Taking a dog to the US
 

Hi,
Can anyone point me any websites with information about taking a dog(gsd) to the states. Or any threads where the question has been asked before. I'm interested in the process with special interest in the time frame!
Like does the dog have to have had the jabs a certain time before travelling. Whats it cost? Will she be looked after or be left to fend for herself for 10 hours?
I'm sure all these have been covered before!
Any help appreciated.
Thanks

Re: Taking a dog to the US
 

Hi brisca,

I am using Airpets to ship my cat to Tucson, and can heartily recommend them for answering all your questions. I have spent much time on the phone to them lately and they have been extremely patient and helpful.

website: www.airpets.com
phone: 01753 685571

Best wishes,

Heather

Re: Taking a dog to the US
 

I've also heard great things about Airpets, we brought a 2 year old border collie in with us a few years ago and did it all ourselves, we had an excellent vet in the UK that had been through the pet passport application scheme with others so was amazingly helpful, everything is very straightforward but if you don't need the hassle, airpets can do it all for you for a fee.

Good Luck

Chris

Re: Taking a dog to the US
 

Yes, my vet was really great too .. and gave me all the info regarding the pet passport scheme. My cat is all ready to go now.

Heather

Re: Taking a dog to the US
 

Hi

I brought my dog over July 2003 and brought my cat over March 2004 and did both myself. Basically, you need to get your dog microchipped first, then ge tthe rabies shot, then get the blood test 30 days after the rabies shot then if the vaccine levels are good the pet passport is issued with a vet letter/certificate a few days prior to travel. Rabies shot isn't actually needed but once here in the US it is necessary, so it's worth doing it anyway.

Here are a few previous threads from earlier this year that discuss the whole thine.


http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...pets+dogs+cats

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...pets+dogs+cats

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...hreadid=230370

Good luck with your dog, she/he will be fine.

Maggie

Where are you flying from & to ? If BA operate the flight you can take your dog as extra luggage on the same plane you fly on.

They charged me 210 quid last year to fly a Jack Russell from Heathrow to DC. You need a box that is big enough for the mutt to turn round in, and also a water container.

You have to go to a vets less than a week before you fly to get a fitness to travel certificate. There is no need to have any rabies vaccination before you fly, UNLESS you are going to Hawaii. But the dog must have a rabies vaccine within 30 days of arrival in the US. Rabies vaccines take about a month to kick in, then the dog needs bloodwork doing to make sure everything is OK.

I must warn you about the extreme temperatures that the dog will experience compared to the UK weather he is used to. My dog collapsed today and had a seizure, he just lay on the ground peeing himself and twiching. Scared the crap out of me, I thought he was dead. Fortunately the wife rushed home from work & we rushed him to the vets. $ 122 later he has had some bloodworks and they can tell me what it is not, but not what it is yet.

Luckily he seems to have made a recovery. He was barking like mad when the wife came home from work this evening, and has been able to run around the garden, although I have been watching him like a hawk.

jeez.......... that sounds a bit rough.

Our black lab get's VERY hot, so we bought it a paddling pool to cool off in.

Luckily he seems to be none the worse for the incident. Subdued but otherwise OK.

when my Charlie collapsed with heatstroke last year I had the biggest crisis. Luckily he came through it unharmed but if we'd lost him it would have been my fault for insisting on bringing him to the US.

Charlie sends shaggies to Laddie, its all he knows apart from playing ball, typical Jackie !


Jan :)

LOL Laddie is the same, if you can't shag it eat it or chase it, what is it good for ?


And as a treat I reprint the following......................................... ......


Walkin' in a Doggy Wonderland..Sing-A-Long...

Dog tags ring, are you listenin'?
In the lane, snow is glistenin'.
It's yellow, NOT white - I've been there tonight,
Marking up my winter wonderland.

Smell that tree? That's my fragrance.
It's a sign for wand'ring vagrants;
"Avoid where I pee, it's MY pro-per-ty!
Marked up as my winter wonderland."

In the meadow dad will build a snowman,
following the classical design.
Then I'll lift my leg and let it go, man,
So all the world will know it's mine-mine-mine!

Straight from me to the fence-post,
flows my natural incense boast;
"Stay off of my TURF, this small piece of earth,
I marked it as my winter wonderland..


I thank you !

I feel your pain, I worry about my dog and the heat all the time.

Hot and humid as it may be she insists on going for a walk and nosing around the neighbourhood every day.....then comes back absolutely exhausted and puffing for ever.

I've bought myself a doggy shaver, so that I don't have to rely on forking out at PetSmart to keep her spaniel coat trim in the heat.

Hope your Jack R is better!

He seems to be upto stealing a biscuit from under the wife's nose yesterday. Hoping it was just one of those things with heat etc. Thanks for the good wishes.

Here's a good tip for you all, we always (at least as much as possible) walk our dog near a lake or pond, she knows when she's too hot and needs to jump in...this usually puts her right for the rest of the day if its a really hot one.

If only! :( My cocker spaniel loves swimming and in the UK we lived 5 minutes from the beach so she went swimming most days!

Where I live the heat is 95 deg + and the lake is about an hours walk away which rules that option out. Besides, they charge you a dollar to take your dog to the lake but then the rules state that dogs must be leashed and cannot go near the lake! Why exactly you have to pay a dollar to take your dog into the car park I don't know!?!

The best I can do for my dog is to get out by 6.30am at the latest. It's a bit cooler then and I can get to the park before anyone else is there, which means I can actually let her off leash to run free. Obviously the local park has the same rules, that all dogs must be on a leash!

To be honest, I have found this part of the US to be very unfriendly where dogs are concerned. Most people keep *yard dogs* which basically means you have a dog that is kept in the yard 24/7 regardless of heat, etc. Apparently, I am regarded as one of the local *looney tunes* as I keep my dog in the house!