At the vet in Thai

พาหมามาให้หมอดูหน่อยครับ

phaa mǎa maa hâi mǎw duu nàwy khráp

I've brought my dog in for the vet to have a look at.

Male speaker

Thais call the vet หมอ (mǎw), the same word as a human doctor; สัตวแพทย์ is the formal title on the sign, not what you say at the desk. Announce the errand with พา...มา (I've brought it in) rather than stating what you want the vet to do — nobody at the counter says "I want the vet to look at my dog". Walk-ins are normal at neighbourhood clinics, so no appointment talk is needed first.

แมวไม่ค่อยสบายค่ะ

maew mâi khâwy sà-baai khâ

My cat isn't very well.

Female speaker

ไม่ค่อย softens ไม่ into "not very", which is how Thais report illness; a flat ไม่สบาย sounds more serious. Say this first, then wait, because the vet will immediately start asking the questions in group 2.

ต้องนัดก่อนไหมคะ

dtâwng nát gàwn máy khá

Do I need to book first?

Female speaker

นัด is the appointment itself and also the verb, so นัดไว้แล้วค่ะ means "I already have one booked". The question word is written ไหม but nobody says mǎi: in speech it is มั้ย, máy, high tone — say máy and listen for máy in every question in this set, or you will miss the question mark entirely. Watch the other particle too: a woman asking a question ends in คะ (khá, high), not ค่ะ.

แมวตัวเมียอายุปีนึงค่ะ

maew dtua-mia aa-yú bpii neung khâ

She's a female cat, one year old.

Female speaker

For animals the sexes are ตัวผู้ and ตัวเมีย, never ผู้ชาย/ผู้หญิง, and because Thai pronouns carry no gender the sex has to be said out loud. Note the spoken order for a single unit: ปีนึง, not the written หนึ่งปี — the "one" goes after the unit and หนึ่ง shortens to นึง. ขวบ is heard for age too but properly belongs to small children.

หมาตัวผู้อายุสามปีครับ

mǎa dtua-phûu aa-yú sǎam bpii khráp

He's a male dog, three years old.

Male speaker

หมา is the everyday word; สุนัข is the formal one on the clinic's paperwork and inside พิษสุนัขบ้า (rabies). Drop the เป็น a textbook would put in front — as an answer it sounds like a definition. With any number above one the order goes back to number + unit, so สามปี here against ปีนึง for one.

ไม่รู้ว่าพันธุ์อะไรครับ

mâi rúu wâa phan à-rai khráp

I don't know what breed it is.

Male speaker

พันธุ์ is pronounced simply phan; the ์ kills the final ธุ, so do not try to say the whole spelling. If the animal is a local mixed-breed, the vet will usually just write หมาไทย or พันทาง and move on.

เก็บมาจากข้างถนนค่ะ

gèp maa jàak khâang thà-nǒn khâ

I picked him up off the street.

Female speaker

เก็บมาเลี้ยง (picked up and kept) is the standard way to describe adopting a stray. Say it and the vet will work on the assumption that nothing has been vaccinated or wormed, which usually means starting the whole schedule from zero.

อยากทำหมันแมวค่ะ

yàak tham-mǎn maew khâ

I'd like to have the cat neutered.

Female speaker

ทำหมัน covers both spaying and castration, so it works for either sex. Expect to be given an appointment rather than have it done on the spot, and to be told งดน้ำงดอาหาร (no food or water) beforehand. Watch the tone: หมัน is mǎn (rising), while หมัด màt is a flea.

ทำหมันแล้วครับ

tham-mǎn láew khráp

He's already neutered.

Male speaker

This is the answer to the vet's ทำหมันหรือยัง. Thai answers a หรือยัง question with แล้ว (done) or ยัง (not yet), never with ใช่ or ไม่ใช่.

พามาฉีดวัคซีนพิษสุนัขบ้าครับ

phaa maa chìit wák-siin phít-sù-nák-bâa khráp

I've brought him in for his rabies shot.

Male speaker

พิษสุนัขบ้า is literally "mad dog poison" and is the only word for rabies you will hear; โรคกลัวน้ำ is dictionary-only. Say พามาฉีด (brought him in to be injected) rather than อยากฉีด, which with no object reads as wanting the shot for yourself. Rabies is present in Thailand and cats get it too, so do not treat this as a dog-only vaccine.

