dog as extra baggage
#1
Newbie in New Zealand
Thread Starter
Joined: Sep 2010
Location: Omokoroa until January
Posts: 135
dog as extra baggage
My dog groomer told me yesterday about a breeder who regularly takes dogs out to USA as extra baggage for just £150.
Has anyone explored this option or has everyone used pet shippers?
Has anyone explored this option or has everyone used pet shippers?
#2
Re: dog as extra baggage
You have to use accredited pet shippers into New Zealand as the quarantine rules are very strict, and they will not accept pets brought in privately. Good news is that from the UK, as long as yuo follow the rules and use an approved company, there is no quarantine. Companies include Golden Arrow and Lady Hay, do a search on here for more info.
#3
Forum Regular
Joined: Feb 2009
Location: Wellington
Posts: 217
Re: dog as extra baggage
I think "as extra baggage" refers to the fact that any animal cargo is priced according to the "extra baggage" charges per kilogram/cubic metre. I.e. their "ticket" price is determined by their weight and crate dimensions X extra baggage price per kilo. This still doesn't mean that pet cargo is treated like "excess baggage" anywhere: there are very strict rules about animal transport, and all animal transport has to be made according to these rules or the airlines will simply refuse to take the animal on board. You can't just show up at the airport with a pet as "excess baggage".
It is true that some (but not all!) airlines may allow you to take a pet as part of your cabin luggage if the pet and its crate weigh less than 8 kgs and can be fitted underneath the seat in front of you for the whole journey. However, this depends greatly according to the airline, the route, the destination's regulations and the duration of the flight (mostly short flights within one continent). Some airlines don't allow pets in the cabin at all, and some countries only accept animals imported only as pet cargo (i.e. transported in a special, warm, pressurized air cargo hold in the plane). Some countries don't accept animals that haven't been shipped through a professional shipping company -NZ is one of these countries, and Air NZ will only transport pets as pet cargo.
As Jan n Neil already mentioned, the good thing with pets from the UK is that providing that they're vaccinated and then tested against rabies and have other required vaccinations & tests done, there is no quarantine for them on arrival.
It is true that some (but not all!) airlines may allow you to take a pet as part of your cabin luggage if the pet and its crate weigh less than 8 kgs and can be fitted underneath the seat in front of you for the whole journey. However, this depends greatly according to the airline, the route, the destination's regulations and the duration of the flight (mostly short flights within one continent). Some airlines don't allow pets in the cabin at all, and some countries only accept animals imported only as pet cargo (i.e. transported in a special, warm, pressurized air cargo hold in the plane). Some countries don't accept animals that haven't been shipped through a professional shipping company -NZ is one of these countries, and Air NZ will only transport pets as pet cargo.
As Jan n Neil already mentioned, the good thing with pets from the UK is that providing that they're vaccinated and then tested against rabies and have other required vaccinations & tests done, there is no quarantine for them on arrival.
#4
Re: dog as extra baggage
No rabies tests needed for UK dogs we brought three over with Golden Arrow and they did not have this. The reason that there is no quarantine for dogs from the UK is that the UK, along with NZ, and two other countries that I forget, are the only officially rabies-free countries in the world. Hence the lack of quarantine too
The big thing here is leptospirosis. UK dogs are vaccinated against it, and NZ dogs are not. The problem then is that the UK dog tests postive for lepto when being tested for emigration, and has to go on a course of antibiotics to kill the lepto vaccine One of ours, who had been recently vaccinated, had to go through this.
The other bit of good news is that in NZ dogs only get vaccinated every 3 years not one, as it's the lepto vaccine that only lasts one year. They don't have lepto in NZ, so they don't need to protect against it. All the other bits of the vaccine last 3 years.
Vets bills are quite cheap too, in comparison to the UK. One of our dogs had total renal failure and pancreatitis, and was on a drip for a week in the vets hospital plus load of tests etc, and it was about $1000. Dog is fine now
Sorry, rambling a bit
Jan
#5
Forum Regular
Joined: Feb 2009
Location: Wellington
Posts: 217
Re: dog as extra baggage
Sorry, meant leptospirosis, not rabies. Testing for rabies in a rabies-free country wouldn't make much sense...
Interestingly, we were told to have our dogs vaccinated against leptospirosis in NZ -it doesn't exist "back home" so the dogs weren't vaccinated against it. Maybe it depends on the region where you live in NZ? http://vetcaretauranga.co.nz/uploads...ptowebsite.pdf
Interestingly, we were told to have our dogs vaccinated against leptospirosis in NZ -it doesn't exist "back home" so the dogs weren't vaccinated against it. Maybe it depends on the region where you live in NZ? http://vetcaretauranga.co.nz/uploads...ptowebsite.pdf
#6
Newbie in New Zealand
Thread Starter
Joined: Sep 2010
Location: Omokoroa until January
Posts: 135
Re: dog as extra baggage
Thank you for your replies. I guessed as much but felt it was worth asking the question anyway.
I think we will be using Golden Arrow who have quoted £1600 to take our westie.:
I think we will be using Golden Arrow who have quoted £1600 to take our westie.: