Bringing Pets From the UK

[RUSSandRACHEL 3]

Hi Christine! Well, I'm not 100% sure about whether the Tick & Tapeworm is mandatory but it is for us, as we've got the the Pet Passport (it even has to be Drontal to comply with the regulations). But its only costing us an extra £30 to have it and its done at the same time as the final exam - we're doing that on the Saturday and we fly out on the Monday. Our vet is also going to write on the health certificate that shes had those treatments too. One less thing to worry about...

When do you fly out? Only 8 weeks to go for us!! Cant wait to get the doggy trip over with to be honest. Russ moves into our new house in the morning aswell! Definitely an exciting time!! Speak soon!

[doghandler 2]

Hi Christine! Well, I'm not 100% sure about whether the Tick & Tapeworm is mandatory but it is for us, as we've got the the Pet Passport (it even has to be Drontal to comply with the regulations). But its only costing us an extra £30 to have it and its done at the same time as the final exam - we're doing that on the Saturday and we fly out on the Monday. Our vet is also going to write on the health certificate that shes had those treatments too. One less thing to worry about...

When do you fly out? Only 8 weeks to go for us!! Cant wait to get the doggy trip over with to be honest. Russ moves into our new house in the morning aswell! Definitely an exciting time!! Speak soon!

You are so fantastically organised and detailed in everything you do. If I was hiring a PA, I would head hunt you. I'm in between sending packet 3 back and awaiting interview date, London is so slow, but packet 4 expected in about 2-3 wks going by other timelines. I'm hoping to travel end of June at the latest as that's when I have sold my house, so fingers crossed for no unexpected visa hitches or London backlogs!

Honey will be so used to her crate now. I'm gonna get mine in about a month for my 2 to get used to theirs.

OK - hope Russ is going to enjoy feathering the new nest for you and Honey coming (and hoping the job and the cruella deville lady boss isn't raining on your parade). spk soon x

[RUSSandRACHEL 3]

Hi Christine! Hope you're well. I havent been on VJ in quite a few weeks. We have been knee deep in wedding plans and have kind of put immigration on the back burner for a bit. But everything is still going to plan really well. Im so relieved that everything is all ok with the ash cloud and everything... I was stressing so much about that! As if we need more stress... But Honey is still going in her crate daily. I will email the pet shipping company soon for last minute paperwork they said they need to give me and Honey is booked for her final examination and health certificate on Saturday 29th May. I am feeling much less nervous for her now, it all seems so real now. I'm so excited. I cant wait to see Russ, I can't wait to get there and start our new life together!

Russ has been settling into our new home and he loves it. I dont know if I remeber saying before, but there are two dogs next door who are friendly so that will be nice for our Hun.

Let me know how you're getting on with things and speak soon xx

[RUSSandRACHEL 3]

Oooh and I also forgot to say that the kind people at PBS pet shipping also sent me an example of the health certificate to give to my vet. Thought you'd like to see too...

Example acclimation.pdf

[ukprincessemx 0]

Hey one and all,

Ive just sent my dog over to PA, USA...just last week actually. I used a UK based company called Animal Airlines...I had a guy called Mike who was just awesome throughout the whole thing...including the flight problems with our flight ban the other week as well.

I can not prase him enough, we was terrified of transporting Duke but theres no way we would have left him, he is part of the family. He is and 11year old Collie cross. The total cost was apx 1,266.00GBP (this included a crate made just for Duke) and worth every penny. I would email Mike with my worries so many times and he was so helpful and would call me up to calm me down if I was getting upset about anything.

Duke flew from Heathrow, again sooo very helpful Duke arrived in Philly,PA late Thursday and my other half picked him up and took him to see the new vet in PA the next day, we had the rabies shot then and afew other things too. Each state requires different things but we found the UK DEFRA to be useless on USA travel. we found a state vet and contacted them to seek advice on shots. My other half just needed to take ID and fill some paperwork in and then Duke was handed over.

When we started looking into taking the dog it seemed complicate and scarey, once we got Mike on board it was simple...all the flight paperwork was done for us and it went very smoothly. You can contact the Animal Airlines for a personal free quote. I would recommend anyone to do so. They where by far also the cheapest company not to mention the friendliest.

http://www.animalairlines.co.uk/

above is there website, you can let them know that Emma and Ken (duke) recommend them too.