นี่สมุดวัคซีนค่ะ

nîi sà-mùt wák-siin khâ

Here's her vaccination book.

Female speaker

The little booklet the clinic stamps at every visit is the animal's whole medical record here, and there is usually no shared database between clinics. Bring it every time; without it a new vet has to assume nothing has been given.

เข็มต่อไปฉีดเมื่อไหร่คะ

khěm dtàw-bpai chìit mêua-rài khá

When's the next shot due?

Female speaker

Thai counts vaccinations in เข็ม (needles), so เข็มแรก is the first dose and เข็มที่สอง the second — the ordinal takes ที่. The due date usually gets written in the book rather than said out loud, so ask นัดเดือนไหนคะ if you want it spoken.

ขอยาถ่ายพยาธิด้วยครับ

khǎw yaa thàai phá-yâat dûay khráp

Can I get worming medicine as well?

Male speaker

ถ่าย here means to pass or expel and พยาธิ is the parasite; the phrase covers tablets and liquid alike. Adding ด้วย means "as well as what we came for", which is how you tack an extra item onto a consultation. Do not be thrown by the dictionary: the worm sense is listed as phá-yaa-thí, but at the counter you will hear phá-yâat.

หมามีเห็บหมัดเยอะมากค่ะ

mǎa mii hèp màt yóe mâak khâ

The dog is covered in ticks and fleas.

Female speaker

เห็บหมัด is a fixed compound said as one item — no กับ between them, however much the English wants one — and it is the wording on every anti-parasite product on the shelf. Ticks are a year-round problem here, not a seasonal one. Do not confuse หมัด màt (flea) with หมัน mǎn (sterilised).

มียาหยอดกันเห็บไหมครับ

mii yaa yàwt gan hèp máy khráp

Do you have spot-on drops for ticks?

Male speaker

ยาหยอด is anything applied in drops, including the pipette you squeeze onto the animal's neck; กัน means "to prevent", so กันเห็บ marks it as preventive rather than a cure. There are also chewable tablets, ยากิน, if the animal swims or is bathed often.

ไม่ยอมกินข้าวมาสองวันแล้วค่ะ

mâi yawm gin khâao maa sǎwng wan láew khâ

He's refused to eat for two days now.

Female speaker

ไม่ยอม means refuses, which is more useful than ไม่กิน (isn't eating): it tells the vet the animal is turning food down, not that you forgot to feed it. The มา in front of the duration is what makes it "for two days, up to now" — leave it out and it sounds like a finished episode. กินข้าว means "eat a meal" whether rice is involved or not.

หมาอ้วกตั้งแต่เมื่อคืนครับ

mǎa ûak dtâng-dtàe mêua-kheun khráp

The dog's been throwing up since last night.

Male speaker

อ้วก is what owners and staff both actually say about an animal; อาเจียน is the clinical word, fine to recognise on the record sheet but it sounds like reading a symptom list when it comes from you. ตั้งแต่ + a time point is the standard frame for "since", and it saves the vet asking how long.

ท้องเสียถ่ายมีเลือดปนค่ะ

tháwng-sǐa thàai mii lêuat bpon khâ

She has diarrhoea and there's blood in the stool.

Female speaker

ท้องเสีย is the same word used for humans, literally "spoiled stomach"; ถ่าย is the neutral verb for passing stool — the same ถ่าย as in ถ่ายพยาธิ — and naming it tells the vet the blood is in the stool rather than vomited. ปน means mixed in with. Say the blood part at the desk rather than saving it for the consulting room: some clinics will prioritise it, and all of them want to know early.

ขาหลังเจ็บเดินกะเผลกครับ

khǎa lǎng jèp doen gà-phlèek khráp

His back leg hurts and he's limping.

Male speaker

กะเผลก is the specific word for limping, but it describes the walking and cannot take the leg as an object — name the sore leg in its own clause first, as here. If the word will not come out, ขาเจ็บ alone is understood. Front and back legs are ขาหน้า and ขาหลัง, and the vet will want to know which one before touching the animal.

