bringing pets overseas?

[zpinkpanther]

Do any of you who go to school overseas (specifically the Caribbean) have pets that you brought from the US? I'm wondering, because we brought in a stray cat at the hospital where I work and I want to take him, but there's a possibility I may be going to Ross in the fall, since I have an interview there, and there's only one other school I have yet to hear from. Have any of you had experience in bringing a cat to an island? Sorry if this is posted elsewhere!

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[athenaparthenos]

From working with clients transporting their pets overseas/to Hawaii -- it tends to be an ENORMOUS pain in the *** to get them from here to there. The pattern seems to be along the lines of 1. vaccinate for rabies. 2. vaccinate again after a set time period for rabies (for some countries; others require only 1 rabies vaccine). 3. send out expensive rabies titer. 4. microchip pet with ISO chip or other chip readable in other countries. 5. annoy your vet's office by not properly researching all of what you need to be done and instead force them to go through 30 pages of paperwork about what you do and don't need. 6. health certificate exam 10-30 days before flight. Some countries may require more or less, or may require a quarantine period once the pet arrives. I'd say to find out now what your cat would need by checking out the government's website for where you want to take it, and start it now -- some of these places (i.e. Japan, I think) want you to start doing stuff 8 MONTHS before you go.

Haven't had anyone go to the Caribbean specifically though, so I'm not sure if they'd tend to be more lax, or less. We've had some go to Hawaii, Europe, Japan, and Australia though.

 

[lailanni]

Check the Caribbean school's website.

I don't remember which one, but I know at least one had info about bringing animals over from the USA. It did say yes you can bring your animals, but I didn't read into the protocol.

 

[zpinkpanther]

Thanks for the info, guys. I guess I'll check out Ross' and St Kitt's website for details and go from there. If it's just a bunch of vet stuff like vaccines and microchipping and tests, I shouldn't have any problems, I think. I work with a vet and the my boss (the office manager, who's also the vet's wife) loves me so she'll be willing to help. If I find any details, I'll post the link up here in case anyone else needs them.

Thanks again, athenaparthenos and lailanni!

 

[thesonofdarwin]

I don't know about an island, but I know to europe and NZ it had cost me around $200-250 per pet to have them ready to go. 6 pets and ended up not going anyway, woo fun times. It was almost exactly as athenaparthenos said, though. Except I had all the information researched and had to explain it to the vet, rather than the other way around

I could not find an official, government page detailing the process to the carribean, but what I found on the travel sites suggests that it is a much simpler process than going to EU. Health certificate within 10 days of travel and rabies from 1 month up to 1 year before travel. But try to contact a governmental agency to verify all information - the last thing you want is to be turned down before flying or have your pet confiscated afterward.

 

[Catnapper]

I just interviewed for the RVC, and they strongly discouraged bringing pets overseas.

 

[thesonofdarwin]

I just interviewed for the RVC, and they strongly discouraged bringing pets overseas.

That's when you kindly discourage them from being dumb***es. Sorry, but if any VET school doesn't plan on students bringing their pets with them, I'm not sure what the hell is messed up in their minds. I have already told interview committees that I would not attend any vet school if it meant abandoning my pets. I'd wait 20 years till they all passed and reapply again before that ever happened. What a way to encourage responsibility in regards to pet ownership, whodda thunk that not an important trait for a vet.

 

[philomycus]

I'd wait 20 years till they all passed and reapply again before that ever happened.

Me too. Glad I'm not the only one!

 

[Catnapper]

Yeah, I'd have to say that my fur-kids come first--they're the deal-breaker!

 

[LVT2DVM]

Have you checked into/ applied to SMU? Here is there site link.
http://www.stmatthews.edu/school-of-veterinary-medicine.html

The island is somewhat pet friendly...what I mean is that its fairly simple to get an animal overthere especially a cat, but they have a ban on certain dog breeds. But pet friendly housing is a laborious task (I here). Im starting there in May, not taking pets because I have a banned breed dog. The other thing you should consider about taking your pets to the Carribean is if the island is evacuated for a Hurricane, it may be difficult to evacuate your pets as fast as you need to leave. But I know alot of SMU student bring pets so it is not an impossible task.