Any questions dont hesitate to ask us xxx

[lynne1969 0]

hi

i dont know if i am allowed to post this here but...here goes...

i have a very large crate, wooden, it was used to ship my AKITA to and from america, it is airline recommended and is more than suitible to ship any large dog.

she was originally shipped on continental airlines.

the dimensions of the crate are : 119 x 61 x 91CM

it has water and food dishes attached

it also has locks and handles

it isnt a verikennel but was PURPOSE MADE for my AKITA

it is clean though the children chalked on one side.

i dont have a picture as yet.

i am moving house in the next few days (by 5th may 2010) and need a new home for this crate as it would be such a waste just to throw it out, i know how expensive it is to ship a large breed.

i am only asking a small price for it £40 which is a lot LOT cheaper than a verikennel or having a new crate made up.

if you are considering moving a large dog in the future then grab this now...while you can...no point putting off til the last minute. (one job less off the check list haha)

oh i am in south manchester and i cannot deliver.

thanks for reading

please contact by replying to this or sending me a PM.

lynne

Edited May 2, 2010 by lynne1969

[RUSSandRACHEL 3]

Hey one and all,

Ive just sent my dog over to PA, USA...just last week actually. I used a UK based company called Animal Airlines...I had a guy called Mike who was just awesome throughout the whole thing...including the flight problems with our flight ban the other week as well.

I can not prase him enough, we was terrified of transporting Duke but theres no way we would have left him, he is part of the family. He is and 11year old Collie cross. The total cost was apx 1,266.00GBP (this included a crate made just for Duke) and worth every penny. I would email Mike with my worries so many times and he was so helpful and would call me up to calm me down if I was getting upset about anything.

Duke flew from Heathrow, again sooo very helpful Duke arrived in Philly,PA late Thursday and my other half picked him up and took him to see the new vet in PA the next day, we had the rabies shot then and afew other things too. Each state requires different things but we found the UK DEFRA to be useless on USA travel. we found a state vet and contacted them to seek advice on shots. My other half just needed to take ID and fill some paperwork in and then Duke was handed over.

When we started looking into taking the dog it seemed complicate and scarey, once we got Mike on board it was simple...all the flight paperwork was done for us and it went very smoothly. You can contact the Animal Airlines for a personal free quote. I would recommend anyone to do so. They where by far also the cheapest company not to mention the friendliest.

http://www.animalairlines.co.uk/

above is there website, you can let them know that Emma and Ken (duke) recommend them too.

Any questions dont hesitate to ask us xxx

Hi guys that is so kind of you to offer advice and thanks for the recommendation but we're all set with PBS (who have been fantastic aswell) for the 31st of this month! I cant wait! Russ, my fiance arrives in the UK on the 22nd and then Honey, our labrador, is flying back with us on the same flight into Newark, NJ so we're not too far from you at all.

I just wanted to ask, a few questions, if you dont mind...

Did you fly on the same flight with your dog?

What shots - apart from the rabies - have they recommend Duke get? I met a vet recently who recommended something about heart worm as an extra precaution. Our Honey is already having tick, tapeworm and the rabies shot as part of the Pet Passport.

If you did travel together how did you handle getting on the plane? Did you ask them to let you know that your dog had boarded and safe etc??? Did they mind doing this??

How much if you dont mind me asking was the customs charges on collection as no one will give us a straight answer to this!

And how was your doggie when he arrived? Quiet? Down? Or excited, happy and back to normal straight away? I'm just worried that Honey will be a bit traumatised by it all but I'm prob over reacting a little... You know what its like, you worry so much!

Many thanks in advance! So kind of you!!! Its great to talk to someone whos actually done it and worn the t shirt! Hope to hear from you soon!

[Jessica&Carl 1]

There's lots of great info about dogs on here. Anyone have any advice on how to get a 5 lb. cat here to the US? Continental was going to charge me $910.00. There's got to be an airline that will charge less than that, right??!?! I don't want to give up my kitten!!!

Edited May 14, 2010 by Jessica&Carl

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

I'll see if I can get Jeraly to come out of semi-retirement from VJ to post her experience with Air France; she was flying from the UK to LAX with her kitty Daisy.