มีแผลที่ขาหน้าค่ะ

mii phlǎe thîi khǎa nâa khâ

There's a wound on her front leg.

Female speaker

แผล is any break in the skin, from a scratch to a surgical incision, so แผลผ่าตัด is the operation site. If it is from a fight with another animal say โดนกัด (was bitten), because that changes what the vet cleans it with.

เกาตลอดเวลาจนขนร่วงครับ

gao dtà-làwt wee-laa jon khǒn rûang khráp

He scratches constantly, to the point where his fur is coming out.

Male speaker

จน here means "to the point that", the most useful little word for describing symptoms: it links the behaviour to the damage. ขน covers fur, feathers and body hair; only head hair on a person is ผม.

แมวติดสัดร้องทั้งคืนเลยค่ะ

maew dtìt-sàt ráwng tháng kheun loei khâ

The cat's in heat and yowls all night long.

Female speaker

ติดสัด is the standard term for an animal in season; ร้อง covers any animal noise, from a cat yowling to a dog howling. Say this and the vet will steer you straight to ทำหมัน, which is the usual answer here.

คิดว่าแมวท้องครับ

khít wâa maew tháwng khráp

I think the cat is pregnant.

Male speaker

ท้อง on its own means both belly and pregnant, and for animals it is the normal word; ตั้งท้อง is the fuller form. The vet may reply ท้องกี่อาทิตย์แล้ว — spoken Thai says อาทิตย์ for a week, while สัปดาห์ is the written form — or say ขออัลตราซาวด์ดูนะ, which means they are about to scan her.

หมาโดนงูกัดครับ

mǎa dohn nguu gàt khráp

The dog's been bitten by a snake.

Male speaker

โดน marks something bad done to you and is the passive you need here; โดนงูกัด, โดนหมากัด, โดนรถชน all follow the pattern. This is a genuine emergency, so phone ahead if you can and say it as the very first thing when you arrive.

หมาไปงับคางคกมาค่ะ

mǎa bpai ngáp khaang-khók maa khâ

The dog went and grabbed a toad in his mouth.

Female speaker

ไป...มา around a verb means the animal went off, did it, and came back, which is exactly how this always happens. คางคก (toad) is not กบ (frog); toads carry a skin toxin and Thai vets deal with this often, so name the animal precisely.

น้ำลายไหลไม่หยุดครับ

nám-laai lǎi mâi yùt khráp

He's drooling non-stop.

Male speaker

น้ำลายไหล is the phrase for drooling, built like most Thai body-fluid terms on น้ำ plus a verb of flowing. It is the first sign after a toad in the mouth, so pair it with คางคก and the vet will know what to look for.

ด่วนมากช่วยดูให้หน่อยได้ไหมครับ

dùan mâak chûay duu hâi nàwy dâi máy khráp

It's really urgent — could you take a look at him?

Male speaker

ช่วย...ให้หน่อย is the ordinary polite request, and หน่อย is a softener that stays put: you add urgency separately, with ด่วนมาก at the front or tacked on the end, never by swapping an adjective into หน่อย's slot. If you need to say outright that it is an emergency, the word is ฉุกเฉิน (chùk-chǒen), the one on hospital signs.

ที่นี่รับฝากหมาไหมคะ

thîi-nîi ráp fàak mǎa máy khá

Do you take dogs for boarding here?

Female speaker

ฝาก means to leave something in someone's care — parcels, keys and animals alike — and รับฝาก is a business taking them in. Ask this first, because plenty of clinics do not board at all. Once they say yes, ช่วงที่ไม่อยู่ค่ะ ("for the period I'm away") covers the dates without committing you to a holiday story, and คิดราคายังไงคะ asks how they charge, since per night and per day are not the same thing.

อยากพาหมาไปต่างประเทศต้องเตรียมเอกสารอะไรบ้างครับ

yàak phaa mǎa bpai dtàang-bprà-thêet dtâwng dtriam èek-gà-sǎan à-rai bâang khráp

I want to take my dog abroad. What documents do I need to prepare?

