windsong

Hello, Victoria - and welcome

Yes, I agree. Transporting pets is the most stressful part of the move. It's necessary to find a vet to do the paperwork who is accredited by the USDA. There should be a USDA office in your city or at least in your state. The USDA signs off on the paperwork after the vet has completed it. I am wading through this process myself at the moment. Here are the USDA regulations:

USDA - APHIS - Regulations and Assessments

It's really not a complex process at all but the paperwork has to be completed correctly so it is advisable to understand it yourself so you can check it for errors.

I haven't come across a single person on this forum whose pets were not fine when they arrived at the other end which is great news.

BA and Virgin take extremely good care of pets.

VictoriaRebecca

Yeah, I've got the paperwork down - sadly I'm leaving behind an incredible vet. So far I've found BA to be my best option with a direct flight from LAX -> LHR and then will just drive from there to manchester. I just called a Delta as one of the threads on here mentioned they fly straight into Manchester but they have flight restrictions during the summer. So really I just need to bite the bullet and hope and pray everything goes well.

lgabriel73

To be honest after 18 years away I haven't really experienced this reverse culture shock that everyone is talking about. Yes things are different and you have to re-learn things, but its not that bad. I have found people to be extremely friendly and much more helpful than in the US and not fitting in hasn't been a problem. Yes, people comment on my "american accent" but it doesn't mean they don't accept you. I have found people to be much more open and friendly int he UK than in the States.
My dog flew in cargo with Virgin and she made the trip safe and sound. She is an extremely anxious dog and I was worried but she did well and has adjusted very quickly since we got back. To be honest with cats its much easier than dogs and chances are they will just sleep in the cargo through the flight.

windsong

I called Delta, too, and while British Airways has flight restrictions for pets from Denver during the summer, Delta did not. Perhaps it is that they have restrictions out of some cities but not others, although BA will not fly them from anywhere in the USA during the summer months. (I am looking at flying into Manchester - or Edinburgh, Scotland. It all depends when the airline has a flight for pets because they cannot fly on all flights we see on, for example, expedia.com.) I will be selecting a flight that departs in the morning or in the evening when it is much cooler. Keep in mind, that if pets are on board, there has to be at least a three-hour layover in the connecting city. The airline needs this time to move and tend to the animals on board. When I talked to United, they forgot about this three-hour window and I had to remind them because they were recommending a flight with only a one-hour stop. I have found that every airline that flies pets needs three hours. It's not just one airline.

I am getting conflicting information from different airlines as to what is to be paid and who is to handle the pets on arrival once in the UK, so I am calling the pet center at the both Manchester and Edinburgh to find out the "real" facts.

Also, Lufthansa told me I need a European Health Certificate which I was told is written in both German and English. They are going to email me a sample of this document so I can make sure it is the same as what is usually known as an "international" health certificate. It seems airlines may have additional paperwork to be completed which is in addition to that required by DEFRA/APHIS.

windsong

Is the DEFRA paperwork the same thing as a Third Country Health Certificate? I think it is but I'd like to be sure. The paperwork the vet is completing is here:

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/regulation...n_com_pets.pdf

(I think this is the same thing as the Third Country Health Certificate.)

So . . . to summarize what I need for the pets:

1 - DEFRA paperwork
2 - Third Country Health Certificate (if not the same as in 1 above)
3 - Rabies vaccination certificate (to include microchip number)
4 - Letter from vet stating microchips were inserted prior to rabies vaccination
4 - HMRC Customs Declaration - Form C5

Form C5 is here:

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/forms/c5.pdf

And, of course, one set of the above for each dog.

Have I missed anything?

lgabriel73

You only need the one third country health certificate as you can have up to five dogs on it. Supporting docs need to be for each dog though. And don't forget whichever airline you end up flying with will require a fitness to fly certificate from the vet also, one for each dog. Each airline has their own so when you book you will need to make sure you get theirs from them.

windsong

Thank you. Good to know I need only one.

Is the Third Country Health Certificate this . . .

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/regulation...n_com_pets.pdf

I am trying to decipher if it is separate from the DEFRA paperwork completed by the vet or one and the same thing.

lgabriel73

The DEFRA paperwork is the third country health certificate that will be completed by the vet.

windsong

Thank you! That's one less thing to have to see to!

windsong

At which point of travel do the pet docs come into play, i.e. are they looked at prior to the pets boarding the plane for departure or is it when you land in the UK - or both? I am wondering who scrutinizes them closely.

lgabriel73

You give the paperwork to the cargo people who attach it all to the crate and it flies with your dogs. At Cargo drop off they do not look through it detail just a cursory glance to make sure all pages are signed and everything that is needed is there. When your pets arrive in the UK the ARC then takes the paperwork and inspects it fully. If there are problems with the paperwork then you won't know until you land.

windsong

Thanks. All the more reason to make sure it is correct.

Re the tapeworm treatment, is this correct:

- Treatment must have praziquantel or equivalent as its active ingredient.

Once tapeworm treatment is completed, vet does the following:

- Updates the health certificate with the name and manufacturer of the product used to treat the dogs
- Enters date and time they were treated on certificate
- Adds his signature and stamp to the certificate

I think it's easier to do the tapeworm treatment after APHIS signs the paperwork and they said this was okay, too. However, since APHIS won't see the notations about the tapeworm treatment on the certificate, I need to make sure the above is all listed correctly on the certificate by the vet.

lgabriel73

Yes that is correct about the tapeworm treatment and the UK does not require that the APHIS vet see the documentation about the tapeworm treatment it is acceptable for your regular vet to do it after the health certificate has been signed by APHIS. Make sure that your vet uses the praziquantel treatment. My vet actually showed me the treatment so that I was 100% sure it was the correct one. I have heard of people not using the right one and having problems when they land.

windsong

Thanks. I will definitely make sure he shows it to me.

MoshiMoshi

Plus the aforementioned fit-to-fly document, and/or anything else requested by your airline, this looks fine.

Be sure to photocopy the whole dossier and keep the duplicate in your hand luggage! As lgabriel73 says, the original papers will be attached to the animals' crates; they're stuck on pretty firmly, but it doesn't hurt to have an extra set.