scallyuk

Just said a temporary goodbye to our 2 cats being shipped tonight . We ship out on 17th.

Both cats were supposed to share a crate on the plane but we've just had a call from airsupply to say that they've been trying to tear each other apart.
Despite calming sprays and taking them out of the crate they've had to be separated and put into separate containers which means an extra £450 - that's where the ouch comes in.

If they hadn't separated them they could have been refused permission to fly.

They also said that my vet had made a complete pigs ear of the documentation.
Apparently Vets shouldn't complete the export cert in BLACK ink as the AQIS people won't accept it's an original . It needs to be in Blue/Red. Something to bear in mind if you're shipping animals.

My vet made it sound like she did this regularly but obviously not.

Anyway we just hope that everything goes ok from now on.

Neil

Hutch

Yea - we found UK vets to be a bit conservative with the truth. I remember our local one saying that he didn't know why the bothered vaccinating dogs for lepto since it was so uncommon - and yet a friend of ours, also a vet, said that they had five or six cases a year and it was so virulent that when they did they had to close the entire practice. Definitely ouch re: the cost - with retests etc we had a similar 'surcharge' on our pooch.

Max&Ozzy

why didn't the shippers offer you a split container, with a mesh partition through the middle. They can see and smell each other for security, but not actually touch, or scrap?

Good advice re the ink.

cheers,
graham

Lewis Lapthorn

When I saw the price and hassle, I thought of sending my useless mutt to the abattoir, and then spending a quarter of the money I'd save by buying a proper dog upon arrival, and then attributing the remainder towards an outboard for the Lapster's forthcoming new marine vessel - bound for the calm shores of the river that is the Swan.

Needless to say, when suggested to the household diplomacy bloody won.

scallyuk

They apparently tried one but they just hissed at each other and one was bouncing off the mesh trying to get to the other one.

Wierd as they are never agressive at home perhaps they just picked up on the general stress of the situation.

Max&Ozzy

Oh right. Sounds unusual, but then again maybe things weren't like that at all. I hope this isn't a trick and what has really happened is the shippers have just earned some easy money. Who is the beneficiary of the extra £450?

Makes me wonder if iI'llbe experiencing something similar with my two.

scallyuk

I asked that question too. I've seen the invoice now . Mostly Qantas plus some extra for the 'port vet to seal an extra kennel. "they" get £45 for the kennel and that's all.

The admin stuff they did free because it was them who advised me that the cats would be fine in one kennel.

N