[Jeraly 4]

I took my cat in cabin with me with Air France at the end of June, flying from LHR to LAX and it cost about 150GBP. All I needed was a letter from the vet to say she was fit to travel and had all her shots up to date - she didn't need rabies, but I got it just in case (being paranoid!!).

It was very simple- I made sure to call the airline prior to my flight to ensure they were aware I was bringing her. At LHR, we were taken to a little room where she was let out of her basket thing so they could x-ray it, then we were good to go - she stayed with me the entire time. I let her out a couple times in the bathroom on the plane when she was crying to check for poop or pee but she didn't go the whole way. I even snuck her a little plane food and one of those UHT milk things

She was a little restless for the first and last two hours or so, but as it is an 11 hour flight, she did really well

At LAX, we went through the usual immigration stuff - hubby took her while I had my MBE checked over and such and then when we walked out, I checked with customs/security if I needed to take her anywhere, they confirmed she was a domestic cat and not intended for show purposes or breeding and said she could walk - they didn't even look at her

If you have any questions, just pm me

[FrostyMist 1]

It's been a while since I posted in this topic, and a lot has happened since then. Those of you that read my previous posts, may recall that I was intending to take both my cat, Sally, and my elderly dog, Lady, to the US with me.

Due to my dog's serious heart condition (plus extreme anxiety when separated from me) I was concerned as to whether she would be fit/or even allowed to fly. After a consultation with my vet, he encouraged me to fly my dog, and suggested I contact a pet travel service in order to do so. To be honest, I was a little dubious about his opinion, but I knew that if I couldn't take Lady with me, then the kindest thing would be to have her put to sleep. Due to her extreme anxiety when separated from me for any length of time at all, there was no way I could leave her behind and know she would be happy (or even healthy-she'd already had to have emergency veterinary treatment due to her separation anxiety once already) So, I emailed several pet transport companies for a quote.

So far I have had extremely positive experiences with the company, PetAirUK. After being sent a quote, I spoke to a representative a few days later to discuss transporting Lady to the US. They put me through to a veterinary nurse, who spoke to me at length about Lady's condition. She felt that flying Lady so far could be a concern, and had the vet there call me back.

The vet that I spoke to was extremely nice. He asked me some really useful questions, in order to establish whether Lady could be allowed to fly. After a lengthy discussion, he told me that, sadly, he did not think that I should fly her with them. (And apparently this is something he very rarely advises!) The problem, he explained, was because of her heart medication. Lady was on twice daily medication for her heart, and in order to travel, she would have had to go without one or two doses of her medication whilst being held for her connecting flight to Kansas. Also, on account of her anxiety and the complications she had already had as a result of this in the past meant that such a lengthy separation from me in order to travel could likely be too much for her to cope with.

Based on my discussion with the vet, I made the very heartbreaking decision to have Lady put to sleep.

As a side note: I would warn against the company AirPets. I had also emailed them regarding transportation of Lady to the US, and despite giving them detailed information about her condition, and her need for medication, they were more than happy to send me a quote and offer to fly her. Without a word mentioned about her medical condition.

As well as taking my dog to the US, I also wanted to take my cat, Sally. Sally is a healthy animal and I saw no reason not to try to take her with me. My fiance and I discussed this at length, and whilst we were willing to pay the £1000+ in order to have PetAir transport my dog, we felt that we should try to transport the cat ourselves.

The short version of this story is that this idea proved to be a very bad idea. We ended up sending the cat back with my mum from the airport, and then paying PetAir to transport her instead. After paying out £50 on the cat kennel, £50 on the fitness to fly certificate, £30 on travel accessories, this is not something that my fiance and I are particularly pleased about. We are not at all impressed by the level of "service" offered by Heathrow airport's staff. Although, I should probably mention that I am a wheelchair user, so it was rather ambitious of us to think my fiance could manage pushing a wheelchair, two cases of luggage, two carry on's and a cat!

Basically, what happened was that when we arrived at the airport (I left for the US in April) we quickly began to realize that trying to deal with a cat, luggage and wheelchair was extremely difficult. I began to have my doubts straight away. Heathrow was crazy busy when we arrived, and as soon as we entered the departures area, (just before check-in) we began to have second thoughts about the whole idea.