Heres some links:
The school as its own forum full of info or you can find it under student life
http://www.smucayman.com/vet_forum/

Importing pets into Cayman
http://www.gocayman.ky/importingdogsandcats.pdf

 

[dvm'08]

That's when you kindly discourage them from being dumb***es. Sorry, but if any VET school doesn't plan on students bringing their pets with them, I'm not sure what the hell is messed up in their minds. I have already told interview committees that I would not attend any vet school if it meant abandoning my pets. I'd wait 20 years till they all passed and reapply again before that ever happened. What a way to encourage responsibility in regards to pet ownership, whodda thunk that not an important trait for a vet.

when you get to 3rd and 4th year, you'll realize why they say this. The demands on your time are so enormous - its not a matter of IF your pets will get neglected, its a matter of HOW neglected they'll get. If you have a SO that can look after them - then thats a different story... but if you're on your own, its going to be very tough.

 

[athenaparthenos]

when you get to 3rd and 4th year, you'll realize why they say this. The demands on your time are so enormous - its not a matter of IF your pets will get neglected, its a matter of HOW neglected they'll get. If you have a SO that can look after them - then thats a different story... but if you're on your own, its going to be very tough.

I can see that happening... this is why I don't see myself having a dog until I live with my boyfriend/am married. My cat's a trooper though and likes her space (as long as she's fed, has a couch to curl up on, and gets petted one to two times per week, she's good, haha), so I feel confident in taking her with me if/when I get accepted.

Definitely makes sense to really think about bringing a more high-maintenance pet like a dog or a delicate herp, though.

 

[athenaparthenos]

Except I had all the information researched and had to explain it to the vet, rather than the other way around

More traveling people need to follow your example, seriously!

 

[lailanni]

when you get to 3rd and 4th year, you'll realize why they say this. The demands on your time are so enormous - its not a matter of IF your pets will get neglected, its a matter of HOW neglected they'll get. If you have a SO that can look after them - then thats a different story... but if you're on your own, its going to be very tough.

I would agree. I want to adopt everything, but I know I will have severe time constraints, especially in 3/4 year - it's not going to be possible to keep a high maintenance animal.

But if I did have a dog, I would absolutely take it with me and figure something out. Animals are family!

So I'm restraining myself, and just sticking with my rabbits. They're very night/dawn active, and sleepy during the day. In pairs, they don't get lonely.

Makes me wonder when I'm ever going to get a dog though....vet school = too busy, new doctor = too busy.....agh.

 

[stinyexoticvet]

I was the "silly" person who brought my 45 kilo dane mix California boy all the way to Australia with me. I had a choice, get a car right when I got here or suffer the first two years through public transport but bring my boy.

Needless to say, I am still paying that HUGE fee off my credit card, but I will already be $150,000 in debt I just figured what is a few couple thousand more. I force myself to take study breaks and walk him and play with him when I can, but when it comes down to it what would have been better? The potential for him to have someone who pays attention to him heaps, but I would never know if that was the case if I had given him up and I would always have that horrible fear of not knowing. Or maybe not running with him as often as I should but him always being there when I got home, there to watch and help me study....and just there, that little bit of stability you can hold on to when you go soooo far away. Yes it limited my housing and roommate choices, yes I have had to move on many more than one occasion because of him.

But he is always worth it

You CAN make adequate time for your animals and always remember you are surrounded by vet students. It usually is not that difficult to ask someone to stay in your house with your pet while you are at prac. In fact alot of students who have left their pets behind love to do just that.

 

[thesonofdarwin]

when you get to 3rd and 4th year, you'll realize why they say this. The demands on your time are so enormous - its not a matter of IF your pets will get neglected, its a matter of HOW neglected they'll get. If you have a SO that can look after them - then thats a different story... but if you're on your own, its going to be very tough.

