Young people who cannot afford medical treatment for their cats and dogs have turned rural veterinarians into top influencers with 5 million followers.
The pet circle finally has its own "Electronic Hua Tuo".
In the past year, "Veterinarian Lao Qian (Three Conditions Not Treated)" from Tangshan, Hebei (hereinafter referred to as "Lao Qian") has become the "savior of furry kids" in the hearts of countless pet owners because of his low fees and excellent medical skills.
Offline, a seemingly ordinary small clinic has made pet owners line up on the street. Some people even drive 600 kilometers to get their pets treated. Online, since he posted his first video on social media in May 2025, in just one year and with 79 videos, "Lao Qian" has accumulated over 5.8 million followers across the internet.
Nowadays, "Lao Qian" has become a top blogger in the veterinarian field. Many netizens often call out in the comment section, "Can we have a Lao Qian in every city?"
So, what kind of charm does "Lao Qian" have that makes countless pet owners follow his updates day and night and line up offline? What kind of creative trend does the popularity of "Lao Qian" reveal?
A rural veterinarian Lao Qian is popular for treating cats and dogs for just a few dollars
"Lao Qian", whose real name is Qian Yong, worked as a military dog trainer in the army for 8 years. After retiring, he studied animal medicine for 3 years and "treated large livestock for more than a decade". Then he opened a pet clinic in Tangshan, specializing in treating cats and dogs.
On May 16, 2025, "Lao Qian" started sharing his daily experiences of treating cats and dogs on platforms like Douyin, which marked the beginning of his popularity.
At first, the rhythm of "Lao Qian"'s videos was relatively slow. One video usually only recorded the treatment process of one pet. But starting from last June, perhaps learning from the video style of "Beyond Home Appliance Repair", the so - called "Home Appliance Hua Tuo", "Lao Qian" not only used the same "Electronic Hua Tuo March", but also accelerated the video rhythm and increased the information content. After that, his followers began to grow steadily.
Nowadays, "Lao Qian"'s videos usually start with a row of cats and dogs lying obediently for infusion. He first shows the pets' hospitalization environment and then records the daily treatment of cats and dogs:
This cat got into a fight with other cats and its hind leg is lame. It needs to disinfect the wound. That dog has parvovirus. After checking, its body temperature is 39 degrees and the virus is weak, not very serious. So, give it two injections first and tell the owner not to feed it water or food.
The different conditions of cats and dogs and the different reactions of pet owners seem to make people experience all kinds of joys and sorrows. "Lao Qian"'s skilled treatment of cats and dogs makes people believe that cats and dogs will eventually be cured.
NewRank data shows that in the past month, "Lao Qian" has gained over 760,000 followers on Douyin alone and has a viral video with over 2 million likes. A netizen left a message, "It's cheap and amazing. I'm really impressed."
Behind the popularity of "Lao Qian" are actually the combined effects of multiple factors.
First of all, pets are a vertical field with huge traffic, which gives "Lao Qian" a very high traffic ceiling.
In recent years, keeping pets has become the choice of more and more people. The "2026 China Pet Industry White Paper" shows that in 2025, the number of urban dogs and cats in China has reached as high as 126 million. On social media, cute and well - behaved pets have also become one of the biggest traffic magnets.
Take Douyin for example. NewRank data shows that there are at least 1,016 cute pet bloggers with over one million followers on Douyin. Among them, the Douyin account of "❤️ Liu Erdou Who Can Talk ❤️" has as many as 33.56 million followers.
When cute pets get into trouble or have minor ailments, anxious pet owners will naturally look for reliable veterinarians through various channels. NewRank data shows that there are at least 4,047 veterinarian - related accounts on Douyin, among which at least 6 have over one million followers.
Secondly, "Lao Qian"'s highly cost - effective medical services are in sharp contrast to the many irregularities in the pet medical industry, which makes him a clear stream in the eyes of pet owners.
As of June 11, there were 7,133 complaints related to "pet hospitals" on the consumer service platform HeiMao Complaint. The complaints included overcharging, selling fake products, misdiagnosis and mistreatment, ordering unnecessary examinations, and incomplete qualifications.
A pet doctor also mentioned in an interview with the "Economic Daily", "Some merchants will attract customers with low - price packages and then 'rip off' customers by adding service items. Many novice pet owners are confused when facing a large number of examination items and can only pay obediently."
