Moving question regarding dog!

[swissmissdesigner]

Hello,

I am moving to Auckland from California, USA in the upcoming months. However, i have a small chihuahua dog (under 5 lbs.) I know that all pets must go in quarantine for 30 days, but is there any way around it? If not, are there any ways I am allowed to take the dog on the plane with me instead of shipping it? I know many airlines allow you to take small dogs with you in a carrier bag, does anyone know if that is possible when immigrating to New Zealand. My dog is very sensitive to temperature, ect. since she is so small, and I am scared of all the health problems she will encounter. Any advice?

[tick tock]

I think you will find that it is a legal requirment that animals are shipped in the hold into NZ. MAF , I would assume want the animals that way...ie easy of identification, no mixing of animals etc.

Also I think 30 days is the minimum requirment...no way around it.

One of my cats is very sensitive but traveled OK...just make sure that the carrier and the agent are professinal. Its sooooooooo complicated re the entry requirment for animals into NZ you may prefer to use an agent.

[Malay-Coopers]

We just arrived from Maine via LAX. Our two Newfs are in quarantine now. There are many regulations and the timing of tests and treatments is critical. For example, your dog will need a rabies titre 6 months before you can even think about shipping her. I think I spent more time organizing our dogs travels than moving our furnitures (or our us for that matter). While it can be done on your own, I would advise you contact someone to manage it for you. If you do a search, there are multiple threads on this subject. We used International Pet Transportation and they were very good although I found I still needed to manage them a bit too. Here is the web address http://www.iptlax.com/. Also it is very costly as you have to pay for vet visits, tests and treatments, shipping, and quarantine. Your will be a lot less given the size of you dog. With our two giants it costs more than I care to think about!

[jess]

Hi swiss, I have a 3lb chihuahua that came over from the US (Virginia) to Welly and did quarantine. I was really worried, but could not believe how well she did. I used IPT International Pet Transport to set it up. We were able to keep her with us overnight in LA after the first flight.

One thing I learned that we didn't end up trying to do... MAF told me in an email that they only require that she be in the carrier which is sealed and can't be opened during flight. They told me they were not keeping me from having that carrier in the regular part of the aircraft up with me, and that that was up to the airline. In the end we let them put her in the live animal pressurized area of cargo anyway, since we wouldn't be able to open the crate, and we were worried her barking would be a problem. However if you are very worried about temp. it's possible that it's something you could talk to Air NZ about. (Our dog is always cold, but did fine with lots of bedding put in for her to climb under.)

I hope your chi makes the trip as well as ours did! She was great when we got to see her the first day in quarantine, and she put on a little weight (which she needed to do) the month she was there.

Here's our girl:

[swissmissdesigner]

Thanks for all the responses

Malay-I will check out that site, maybe with a company it will be easier.

Jess- Your dog is cute! She seems around the size of my chi also. So MAF said it was ok to take her in a seeled carrier? Do you know if this can be a soft carrier that just won't be opened during the flight?

Does anyone know if it is possible to do all the paperwork myself, if I take her in the plane, i won't be needing a shipping company...

thanks




This would be my chihuahua, as you can see, she doesn't seem to happy about being in the water either!

[barryp]

It's possible to do the paperwork yourself - I saved quite a bit of cash by not engaging IPT or a related company to manage it all. But it takes a LOT of time and if you screw up there is NO slack. I ended up with quite a bit of knowledge that I hope never to use again....

What MAF cares about during the flight is that the container be sealed by a USDA veterinarian prior to shipment, and not opened for any reason during the flight. My guess is that you will not get a positive reaction to keeping the animal in the main cabin with you - it would have to be blessed by loading agents, unloading agents, and the airline itself. But it's not specifically prohibited by MAF rules.

And to echo what (Malay-Coopers) said - you have to have a rabies shot and titre test done at least six months before travel. So if you intend on going to NZ in three months from the USA, your dog can't go with you. No exception, no negotiation.

[jess]

Love your picture!!

It has to be a hard carrier and must be officially sealed by the USDA vet in LA, as Barryp said. Even if you talk the airline into letting you keep the sealed hard carrier in the main cabin, you will find there's so much to do leading up to your flight (tests, shots, microchipping, etc... on a very specific schedule, plus the sealing of the container within hours of the flight) that you may well want to use a shipper anyway, because they help you with all that. (Also the container must be delivered from the plane directly to the quarantine agent in NZ - can't leave the airport with you - but that can be arranged with the quarantine directly if need be.) Hats off to Barryp for doing it himself! I don't think we would have made it through without help along the way from IPT.

