traveling internationally with pets

If it is another country on the "Pet Passport" scheme it can be quite simple. You go to the vet and make sure you have everything you need (microchip, vaccinations, health certificate). Then get on the plane and go. There is no quarantine.

Yep, the Pet Passport scheme makes things easier, although I believe some countries can't participate in that scheme. There is still a quarantine requirement for bringing animals to the UK, it's only two weeks which is a lot better than the 6 months it was when we brought our cats over from the US. *ouch*

Hi
I don't know anything about moving pets around outside of Europe . One of the big worries is , rabies is common everywhere except in the UK . So the problem has always been traveling from the UK and back. But there is a way. Please look here .
www.gov.uk/pet-travel-information-for-pet-owners
The rest of Europe veries , but most don't have any restrictions on pets traveling with the owner.

One issue I've heard about is the pilot forgetting to heat the hold, leading to the death of the animal.

I took a cat into Europe through Amsterdam about ten years back. I got all the paperwork sorted out, then I had my cat in a in-flight carrier that looks like a gym bag. The guy at the passport control glanced at my passport, verified it matched my face, stamped it, and waved me through. He had no idea I had a cat, nor did he care.

Drachen Jager said:

I took a cat into Europe through Amsterdam about ten years back. I got all the paperwork sorted out, then I had my cat in a in-flight carrier that looks like a gym bag. The guy at the passport control glanced at my passport, verified it matched my face, stamped it, and waved me through. He had no idea I had a cat, nor did he care.

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I had the same experience taking a cat to Italy around the same time -- I went to the embassy in DC, went to the vet, took care of the paperwork, carried the cat onto to plane -- with nobody asking for anything.

melindamusil said:

Have any of you ever traveled internationally with pets? (specifically dogs.)

I'm imagining a move between the US and another "Western" nation - likely either the UK or Italy. What paperwork or fees are involved? Did your pet have to be quarantined? If so, how long?

Thanks!!

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This is an easy check. Just contact the embassy or consulate of whatever country you want and they'll give you the most up-to-date information. You can probably find this out on-line at the country's website also.

Whether the officials checking actually check is another matter. However, I agree that they frequently don't.

I have a friend who brings her dog to Italy (from the US) for the summer every year, never a problem. It's a sizable dog, about 75lbs. Stays in an airline approved carrier for the flight.

One issue that does come up is temperature, pets won't be taken if it's >85 degrees F.

I've been researching it myself since I'm moving to London (from Israel) next year with my dog. She's rather small, but exceeds 8kilograms, which is the weight allowed (the weight of the dog + the cage he's in) to bring a dog into the cabin. Otherwise the dog flies in cargo, and that freaks me out.

There's the temperature issue in the cargo, and oxygen too. I know some airlines don't fly pets during the heavy summer/winter months cos it gets too warm/cold in there.
I did find a website for an Israeli group that specialize in flying pets. They help you with everything pre-flight then meet you at the airport and when you check in they take your pet, up to the point where they put it in cargo. They also check the temperature and oxygen and call you once the pet is on board the plane. It costs extra, of course, but I think it's worth it and I'm guessing other countries have such a service too (I know British Airways airline has its own service like that).

Other things - Europe do have the Pet Passport program in most countries. Even though Israel isn't a part of it, and even considered a "third world country", all I have to do is a blood test 3 months before the flight, some other tests like tapeworm and rabbies, make sure she has the microchip, and she's good to go.

Certified service/assistance dogs are legally allowed in the cabin on all airlines - or should be on all of them anyway (since, otherwise, it's discrimination against the disabled). I actually tried to check if I can certify my dog as a service dog because of my own psychiatric issues lol but it seems close to impossible (though I heard of people doing that in the US, only to have their pets in cabin with them).

stephenf said:

Hi
I don't know anything about moving pets around outside of Europe . One of the big worries is , rabies is common everywhere except in the UK . .

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If you mean outside of Europe, rabies is eradicated in many countries and very rare in most of the rest.