Male speaker

พา is the verb for taking a person or animal somewhere; เอา is for objects and using it about your dog sounds off. อะไรบ้าง asks for a list rather than a single answer, which is what you want here, and requirements depend entirely on the destination country, so let the vet enumerate.

ที่นี่ออกใบรับรองสุขภาพสัตว์ได้ไหมคะ

thîi-nîi àwk bai-ráp-rawng sùk-khà-phâap sàt dâi máy khá

Can you issue an animal health certificate here?

Female speaker

ใบ is the classifier and prefix for any sheet of paper document, so ใบรับรอง is a certificate, ใบเสร็จ a receipt, ใบสั่งยา a prescription. Not every small clinic is authorised to issue this one, which is exactly why you ask before booking anything else.

เป็นมานานแค่ไหนคะ

bpen maa naan khâe-nǎi khá

How long has it been like this?

Female speaker

This is the first question in almost every consultation, so learn to recognise it cold. เป็น here means "to have a condition", and มา adds "up until now"; answer with a duration plus แล้ว, as in สามวันแล้ว.

กี่วันแล้วครับ

gìi wan láew khráp

How many days has it been?

Male speaker

The clipped form you will actually hear once the vet is busy writing; the subject and verb are simply dropped. Same frame for กี่ครั้งแล้ว (how many times) and กี่ตัว (how many animals).

น้องกินข้าวได้ไหมคะ

náwng gin khâao dâi máy khá

Is he managing to eat?

Female speaker

Clinic staff call your animal น้อง, literally "younger sibling", and it sits in front of most of these questions — น้องกินข้าวได้ไหมคะ, น้องอ้วกกี่ครั้งแล้วคะ, น้องทำหมันหรือยังคะ. Do not hear it as a person in the room. ได้ไหม here asks about ability, not permission: can the animal manage food at all. Answer กินได้, กินได้นิดหน่อย, or กินไม่ได้เลย.

น้องอ้วกกี่ครั้งแล้วคะ

náwng ûak gìi khráng láew khá

How many times has he vomited?

Female speaker

อ้วก is the plain word and everyone uses it, staff included, so it is not a lapse in politeness; อาเจียน is the formal one that goes on the record sheet. ครั้ง is the classifier for occurrences and is what you count with: สองครั้ง, หลายครั้ง.

ฉีดวัคซีนครบหรือยังครับ

chìit wák-siin khróp rěu yang khráp

Has it had its full course of vaccinations?

Male speaker

ครบ means the set is complete, not merely that one shot was given, so this asks about the whole schedule. Answer ครบแล้ว, ยังไม่ครบ, or ไม่รู้ครับ if it came off the street.

เอาสมุดวัคซีนมาด้วยไหมคะ

ao sà-mùt wák-siin maa dûay máy khá

Did you bring the vaccination book with you?

Female speaker

เอา...มา is the ordinary verb for bringing, and ด้วย is the part doing the work: along with you. If you left it at home, ไม่ได้เอามาค่ะ or ลืมมาครับ is the answer, and they will usually issue a fresh one.

น้องทำหมันหรือยังคะ

náwng tham-mǎn rěu yang khá

Has he been neutered yet?

Female speaker

หรือยัง presumes the thing will happen eventually and asks whether it has happened already; that presumption is cultural as much as grammatical, since neutering is treated as routine. ยัง alone is a complete answer.

เลี้ยงในบ้านหรือนอกบ้านคะ

líang nai bâan rěu nâwk bâan khá

Do you keep it indoors or outdoors?

Female speaker

Not small talk: the answer decides how seriously the vet weighs ticks, worms, fights and rabies exposure. เลี้ยง is the verb for keeping any animal, and also for raising children and for paying the bill at dinner.

ถ่ายพยาธิครั้งสุดท้ายเมื่อไหร่ครับ

thàai phá-yâat khráng sùt-tháai mêua-rài khráp

When was the last time it was wormed?

Male speaker

ครั้งสุดท้าย means the most recent occasion, and it is the standard way to ask about any repeated treatment. If you genuinely do not know, จำไม่ได้ครับ is better than guessing, because the interval determines what they give and when the next one is due.

ชั่งน้ำหนักก่อนนะคะ

châng nám-nàk gàwn ná khá

We'll weigh him first.