It's a six month process of vet trips before you go, as others have said. I can send you a list from 2005 of all the things that were required then so you can see for yourself. If you'd like it PM me (by clicking on my name above and choosing send private message) with your email address - it's too much text to send in a PM - and I'll email a copy to you.

[swissmissdesigner]

ok thank you!
I think I will end up using International Pet Transportation.

[stu70]

We just arrived from Maine via LAX. Our two Newfs are in quarantine now. There are many regulations and the timing of tests and treatments is critical. For example, your dog will need a rabies titre 6 months before you can even think about shipping her. I think I spent more time organizing our dogs travels than moving our furnitures (or our us for that matter). While it can be done on your own, I would advise you contact someone to manage it for you. If you do a search, there are multiple threads on this subject. We used International Pet Transportation and they were very good although I found I still needed to manage them a bit too. Here is the web address http://www.iptlax.com/. Also it is very costly as you have to pay for vet visits, tests and treatments, shipping, and quarantine. Your will be a lot less given the size of you dog. With our two giants it costs more than I care to think about!

Is it possible to share a sequential "to do list" with timelines and costs for each step (as you experienced)? That would a great help for those who want to plan such move with dogs/cats. Regards

[Malay-Coopers]

This is the best I can do at the moment. Please refer to the MAF documentation on its website. I can't be held responsible for my own mistakes!!! I still advise people to hire someone. My hat is off to barryp for doing it himself.

Also, it cost us a incredible amount of money since both of our dogs weigh over 100 pounds. The airfare itself was over $3,000 (that's for both) and all the treaments cost extra because of their size. I think we are paying $1500 NZ for the quarantine for each of them, but frankly we were at the point of paying and signing whatever we had to to get our girls here. BTW: Shado-Lans is worth every cent! I included costs were I could find them in our "Dogs to NZ" paperwork.

All vets must be USDA approved veterinarians.
Your crate must be approved for international use.

Prior to initial rabies titre test, dog must have an international microchip implanted. (We used Avid brand and had no difficulty).

Documents Needed (not in any particular order)
*Microchip Number Certificate
*Rabies Titre results
*Rabies Vaccination/Booster documentation
*Breed Declaration (from MAF paperwork)
*Breeed Declaration (from quarantine facility)
*Vaccination Certificates
*Letter from vet documenting rabies titre results
*MAF Permit to Import
*Confirmation of Booking from NZ Quarantine Facility
*Breed Declaration Under the Customs and Excise Act
*Veterinary Certificate A

At least 6 Months prior to Travel (but not more than one year prior to travel)
*Rabies Titre: Must be analyzed by Kansas State University (see their web site for submission forms).

Six Weeks (at least) Before Travel
*Send MAF Application to Import (NZ $105)

27 Days before departure: Vet visit #1
*The requirement reads 30 days before but it is best to have a few days leeway in case of emergencies like canceled flights or failed tests.
*Vet must scan and document microchip
*General physical exam, check for ectoparasites, examine and clean ears ($39)
*First Fecal test (US $17)
*Blood tests for rabies titre, bruncella canis, ehrlichia canis, leptospitosis, heartworm microfilariae concentration, heartworm antigen (all test go to Kansas State University)

The Wednesday before departure (the ten day prior requirements): Vet visit #2:
*Vet must scan and document microchip
*General physical exam, check for ectoparasites, examine and clean ears ($39)
*Second Fecal test ($27.50)
*Praziquantel and Pyrantel Pamoate treatments ($21.60)
*Blood tests for Babesia Gibsoni tests (to be sent to Protatek Lab in Arizona 480-545-8499) ($73)

The day of departure: Vet visit #3
*Vet must scan and document microchip
*General physical exam, check for ectoparasites, examine and clean ears ($39)
*Praziquantel and Pyrantel Pamoate treatments ($21.60)
*Invermectin or Milbemycin treatment
*Complete Veterinary Certificate A

Also on the day of departure you must have the USDA scan the dogs and endorse their paperwork. The USDA can then seal the crate and the dog is transported to LAX. Where they go in LAX I have no idea.