked up his ashes today and they came in a pretty porcelain container that was put inside a pretty satin white case with gold ties. For being a super sad difficult time for our family Noah’s made it a wonderful experience and I would recommend them to anyone!!

  4. Hard to get into or not, forget about the Kadena vet! I had one bad experience there with my puppy, then heard two more stories a week or so later so I immediately found Noah’s and have used them (or Animal Hospital 22) ever since. They are both amazing places and both will really go out of their way for you and pet. I went to pay one time at Animal Hospital and realized that I had forgotten my credit card. They let me leave, with my pet, to go get it! Love these two places!

  5. You mentioned a heartworm test. Do you have to worry about heartworm in Okinawa? We just got orders to Oki this week. I have about 10 months of heartworm medicine left, but didn’t know if I’d need it over there.

    • Kim- Yes! Make sure to keep your pet(s) on a heartworm preventative the entire time you are here. The weather here does not get cold enough to kill off the mosquitoes -or any of the insects for that matter!- so we see many dogs not on preventatives that test heartworm positive.

  6. I absolutely love Noah’s! They are so friendly! They also have free snacks for you, your children, and your pets, as well as a coffee machine, which is great if you have an early appt. I have only been to Kadena’s vet clinic a few times and I do not like it at all. They are very unorganized. I called one day to see if I could get my dog in for a vaccine appt. and they said they were booked for the entire month and that I would have to call back at the end of the month when they had next months calendar open. I went to Noah’s and was able to get in within 3 days and they also schedule surgery appt. months in advance, something I found out one time that Kadena does not do. All in all, from now on I will definitely be taking my animals to Noah’s!

  7. Hi there,
    I am the owner of a diabetic kitty which requires special cat food that’s high in protein in order to keep his diabetes under control. I am currently living in Canada, but applying for a job in Okinawa. What types of cat food are available in Japan? Are specialized diets available? My kitty currently eats Purina d/m (dietic management), which contains about 51% protein and only 18% carbohydrates. I am worried that I won’t be able to feed my cat as required if I move there…

    Thanks for any input you might have!

    Sisi

  8. I have heard a lot of good things about Noah’s and would most likely recommend it if I had any experience with it. However, I have to add that Animal Hospital 22 on 329 is also a wonderful place to take your pets. Recently my dog woke up in the morning completely paralyzed in the back. I was turned away at the Kadena vet ( which I am still disgusted by but that’s’ another matter) Unfortunately, Noah’s was not open that day and we chose animal hospital 22 by chance. I am so very glad that we did as they were very caring and professional. While our dog did not make it and ended up being put to sleep they were very considerate of our wishes and even went out of their way to help us after hours with cremation preparations and things. They always had English speaking staff available to help as well.

  9. Thank you so much for sharing this! Now I know where to take our pets when we get over there in October! 🙂

    Side note- are there a lot of dog friendly places in Oki? Either dog parks or beaches, etc? 🙂

  12. They are wonderful. When Kadena is full call them they will get you in and help you with your pet that is what they did for us. I have heard such wonderful things about them and having tried it myself I can agree!!!!!! Very caring and professional and English speaking staff on hand to help.

  13. My dachshund needed surgery quickly on a cherry eye. Kadena is the one that told us she needed surgery right away but they could not get us in for at least a month. We decided to give Noah a try. We were so impressed with their staff and especially the vet. He did not have anything in the near future for a surgery appointment so he said he would stay late that night, Friday night, and perform the surgery. I called around 8 pm to see how she was doing and left s message. The vet called me back within 10 minutes with a full report on my dog. I highly recommend them! I have been told they pray for our pets when we bring them in. That’s just heart warming for me and my family.