And then there is always the other tradeoff, of finding them new homes. I'd never advocate people purposefully go out and get new pets before going into vet school, but I've had mine since middle school. My 5 cats are between 8-15 and have never known anything else for all the years of their lives except me, and each other. I could easily find them good homes, individually, but I find that so much more cruel than them having to keep themselves occupied until I return home, whether that be for only a short time or not. With dogs, that'd be a bit tougher I suppose. But I know my guys can handle it, and I know what I've already done to be sure they are happy. At my undergrad I typically needed to be at the school from 8AM-9PM, and to top it off I had an hour commute both ways. Needless to say I contributed global warming a good deal those semesters with night classes because I'd drive home everyday on my breaks to see my gals.

Perhaps it was a little neglectful, but separating them into different homes, with questionable end-results is much more so, imo. At least I know I will always do whatever I can to be with them and that they'll always be healthy, I cannot say the same for anyone else. I'd pay someone to sit at my house all day before I gave up my pets. Period. Working at a shelter, even paying special attention to the pets that were given up, you can just tell they are devastated every single day you come in compared to the strays who oftentimes are happy to come back!

 

[flyhi]

I was the "silly" person who brought my 45 kilo dane mix California boy all the way to Australia with me. I had a choice, get a car right when I got here or suffer the first two years through public transport but bring my boy.

Needless to say, I am still paying that HUGE fee off my credit card, but I will already be $150,000 in debt I just figured what is a few couple thousand more. I force myself to take study breaks and walk him and play with him when I can, but when it comes down to it what would have been better? The potential for him to have someone who pays attention to him heaps, but I would never know if that was the case if I had given him up and I would always have that horrible fear of not knowing. Or maybe not running with him as often as I should but him always being there when I got home, there to watch and help me study....and just there, that little bit of stability you can hold on to when you go soooo far away. Yes it limited my housing and roommate choices, yes I have had to move on many more than one occasion because of him.

But he is always worth it

You CAN make adequate time for your animals and always remember you are surrounded by vet students. It usually is not that difficult to ask someone to stay in your house with your pet while you are at prac. In fact alot of students who have left their pets behind love to do just that.

thank you! i finally found someone who feels the way i do. My two pups ARE my family and if i can't take them, it is a deal breaker.

 

[mochavet]

I agree, pets are family. I followed Stiny's example and brought my dog to Australia with me too. Sure it was a pain in the arse and it cost a lot but it was well worth it. When you are faced with having to take your dog to a shelter because you can't find a new home for her or forking over the cash to bring her with, the choice was easy. She's here now and we are both very happy! She always gets at least one walk a day and the run of the back yard. Housing wasn't too bad to find as long as you are willing to pay a bit more. Also, as Stiny said, you are surrounded by vets students and someone is always willing to help you out with your pets when you need them too. I say bring your pets with you. You'll be happier and your pets will be too.

As a side note, there are companies that specialize in getting your pets wherever you need them. I went with Pet Relocation (http://www.petrelocation.com/) and they did everything - paperwork, health certs., vet exams, flight bookings, everything. It cost about $5,000 in total to get my dog from California to Australia. On top of that, it cost another $800 for quarantine once she got here. It isn't cheap, but if you are dedicated to your pets, this is the way to go.

 

[flyhi]

Wow, that IS expensive. I guess if you break it down, it's only 1k a year.....yikes. I did look at petrelocation and I thought it looked like a reputable company. I am glad to hear you had success with them. I wonder if it would be 5k a dog, or if the second dog would be less?

Mind me asking what kind of dog (weight) you have? How long was the flight? Were there any layovers and if so, did an agent from petrelocation meet the dog? How did your dog handle the flight? Was the quarantine for 30 days? How did she (and you) manage? Can you visit, etc?

I have two small guys (6 pounds each) and would be terrified to put them in cargo for such a long flight. I've heard horror stories. I also don't know how they (or me) would survive 30 days being in a cage, all alone. I know it sounds silly, but they are used to being with me basically 24/7 and I wonder if the stress to them is worth it?

I suppose the return trip in 5 years will be about the same routine?

Thanks for all the info! I would have PM'd you, but I know there are a lot of others curious as to how the process works.