Naturally, my fiance and I were both very anxious about bringing Sally with us. And maybe that was why we were so easily spooked when a less-than-helpful, very rude member of Heathrow came over right when we were trying to check in and started practically interrogating us about the cat. We were trying to get checked in at the time, (the check-in clerk was running through the usual formalities/questions, etc) and there's this woman asking us about the cat. Although we had checked with the airline (several times-both online and by phone) about bringing the cat, and had been told consistently that "animals can wear collar's in their kennels" we were told by this not so nice and helpful member of Heathrow staff that Sally's collar and tags would have to come off if they were going to fly her.

I was distraught. We were in a busy airport and Sally was frightened. Trying to get a collar on or off her at the best of times is never easy---she tends to struggle and fight. So doing so right at check-in was a horrifying thought. I thought maybe we could take Sally to the bathroom, and do it there, but this not-so-nice Heathrow lady looked at us in total disgust and basically said "no way!"

So, we sent Sally back with my mum, and left England without her.

Sally is due to be collected on Monday (next week---I can't wait! I miss her so much.) by PetAir. After my experiences with them about Lady, they were the first place I thought of. I did email other companies for a quote, and I have to say that every one of them left me weary and distrustful.

Animal Airlines sent me a quotation with my cat's name spelled incorrectly. I know this is a small thing, but this sort of thing matters a lot to me when I am judging whether to trust my cat with a company.

The company jets4pets.com sent me a quote for transporting my cat from UK to Canada! Which is certainly NOT where I wanted to fly her. Again, little details and mistakes like this have a lot of influence with me. If they can't even get the destination right in a simple quote, I do not trust the company to get my cat where I want her to go!

The company ladyhaye.co.uk (which I have actually heard good things about here) failed also. They sent me paperwork with my first name and last name spelt incorrectly. Minor spelling errors-yes, but again I am picky about detail.

Airpets were discarded because they had been willing to fly my dog, Lady, without taking note of her various medical conditions.

AirPets were the most expensive company-about £1066 to fly Sally (with their gold service). The costs include collection from UK residence, and veterinary health examination/certificate. Because I am now in the US, actually getting to speak with someone has been difficult due to timezone differences and my own schedule. PetAir have been wonderful at replying to my many email questions, and have given thorough answers to all my concerns. Even after I paid them the full amount, they continue to be responsive and helpful - answering all my queries. In most instances, if I email them in the evening one day, I have a reply by them the next day. So far, I cannot fault them.

Sally will be collected by them on Monday. She is to be held at their cattery overnight and then flown the next day. She'll be held overnight again on Tuesday, and then make the final short flight to Kansas on Wednesday.

I will post about how the traveling process itself went once I have Sally here.

Edited May 20, 2010 by FrostyMist

[FrostyMist 1]

AirPets were the most expensive company-about £1066 to fly Sally (with their gold service). The costs include collection from UK residence, and veterinary health examination/certificate. Because I am now in the US, actually getting to speak with someone has been difficult due to timezone differences and my own schedule. PetAir have been wonderful at replying to my many email questions, and have given thorough answers to all my concerns. Even after I paid them the full amount, they continue to be responsive and helpful - answering all my queries. In most instances, if I email them in the evening one day, I have a reply by them the next day. So far, I cannot fault them.

Oops, just a correction for clarification purposes. I meant to say "PetAir" not "AirPets". These names are so easy to get confused. (Sorry about the double post-it wouldn't let me edit)

[doghandler 2]

Oops, just a correction for clarification purposes. I meant to say "PetAir" not "AirPets". These names are so easy to get confused. (Sorry about the double post-it wouldn't let me edit)

Thanks for taking the time to post all that info. Huge hugs to you about dear old Lady. x

I hired petrelocation.com. They are a US based company and have allocated an agent in the UK to me who works for Pets on the Move. No complaints so far.

I got my travel crates delivered today for my two dogs. One dog has already gone in off his own free will and is currently sleeping in it! The other is a big woos, and won't go near it, even scared to fetch a treat out of it. I am flying them in 5 weeks so plenty time for the big woos to get over himself!

[FrostyMist 1]

Just thought I'd post an update on the progress of Sally's journey to the US.

An agent from PetAirUK arrived to fetch her from my mum's (in England) this morning. No complaints so far.

