Leaving On A Jet Plane - International Travel & Pets

Traveling across town to with your pet in the car can be an adventure; traveling outside the country with your pet can be like navigating between the Scylla and Charybdis. I should know. I currently run an Air Force clinic, and we help people get their furry family members overseas on a daily basis. Every single country in the world gets to make its own decisions about what hoops you need to jump through to import your pet. They also get to change them whenever they want.

This article is geared toward travel outside North America (including Hawaii). Mexico and Canada are fortunately pretty easy to travel between. For travel outside North America with your pet the best advice I can give you is this - start early (like yesterday), research thoroughly, and double-check everything. You will need at least a month's lead time, and for countries like Japan you may need six months or more.

This is also one situation where I'll tell you your veterinarian is not the expert; few vets ever send pets to Japan, let alone Moldova. They'll do everything they can to help, but ultimately it's your responsibility to become the expert and make sure everything Muffy needs to get where you're going is taken care of. This article should give you the tools to turn yourself into that expert. If you're serious about this, you might also start by make yourself a nice, calming cup of chamomile.

Before You Do Anything Else:

1. Contact the consulate of the country you are traveling to; this is the horse's mouth, so to speak, when it comes to what is required to get into that country. You must do what they require or they can detain your pet. You must know what the current and specific requirements are. 


2. APHIS is another good resource for export regulations. The country in question has the final word, but the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service maintains information on most countries at the website above, which may (or may not) help to clarify instructions from the consulate.


3. Research airlines. They all get to make their own rules about what can fly, how it flies, and how much it costs. Pets with significant health issues may be okay to fly in the cabin, but they should not fly in cargo - often that is the only option for international travel. Your flight plan is an additional consideration; if you have a layover in a country other than the destination you might need to make import arrangements for that country too.


4. Check out this article for tips on making travel less stressful for you and your pet.

Things You WILL Need:

1. Current rabies vaccination and certificate: Usually this must be done at least a month prior to travel, and for some countries can be six months or longer. This is currently all you need for Canada. Vaccination must also occur after microchip implantation.


2. Veterinary health certificate: Your vet will need to examine your pet and sign a form attesting that they are in good health and free of disease. APHIS Form 7001 is good for general travel; however, many countries require special certificates (especially if English is not the national language). Contact the country's consulate or check with APHIS to be sure. 


3. ISO Compliant microchip: Unfortunately, some US microchips may not work for international travel. ISO-compliant 134.2kHz chips are the current international standard. Check your pet's number, if it's 15 digits you're OK. If not, you'll need to get a new chip or bring a scanner with you. Excepting a few unique situations, I wouldn't recommend the later. A scanner costs $150-$200, and more importantly, if your pet were lost while traveling no one could read the chip to get them back to you.


4. USDA endorsement: Generally, you will be required to visit your local USDA office after getting a health certificate from your regular vet. You do not need to bring your pet with you, just all the documentation. They will make sure everything is in order, which is great since small mistakes - which can lead to big problems at foreign airports - are easy to make in this process.

Things You MAY Need:

1. Anti-Parasite Treatment: Many countries require treatment for parasites shortly before travel. This generally needs to be given by your veterinarian and attested to on the health certificate, so make the appointment with that in mind. As a side note, it may be worth considering a broad-spectrum deworming when you get home as a precaution against any unwanted stowaways in Muffy's gut. Talk to your vet.


2. Other Vaccines: Since they all get to make their own rules, countries may require all sorts of vaccines or treatments. Guam, for instance, requires Coronavirus vaccination...which is pretty silly if you ask me, since the vaccine is junk and the disease isn't very serious. But no one asks me, and if you want to take your pet overseas you have to play by that country's rules, period. It's also a good idea to ask your vet if there's anything Muffy hasn't had that might be recommended - Bordetella (kennel cough) and leptospirosis in particular.


3. FAVN (rabies) testing: This is a special blood test that verifies your pet has enough antibodies against rabies to prevent infection - in other words, that the pet was effectively vaccinated. It is required for import into most rabies-free countries and quite a few others as well. This often requires a lot of planning and time, since:

• Your pet generally needs at least two prior rabies vaccinations, at least two weeks prior to testing.
• At least one vaccination must happen after microchip implantation.
• Getting results often takes 2-4 weeks.
• After the test, there is usually a minimum waiting period before importation of anywhere from 3 weeks to 6 months.
• There's always the possibility your pet fails the test - though this is unlikely if they have a good vaccination history.

Your veterinarian likely runs few, if any, FAVN tests; look like a genius and tell them they can send the blood to Kansas State University for testing. Likewise, if there are any unusual vaccines, treatments, or forms required your veterinarian may need a significant heads-up period to get what you need, or may need to send you to another vet. Hardly anyone stocks coronavirus vaccine, for instance.

If you've read all this and you still want to travel internationally with your pet...I admire your fortitude. You either really love Muffy, or you're crazy. Probably a little of both. But with preparation and planning, it is manageable.