 

[mochavet]

It has gotten a lot more expensive over the years to transport your pet. My initial quote I got was around $2,500 for two dogs and a month later when I said that I would go ahead with it, the price changed to $5,000. The company said it was because the airline upped it's price due to the increase in fuel costs. Who knows, maybe I was had. I originally was going to bring my two dogs, both over 50 pounds, but my parents agreed to keep one for me. That being said, I did look into taking both and the cost is not much more for a second dog. It was only about $1500 more for the second one. I have big dogs though and they charge by weight, so if you have 6 pound dogs I would expect the cost to be much less. Since I'm in Australia, the flights were pretty long. My dog flew on Air Zealand and the first flight went from LA to Auckland, NZ. I think it was around a 14 hour flight (something like that anyway). Once in Auckland, there is a mandatory layover for animals of 8 hours. This means that quarantine officers meet your dog in Auckland, take it to a quarantine facility and let your dog out to run around, eat, drink, and do it's business. Then they board your dog back up and get them on the last flight, which was about 6.5 hours. Once the Australian quarantine officer picks up the dog, they call you to tell you how your dog is and that it is safe. I was really worried about how my dog would do on the flights, but she did great. She's a skiddish dog who does not like loud noises (thunder, fireworks, etc..) or kennel situations. I was afraid that she wouldn't eat in quarantine (she was there for 30 days), but she did fine. You can visit your pets for 1 hour per day on weekdays at the quarantine station my dog was at. Others might be different. I did not go to see her, as I didn't want to get her all excited and then have to leave her there every time. Plus, I knew it would be too hard on me to do so. I have great friends though, and they went to see her when they could. They took pictures for me and brought her treats so it worked out well. In the end, all my worries were not warranted. Everything was fine. Just ignore all of those horror stories and don't try to do the process on your own. Go with a reputable company and pay for that peace of mind. The return trip, as I understand, will not be as involved. Basically, it's just the flights, none of the other stuff. I don't think you have to go through quarantine either, since the US already has all the diseases that other countries try and keep out. I'll let you know for sure when I get to that point. Just remember, animals are resilient! I think I was more stressed by the whole thing than my dog was.

Sorry this is so long. I hope that I've helped some of you and not just confused you more. I'd be happy to answer more questions if anyone has any.

 

[laurafinn]

Like stiny and mochavet, I brought my dog along to school in Australasia. This was about 3 years ago. He was about 60 lbs at the time.

It was a long process - 8 months altogether - but pretty straightforward. I spent $4500-$4700 for everything - vet costs, a crate, flights, pet exporters, quarantine. My dog traveled from San Francisco to Christchurch, and was crated for about 24 hours all told (this still makes me cringe). This was mostly due to USDA requirements, and the wait for the flight from Auckland to Christchurch. New Zealand requires a 30-day quarantine, which he went through before I got there. A fair number of American and Canadian vet students brought pets over with them.

If you are thinking about going to Massey, wait to bring your pet over until you are definitively accepted into the professional part of the program! I did not, and ending up spending lots of time worrying that I would have to ship my dog back to the US after only 4 months. Oops.

 

[Nexx]

For the record... I'd avoid IPTLAX (international pet transport LAX). They seem that they are getting busier than what they can handle. I think that's who Stiny used if I remember right...

But they thoroughly botched the plans for my roommates 3 dogs and still (I think) have yet to issue a refund. They never actually gave her any info on the process (no mailing, calls, etc), they didn't file anything, didn't do any paperwork, etc and any time she called they told her she was okay to, no worries, they'd let her know when they needed something (tests, etc). A month out she remember about the rabies titres, had them done, etc but it was too late. Now the dogs could either go into Australian Quarantine in Sydney and NOT Perth as requested for 4 months instead of 1 or get stuck in a kennel back in the US for four months near family to go visit. Anyhow, a lot of extra money was spent... so just research your company and find people's recc's that you trust on the transport of your furry kids.

Sorry, I'm rambling... sitting in the airport waiting for my flight back to Perth... long first leg so far!

 

[flyhi]

Mochavet, laurafinn and Nexx, thank you so much for the info - great stuff. Sounds like a very lengthy and detailed endeavor!

