An Easier Road
Traveling internationally with pets can be a challenging and time-consuming task. The team at Caring Hands Animal Hospital has created a helpful guide to assist you in preparing for this process. It is crucial to understand that planning for international pet travel, particularly to Rabies-free destinations like Hawaii, Australia, and the UK, may require several months of advance preparation. Some Rabies-free countries even mandate preparation at least 180 days in advance.
It's Time to Start Preparing for International Travel With Our Pets.
If you are a pet owner planning to travel internationally, we suggest visiting the USDA-APHIS website for details on pet travel. It is also crucial to check with your airline for their specific guidelines. Some airlines may require a health certificate completed within 10 days of your flight, but it is best to verify this directly with them.
Contacting the U.S. Embassy in your destination country can offer helpful insights into their pet travel regulations. Once you have all the information you need for your trip, please contact us to schedule an appointment with one of our USDA accredited veterinarians.
What To Bring
Please bring the following items to your appointment with us and have them readily available:
- Vaccination records (if completed elsewhere).
- Original rabies certificate (if administered elsewhere).
- Flea, tick, and heartworm medications with the last administration dates.
- Microchip number and implantation date. If your pet isn’t microchipped, we can implant an ISO-compliant microchip. Some countries require rabies vaccination after microchipping.
- Travel destination address (use the U.S. Embassy address if unknown).
- Departure and arrival dates.
- Airlines and layover countries.
Endorsement
In most countries, after your International Health Certificate is filled out by a USDA accredited veterinarian, it must be approved by the USDA State Veterinarian. When sending by mail, consider federal holidays as they may impact the approval process timeline. This can be done in two ways:
- Sent via overnight mail to the USDA office in Albany, NY (preferred method)
We hope your upcoming travel goes smoothly and we can't wait to see you soon!