Donna, from Seattle, Washington, asks: “I’m planning to visit my parents for Christmas back east and want to take my cat, what do I need to do?
As the holiday season approaches many pet owners are preparing to travel with their pet(s) and one of the commonly asked question is “What do I need to travel with my pet?” The answer depends on how and where you are traveling. In most cases if you are driving across state lines you should have a “health certificate” from your veterinarian but the reality is you never get checked so just make sure your pet has a current rabies vaccine and you have proof of that vaccine.
If you travel by air a health certificate is required buy all airlines and you may even need a letter of acclimation from your veterinarian although this seems very redundant more airlines are requiring it. Here are a few things you should know before you get your health certificate at your local veterinarian.
1.Your pet must be current on its rabies vaccines.
2. Your health certificate is valid for 30 days and your pet must be examined within 10 days of issuing a health certificate.
3. Check with your airline to see if they require a letter of acclimation from your veterinarian and also find out from the airline what they want in the letter. This is important because your veterinarian may NOT know what a specific airline may require as they are all different and often change their requirements regularly. So be proactive and find out before you get to your veterinarian as this could save you lots of time and hassle. Also note that some breeds are banned from summer time travel by some airlines i.e. bulldogs, etc. CHECK first.
4. If your pet travels as “cargo” the airlines also have specific rules about how large their crates must be, proper signage on the crate, etc. So find out before you get to the airport what crate size your pet needs, food & water dishes, signs on outside of kennel.
5. If you are traveling overseas with a pet it is essential that you find out well in advance about vaccine requirements, possible quarantine period, and the much more complex international health certificate requirements. Each country in the EU is different so you must contact them directly to get the most up to date requirements. Here is a link to a very helpful website that every pet owner should at least look at before planning to travel by air with a pet.
www.pettravel.com/passportnew.cfm
6. Know the exact address of where you are traveling as this information is required on your pet’s health certificate.
For more information on traveling with your pet and links to some airlines visit my hospital web site @ http://wvah.net and look in “other Places to Visit” and you will find a complete section on Help with Travel.
If you know of any great sites please let me know and I’ll include them.
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