Female speaker

Every visit starts on the scale because doses are by weight, so expect to be asked to put the animal down on it. Note นะคะ: when a woman softens a statement with นะ, the particle that follows is written คะ and said khá, never ค่ะ.

ขอเจาะเลือดตรวจนะครับ

khǎw jàw lêuat dtrùat ná khráp

We'd like to take a blood sample to test.

Male speaker

ขอ + verb + นะ is a Thai professional's way of telling you what is about to happen while sounding like a request; it is not really asking. ตรวจ is the general verb for examining or testing and appears in ผลตรวจ (test results) and ห้องตรวจ (consulting room).

ต้องเอกซเรย์ดูก่อนครับ

dtâwng èek-sà-ree duu gàwn khráp

We'll have to x-ray him first to see.

Male speaker

เอกซเรย์ is an English loan and works as a verb on its own. The first syllable is the เอก of เอกสาร, low tone, though in fast speech many people clip it short to èk. ดูก่อน after a procedure means "to see what's there before deciding", so this is the vet saying no diagnosis is possible yet.

ขอให้น้ำเกลือก่อนนะคะ

khǎw hâi nám-gleua gàwn ná khá

We'll put him on a drip first.

Female speaker

น้ำเกลือ is literally salt water and is the everyday word for an IV drip, for animals and people both. ให้น้ำเกลือ is the fixed verb phrase; you will hear the same words in a human hospital.

ต้องนอนค้างคืนที่นี่นะคะ

dtâwng nawn kháang kheun thîi-nîi ná khá

He'll have to stay here overnight.

Female speaker

ค้างคืน means to stay the night somewhere that is not home, and it is used for hotels and hospital admissions alike. At larger animal hospitals you will hear the English loan แอดมิท used as a verb instead — ขอแอดมิทไว้ก่อนนะคะ means the same decision has just been taken. To find out for how long, ask กี่คืนคะ.

ต้องรอผลตรวจก่อนครับ

dtâwng raw phǒn dtrùat gàwn khráp

We'll have to wait for the test results first.

Male speaker

ผล is a result or outcome, so ผลตรวจ, ผลเลือด and ผลเอกซเรย์ all follow the same pattern. A Thai vet who does not yet know will say this rather than speculate, so do not press for a diagnosis at this point.

ฉีดยาแก้อักเสบให้นะคะ

chìit yaa gâe àk-sèep hâi ná khá

We'll give him an anti-inflammatory injection.

Female speaker

ยาแก้ + a problem is the universal frame for medicine: ยาแก้ปวด for pain, ยาแก้แพ้ for allergy. Be aware that ยาแก้อักเสบ is used loosely in Thailand for antibiotics as well as true anti-inflammatories, so if it matters to you, ask เป็นยาปฏิชีวนะไหมคะ.

ป้อนยาวันละสองครั้งหลังอาหารนะคะ

bpâwn yaa wan lá sǎwng khráng lǎng aa-hǎan ná khá

Give him the medicine twice a day, after food.

Female speaker

ป้อน is to put food or medicine into someone's mouth, used for babies and animals; กินยา would suggest the animal takes it willingly. วันละ + number + ครั้ง is the fixed frame for dosing frequency, and ละ means "per" everywhere else too.

อย่าให้เลียแผลนะครับ

yàa hâi lia phlǎe ná khráp

Don't let him lick the wound.

Male speaker

Spoken to a client, staff use อย่าให้ — ห้าม is the sign-and-paperwork register and lands hard aimed at someone's face, though you will read it on the discharge sheet. The instruction is absolute either way; the นะ is politeness, not flexibility.

ต้องใส่ปลอกคอกันเลียค่ะ

dtâwng sài bplàwk-khaw gan-lia khâ

He'll have to wear the anti-lick collar.

Female speaker

ปลอกคอ is any collar; adding กันเลีย (prevent-licking) makes it the plastic cone. Some staff just call it ลำโพง, "the loudspeaker", which is worth recognising because it sounds like nothing to do with the animal.

อีกเจ็ดวันมาตัดไหมนะคะ

ìik jèt wan maa dtàt mǎi ná khá

Come back in seven days to have the stitches out.

