Taking pets to the USA

[jjmohan]

Hi,

I am going to the USA on H1-B soon. I have two large Alsatian dogs (1 male & 1 female). My wife and I are very attached to our pets and would like to take them with us.

Can anyone please tell me what is the procedure/approximate costs involved in doing so?

Some key questions:
1. Can our pets travel with us or will they have to be flown out separately?
2. What vaccinations/certificates will they require?
3. Will my pets have to be quarantined on arrival?
4. Will they have any break in journeys for food and water?
5. What if they need attention during the journey?

Thanks in advance,

Jagan.

[Murali]

Yes you can, there are certainl formalities including Meical test of pets etc though
read this article at US customswebsite:
http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/clearing_goods/agri_prod_inus.xml

and

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dq/animal.htm#restrictedanimals

[csingh]

Air travel can be pretty traumatic for dogs, especially the larger breed of dogs. Are you sure you want to put your pets thru that??
plus you also need to consider where you're going to stay here and if it would be good for your dogs (for instance a lot of apartment complexes either do not permit dogs or have restrictions about size adn numbers or if the place is large enough to be comfortable for your dogs)
Anyways, I guess its a tough choice since you are so attached to them; plus you would have thought things thru I'm sure..

Air travel for dogs is pretty expensive; but rates vary by airlines and depend on the size and weight of your dogs.
Your dogs would have to travel in the cargo hold of the airplane (but their cages are secured and the hold is air conditioned). Your pets can be fed and walked during the stopovers..
I don't really know what kind of vaccinations are required but i do know that most pets are required to be micro chipped.
Also, most airlines recommend that you muzzle your pet and have your vet give them a slight sedative to deal with the anxiety of traveling.

Best bet would be to check with your airline and your vet.

From personal experience: we have a small apso at home and he's had a very tough time in aircrafts even though the distances were relatively small (delhi to Pune) compared to all the way to the US!

Good luck and keep us posted on what you decide :)

[jjmohan]

Thank you both for your replies.

I'm more than willing to bear their travel expenses. As for as muzzling goes, my male dog *might* allow it, but the female won't, I am absolutely sure of it.

As for as being fed and walked, will it be possible for me and my wife to deplane and do that? They will not accept food from or go for a walk with any strangers. Any airline personnel who try it are sure to be attacked and/or bitten.

I checked with my vet and got the list of vaccinations required for them (though he didn't say anything about microships for them) - I will collate all of them and publish them under "Experiences", it might be useful for others in the forum too.

Once again, many thanks, and I will keep updating this thread.

Jagan.

[csingh]

Hey, another dog lover like me!! :)

I think the airlines will permit you to look up your dogs during the transit and feed them. Muzzles; I think its best to check with your airlines to find out if they insist....same with micro chiping..
Last I knew, British Airways and KLM, insisted on micro chipping but might not be the same for other airlines...
also, I do know that they take real good care of pets in transit and have entire departments only to deal with travelling animals...

and from experience (although only domestic travel within India), please make sure you have the right sedative for your dogs. On our dog's first trip; my Mom gave him half a diazepam; it had not effect. Gave him another half, still no effect (and this is a very small dog)...he was up and barking his head off at the airport :))
After 1 diazepam and half a bottle of children's strenght sleeping syrup he was still wide awake and very upset at Pune airport when we collected him...
ofcourse, after that he slept for 2 days straight :D
So just make sure you have the right sedative so your pets have a stress free journey...