 

[Gshep84]

I was the "silly" person who brought my 45 kilo dane mix California boy all the way to Australia with me. I had a choice, get a car right when I got here or suffer the first two years through public transport but bring my boy.

Needless to say, I am still paying that HUGE fee off my credit card, but I will already be $150,000 in debt I just figured what is a few couple thousand more. I force myself to take study breaks and walk him and play with him when I can, but when it comes down to it what would have been better? The potential for him to have someone who pays attention to him heaps, but I would never know if that was the case if I had given him up and I would always have that horrible fear of not knowing. Or maybe not running with him as often as I should but him always being there when I got home, there to watch and help me study....and just there, that little bit of stability you can hold on to when you go soooo far away. Yes it limited my housing and roommate choices, yes I have had to move on many more than one occasion because of him.

But he is always worth it

You CAN make adequate time for your animals and always remember you are surrounded by vet students. It usually is not that difficult to ask someone to stay in your house with your pet while you are at prac. In fact alot of students who have left their pets behind love to do just that.

thank you so much for this post stinyexoticvet. I actually broke down into crazy tears today because I got scared that it would just be too difficult to bring my 80 pound German Shepherd with me to Glasgow from California. But I feel a little better after reading your post. I was worried about not having enough time for her once I am a student, but like you said, study breaks are necessary. I can't stand the idea of leaving her with people I don't know here, and always wondering if they are loving her as much as I always did.

 

[flyhi]

that post was 3yrs old, so not sure Stiny is still on here, but I am! I brought my two guys over to Scotland and have posted about it extensively on here, if you do a search. It IS totally possible and I would not have it any other way. I'm in the 5yr program and we have plenty of time to spend with our 4 legged friends. It will take you a while to get your dogs ready (6-8 months depending on what they already have done), so you will need to get cracking on the Defra requirements.

If you need any additional info after searching about, let me know. It's stressful, but so worth it!

 

[camcam]

Do any of you who go to school overseas (specifically the Caribbean) have pets that you brought from the US? I'm wondering, because we brought in a stray cat at the hospital where I work and I want to take him, but there's a possibility I may be going to Ross in the fall, since I have an interview there, and there's only one other school I have yet to hear from. Have any of you had experience in bringing a cat to an island? Sorry if this is posted elsewhere!

Its funny when I attended the Ross info sessions they were even sure it was possible but on the Ross U website it has forms you fill out to bring a pet over with you after you finish 1st semester.

So you will have to make arrangements for the animal to be in care with someone or a boarding service until your settled in at Ross.

Its funny I am not even in undergrad studies and I know the Ross website almost like the back of my hand. Ross is my first choice so I am exicited for anyone going there before me.

http://www.rossu.edu/veterinary-school/housing/Pet-Information.cfm

 

[twelvetigers]

Zpink has been to Ross, taken her pet, and come back since this thread was posted. She's applying for grad schools this year.

 

[mas185]

that post was 3yrs old, so not sure Stiny is still on here, but I am! I brought my two guys over to Scotland and have posted about it extensively on here, if you do a search. It IS totally possible and I would not have it any other way. I'm in the 5yr program and we have plenty of time to spend with our 4 legged friends. It will take you a while to get your dogs ready (6-8 months depending on what they already have done), so you will need to get cracking on the Defra requirements.

If you need any additional info after searching about, let me know. It's stressful, but so worth it!

I moved my 130 lbs. Newfoundland to Dublin with me this year and it certainly was not easy!! But I'm well versed in the current process so if anyone has any questions you can PM me ... I just wrote up a whole word document for the incoming students on the steps with tips etc. I will say just be aware of challenges involved once your pets are at school with you wherever that may be ... its really, really expensive (not just the getting them there part: food, kennels, etc. everything is more expensive than home), you probably won't have a car, you'll be traveling back and forth etc. So just make sure you're being fair to your pet. There's no way I could have not taken my dog with me but many of my classmates left theirs with family or friends despite how much they miss them because it was what was right for their animal.

M.A.