We were told to expect someone to arrive to collect Sally between 8 and 9am this morning, and as promised someone came at 8:10. They brought the crate with them (apparently it looked very sturdy and had comfortable bedding for Sally to lay on). The driver was very nice and friendly. The vehicle he drove to collect Sally in was air conditioned, which my mum commented was a good thing because it is very hot over there today.

One of the issues we had when attempting to transport Sally ourselves was that the Heathrow staff member told us that Sally wouldn't be allowed to fly unless we removed her collar. Apparently, when the driver collected Sally this morning he said that the collar and tags could stay on - and even said that it was a very good idea to have both US and UK tags (as we had for Sally). We'll see whether the collar and tags are still with her when we go to collect her on Wednesday.

So, Sally is on her way. And my fiance and I are very anxiously counting down the hours until we can go collect her. I'm so glad that I have a fiance that loves my pets as much as I do. (In fact, I even suspect that Sally now loves him more than she loves me!!)

[FrostyMist 1]

I just wanted to post an update to say that Sally has arrived in the US and is now safely home with my fiance and I.

Although Sally's flight landed in Kansas at around 8:30, the cargo department (when we called them earlier) told us she'd probably be ready to collect by 9:30 at the earliest. We got there at 9, because my fiance and I would rather we had to sit and wait for her, rather than her wait for us.

It wasn't very busy at all at the cargo area. (Just one person leaving with their dog as we arrived, and another dog - a puppy - waiting to be collected). After confirming that I was the person authorized to collect Sally on the paperwork, we were told to wait.

About 10 minutes later, a member of staff brought Sally through to us. Asked to see my passport and had me sign a piece of paper. Then we were good to go. They didn't even ask us to pay the $50 fee (and when we asked about it, they just said "don't worry about it"). It was all extremely quick and efficient. They didn't even need to see our waybill ticket.

Although Sally looked a little sorry for herself in her kennel, she didn't seem overly frightened or agitated. The cat kennel that PetAirUK provided was very sturdy, and also came with a really useful funnel attached to the water dish - so Sally could be given water as needed. She didn't have any water left in her bowl when she was handed over to us, so as soon as we got her cage safely installed in the car, we filled her bowl for her and set off on the 3 hour drive back home.

She cried a little on the way home, but not too much. She seemed to sleep (or at least be napping) some too, which was good.

When we got her home, we let her out in the bedroom to begin with. (I didn't want to overwhelm her with too much new space all at once). She came out of her box cautiously, but certainly didn't hesitate to remain in the box any longer than need be. Sally loves affection, so as soon as she was out of her box, she came straight over for a fuss. Then she explored the room a little, and after satisfying her curiosity (at least for the time being) came back to us for more fuss. We offered her food and water again, and she ate and drank and then used her litter box. There was no mess in the actual cat kennel, so Sally had gone about 6 hours without relieving herself by then.

For the next few hours, Sally spent her time between wanting affection from my fiance and I, and eating and drinking. Although she seems unharmed by her journey, she does seem a little restless and very clingy. It isn't usual for her to follow me or my fiance around from room to room, but she's been doing so since she got here.

And although she's adjusting to her new home, she hasn't completely settled in just yet. She seems happy and content in the bedroom and office, but the living area seemed to frighten her and she seems nervous about entering that area. (My fiance thinks maybe the fact that it is a large, open area is why she is cautious). She also seems rather afraid of the rabbit, and ran to hide in the bedroom when she heard the rabbit make a noise in its cage in the living area. Oh, and she also seems to be upset by mirrors, for some reason. (She's been meowing at them a lot!)

We set up two feliway plug-ins throughout our apartment, in order to help calm her. I have had great success with feliway in the past, and I know that it has been effective in helping calm Sally during stressful events.

She seems extremely tired though, and from about 4pm onwards she's been following us from room to room and finding the nearest comfortable spot to sleep.

All in all though, the whole thing seems to have gone very well. I am very satisfied with the service PetAir have offered and would definitely use them again. (Also, something I found kinda cool-once Sally was on her England to US flight on Tuesday, I entered the flight details at Delta and got to watch the progress of the plane during actual flight. And PetAir also provided a link to Delta airline's cargo site, so I could check the status of my "package" and confirm that she'd been unloaded okay. It wasn't much, but it was a help at reassuring me.)

Edited May 27, 2010 by FrostyMist