Some USA to NZ pet cost estimates...

[sweetpea]

I got price lists from the Auckland, Christchurch and Levin quarantine kennels. For anyone needing 30 days quarantine, here's a rough idea of the costs, which includes airport pickup, MAF inspections, customs clearance, AirNZ fee, 30 days kenneling:

Dogs < 7 or 8 kg: NZ$1500
Dogs 7 or 8 - 20 kg: NZ$1700
Dogs > 20kg: NZ$1900
Cats: NZ$1200

All kennels ended up being about the same price.

I think the moral of this story is: if your dog could stand to lose a few pounds, now's the time for that diet. :P

I received two quotes for transport from California to New Zealand: US$1735 and US$1950. This is for a 68 lb dog in a #400 kennel.

I brought the list of export requirements to my vet to ask if she'd do them and she took a look and said "This is going to be expensive." This was at a $250 office visit. (The $300 dental cleaning is next week.)

At least I don't worry about pricing furniture movers anymore. Don't have the money to take both the dog and the personal belongings :mrgreen:

Hope this helps someone with budgeting and stuff.

Laura

PS: On a positive note, Silas got his microchip scanned and his rabies vaccine, so preparations for our voyage are officially underway!!

[Going2NZ]

Laura-

Try the person/company below. They handle everything and the prices they quoted me seemed quite reasonable. We haven't contracted with them yet because we are still in a quandry about what to do with our 2 elderly cats - trying to work things out with my mom.

However, I spoke at length with Diana (45 minutes, an hour, something like that) and she asked a lot of questions, seemed genuinely concerned about each animal, wanted lots of details (weight, breed, food, special considerations, etc.) and gave me a quote based on that.

Good luck. We feel the same about our pets, so I guess we'll just leave the furniture in the US!

Diana B. Escandon
New Zealand Pet Relocation Specialist
International Pet Transportation, Inc.
Los Angeles, California - USA
Telephone: (310) 376-2899
FAX: (310) 372-3485
Email: iptlax@aol.com

[mechidna]

I spoke with Diana as well. She does seem to care about the pet. They quoted me $2540US for an 85lb rotweiller cross. I bought my own kennel (giant size) and I thought this was a reasonable price. I believe this is without the vet bill.

[tatch76]

Curious about your experience - as you've seen from my other posts, I'm in this boat right now. Was the quote you received from Nebraska to New Zealand? Love any more info on costs and experiences.

Thanks!
Kris

[mechidna]

Hi Kris,

Yes this was from Nebraska to Auckland, including the stop in LA. I would up paying about $3095 US because her kennel is so large. The USDA is so picky that I wanted to make sure her tail didn't even touch the back. It also includes the airfare to LAX, which isn't exactly cheap. I did go with IPT. Qualified Pet Services (quarantine facility in Auckland) recommended them highly.

Hope this helps.

Michele

[sweetpea]

The USDA is so picky that I wanted to make sure her tail didn't even touch the back.

Oh, thank God my dog doesn't have a tail. I need all the help I can get at this point LOL

Transport/export is coming in around US$1,900, quarantine US$1,400, vet costs US$1,500+. This is San Francisco to Christchurch, December 7, for my 60-lb Australian Shepherd, using IPT and my meticulous but budget-breaking vet.

Laura

[mechidna]

Well Laura, your shipping seems wonderful, but the quarantine seems very expensive. I'm only paying $1700 NZ (about) for 30 days. God only knows what my vet bill will be, but he did say he will put it on my tab. I'm glad things are working out for you, if they're not---they will.

Michele