Female speaker

ไหม here is mǎi (rising), thread or silk — the stitches themselves. It is spelled exactly like the question particle ไหม, which in speech comes out as máy, and the นะคะ on the end is what tells you this is a statement rather than a question. อีก + a period of time + a verb is the standard "in X days, do Y".

ฝากได้แต่ต้องฉีดวัคซีนครบก่อนค่ะ

fàak dâi dtàe dtâwng chìit wák-siin khróp gàwn khâ

Yes, you can leave him with us, but his vaccinations have to be complete first.

Female speaker

The ...ได้แต่... shape is how Thais give a conditional yes, and the real content is always after แต่, so keep listening past the ได้. Boarding an animal with an incomplete vaccine record is normally refused, which is why the book matters.

เรื่องพาไปต่างประเทศต้องติดต่อกรมปศุสัตว์ครับ

rêuang phaa bpai dtàang-bprà-thêet dtâwng dtìt-dtàw grom bpà-sù-sàt khráp

For taking an animal abroad, you'll have to deal with the Department of Livestock Development.

Male speaker

เรื่อง + a topic at the front of a sentence means "as for", and it is how a Thai professional hands a subject over to someone else. กรมปศุสัตว์ is the government body that handles animal export paperwork; the clinic does the medical part, and requirements vary by destination country, so ask both sides.

จำได้ไหมคะว่างูอะไร

jam dâi máy khá wâa nguu à-rai

Do you remember what kind of snake it was?

Female speaker

Note where the particle lands: the question and its คะ come first and ว่า tacks the content on after, which is the natural order when something is urgent. จำได้ is "can recall" as a single unit; จำไม่ได้ is the negative and will be your honest answer more often than not. If you took a photo, say มีรูปค่ะ or มีรูปครับ and show it — far more useful than describing a snake in Thai.

เดี๋ยวโทรบอกนะคะ

dǐao thoo bàwk ná khá

We'll phone you and let you know.

Female speaker

เดี๋ยว at the start of a sentence means "shortly, later on", not "wait"; it is the ordinary future marker in speech. This is what you hear when you leave an animal in for the day, so make sure they have your number and that you answer unknown numbers that afternoon.

อาการดีขึ้นแล้วค่ะ

aa-gaan dii khêun láew khâ

His condition has improved.

Female speaker

อาการ is the state of an illness, the noun the vet uses throughout: อาการแย่ลง is the opposite. ขึ้น after an adjective means the change went upward, and แล้ว marks that the change has already happened.

ต้องผ่าตัดด่วนค่ะ

dtâwng phàa-dtàt dùan khâ

He needs emergency surgery.

Female speaker

ผ่าตัด is to operate; ผ่า alone means to cut open or split. You will be asked to sign a consent form, ใบยินยอม, and it is entirely acceptable to say ขอคิดแป๊บนึงค่ะ or ขอคิดแป๊บนึงครับ (let me think for a second) before you do.

เขาดุระวังโดนกัดนะคะ

khǎo dù rá-wang dohn gàt ná khá

He's aggressive, watch out he doesn't bite you.

Female speaker

ดุ is the word for an animal that is fierce or snappy, and it is also used affectionately of strict teachers. Say this before anyone reaches into the carrier; the staff will fetch a muzzle or a towel rather than take offence.

แมวไม่ยอมออกจากกระเป๋าค่ะ

maew mâi yawm àwk jàak grà-bpǎo khâ

The cat refuses to come out of the carrier.

Female speaker

A soft carrier is กระเป๋า (bag) and a hard one is กรงหิ้ว (grong hîu), the cage with a handle — plain กรง is the cage that stays at home, so it is กรงหิ้ว staff will say when they ask you to put the cat back in. ไม่ยอม is the same refusal verb you used about eating; it is the most useful negative in this whole set.

เขากลัวมากช่วยจับให้หน่อยได้ไหมครับ

khǎo glua mâak chûay jàp hâi nàwy dâi máy khráp

He's really frightened. Could you help hold him?

Male speaker

เขา is used for animals as freely as for people once the animal is a pet, and it carries no disrespect. จับ means to grip or restrain here, not to arrest; the nurse doing the holding is the one you are asking, not the vet.