In the eyes of some pet owners, pet hospitals are "good for nothing but asking for money". In contrast, "Lao Qian" seems extremely reliable.
On the one hand, all kinds of diseases that worry pet owners seem to be easily cured by "Lao Qian".
A dog was accidentally hit by a vehicle. After checking, "Lao Qian" judged that the bones were okay and only needed to apply medicine and iodine for recovery. A cat had an ear edema. "Lao Qian" found it was caused by ear mites. First, he became an ear - cleaning master, cleaned the cat's ear canal, then pumped out the pus and blood in the ear, carefully disinfected it, and finally told the owner to continue disinfecting the cat at home.
"Lao Qian" doesn't think he is a miracle doctor and often says "Let me give it a try". He frankly admits that he mainly treats diseases based on experience and has never seen many difficult and complicated diseases. However, the large number of post - treatment photos of pet owners in the comment section of "Lao Qian"'s videos and the many thank - you banners hanging in his offline clinic make pet owners believe that it's safe to go to "Lao Qian".
On the other hand, "Lao Qian"'s reasonable charges have amazed many pet owners.
A 1.5 - yuan deworming medicine, a 10 - yuan vaccine, and a 100 - yuan per - day hospitalization fee have made many pet owners who have spent unjust money "break down". Someone left a message, "Such a small amount of money, only three to five hundred yuan to treat cats and dogs." Someone said regretfully, "Only 30 yuan for urinary obstruction? I spent over 9,000 yuan."
The reason for the low cost is not complicated. "Lao Qian" once explained in a video that he doesn't charge registration fees or consultation fees and doesn't conduct all kinds of fancy examinations. He mainly treats cats and dogs based on experience. Coupled with the low rent and equipment costs, he can naturally keep the price close to the cost price. From the videos, we can also see that even for a few - yuan medicine, "Lao Qian" will dispense it according to the dosage and won't prescribe more medicine.
Because of the reasonable price and the publicity of many pet owners, the popularity of "Lao Qian"'s clinic is getting higher and higher. Not only is the comment section full of pet owners seeking help, but the number of queuing numbers at the offline clinic has also increased from 25 to 40. A netizen shared that if pet owners from other places don't arrive early, they may not be able to get a number and end up making a wasted trip.
Image source: Gaode
Finally, the relaxing and healing pictures have magnified the attractiveness of "Lao Qian"'s content. The spontaneous communication and sharing of pet owners in the comment section have turned "Lao Qian"'s comment section into a community for pet owners to communicate.
From "Lao Qian"'s early videos, we can find that the process of treating pets is not pleasant. There are often bloody pictures, which can easily make people fall into the sad atmosphere of sick cats and dogs. However, after the video adjustment, whether it's the lively "Electronic Hua Tuo March", "Lao Qian"'s smooth treatment techniques, or the cats and dogs lying obediently for infusion and getting more and more energetic, all make people feel a kind of healing warmth.
The most common video cover of "Lao Qian" shows cats and dogs sitting in a row in the clinic for hospitalization
As more and more pet owners follow "Lao Qian", many people regard the comment section of "Lao Qian" as a pet - owner community. Some people share their pets' treatment experiences, some people seriously learn the pet - keeping knowledge shared by "Lao Qian", and some people follow "Lao Qian"'s videos like a TV series. They sometimes tease the pets that can only lie in the bags because they haven't paid the hospitalization fee and sometimes comment on the various strange thank - you banners in "Lao Qian"'s clinic.
In fact, the doctor - patient relationship has always been a complex issue. Even "Lao Qian" has specifically written "Three Conditions Not Treated" on his account. The key reason why he can stand out and win the trust of a large number of pet owners is that what netizens pursue is not just a "miracle doctor" who can provide cost - effective medical services, but a kind of the most simple respect for life.
As "Lao Qian" said in a video, "I've seen too many owners throw their cats and dogs by the roadside because they can't afford the treatment. I keep the price as low as possible to give the furry kids a better chance of survival. Spend a few dozen yuan to give it a try. If it's cured, it's a blessing. If not, the owners won't feel too bad."
In January this year, "Lao Qian" specially sorted out and shared the treatment methods for common pet diseases, and put the drugs on platforms like Douyin and Kuaishou. He detailed the indications, usage, and dosage of the drugs, hoping to help more pet owners.
The editorial department of NewRank