ป้อนยาไม่ได้เขาคายออกหมดค่ะ

bpâwn yaa mâi dâi khǎo khaai àwk mòt khâ

I can't get the medicine into him, he spits it all out.

Female speaker

คาย is to spit out something already in the mouth, as opposed to ถ่ม which is spitting on the ground. Say this and the vet will usually offer ยาน้ำ (liquid) or an injection instead, so it is worth reporting rather than hiding.

กินยาแล้วอาการแย่ลงครับ

gin yaa láew aa-gaan yâe long khráp

After taking the medicine his condition got worse.

Male speaker

Verb + แล้ว + result is the ordinary "after X, Y happened" frame, and it stops short of accusing anyone, which matters in a Thai clinic. ลง after an adjective is the downward counterpart of ขึ้น: แย่ลง worse, ดีขึ้น better.

เขาเลียแผลจนแผลเปิดอีกแล้วค่ะ

khǎo lia phlǎe jon phlǎe bpòet ìik láew khâ

He's licked the wound until it opened up again.

Female speaker

แผลเปิด is the wound coming open; if stitches have gone, ไหมหลุด (the stitches came out) is more precise. อีกแล้ว means "yet again" and carries the exasperation you feel.

ทำสมุดวัคซีนหายขอเล่มใหม่ได้ไหมคะ

tham sà-mùt wák-siin hǎai khǎw lêm mài dâi máy khá

I've lost the vaccination book. Can I get a new one?

Female speaker

ทำ...หาย is the fixed way to say you lost something, with the object sitting in the middle; หาย alone means it disappeared on its own. เล่ม is the classifier for books, so เล่มใหม่ means "a new one" without repeating สมุด.

ขอเลื่อนนัดได้ไหมครับ

khǎw lêuan nát dâi máy khráp

Could I move my appointment?

Male speaker

เลื่อน means to slide an appointment to another time, and on its own it is heard as postponing; to bring it forward you must say เลื่อนเข้ามา, and to name the new day, เลื่อนเป็นพรุ่งนี้. Phone the same morning rather than not turning up; surgery slots in particular are held for you.

พูดช้าๆหน่อยได้ไหมคะ

phûut cháa-cháa nàwy dâi máy khá

Could you speak a bit more slowly?

Female speaker

The ๆ mark doubles the preceding word and softens it, so ช้าๆ is "a bit slowly" rather than a demand. If the answer still comes too fast, ask them to write it down: เขียนให้หน่อยได้ไหมคะ, which also gets you the drug name in Thai.

ผมโดนหมากัดต้องไปฉีดวัคซีนไหมครับ

phǒm dohn mǎa gàt dtâwng bpai chìit wák-siin máy khráp

The dog bit me. Do I need to go and get the vaccine?

Male speaker

Ask about the shot, not about seeing a doctor — everyone knows a bite means the hospital, and หมอ in this room means the vet you are talking to. A vet clinic cannot treat you and will send you to a โรงพยาบาล, but the staff are the fastest people to ask what to do next. Any bite or scratch that breaks the skin is taken seriously in Thailand because of rabies, so go the same day; the ambulance number is 1669.

ถ้าเขาทรมานมากคุณหมอบอกตรงๆได้เลยครับ

thâa khǎo thaw-rá-maan mâak khun mǎw bàwk dtrong-dtrong dâi loei khráp

If he's suffering badly, please just tell me straight.

Male speaker

ทรมาน is suffering or being tormented, the word used when an animal is in pain with no good outcome ahead. Address the vet as คุณหมอ rather than bare หมอ in a sentence this loaded: the extra beat of respect is what makes it a request instead of a demand. Thai medical staff soften bad news heavily out of consideration, so ...ได้เลย (feel free to) is how you give them permission to be blunt.

ขอโทรปรึกษาที่บ้านก่อนได้ไหมคะ

khǎw thoh bprèuk-sǎa thîi bâan gàwn dâi máy khá

Can I call home and discuss it first?

Female speaker

ปรึกษา is to consult or talk something over, and it is the polite word for needing another person's input before deciding. Use it when you are asked to approve surgery or a course of treatment; nobody will think worse of you for stepping outside to call.