Bringing pets from your home country

[Up and Away 10]

Don't argue, just do it. This is your wife, be her man. Men solve problems, just solve it. Marshmallows, if you must, look for ways to avoid responsibility, whine, make excuses and generally disappoint everyone around them.

Men just say "I'll take care of that" and make it so. Make it so. That's why she married you.

Bringing animals is no big deal. Seriously? C'mon, this is a cinch and you will likely not get a better price on anything that will please your wife so much. Check around, call the airlines, make the plans and do it.

[dukeandduchess 141]

I researched all of this before I even got my cat because I knew I'd be heartbroken if I couldn't bring her. We drove across the border and they didn't even look at her and scoffed at me when I offered her papers. So I guess it depends where you are bringing the animal from more than anything.

My cat is a trooper though, she survived 3 days of driving with me *AND* my parents. She's the best!

[Adriene H 89]

I researched all of this before I even got my cat because I knew I'd be heartbroken if I couldn't bring her. We drove across the border and they didn't even look at her and scoffed at me when I offered her papers. So I guess it depends where you are bringing the animal from more than anything.

My cat is a trooper though, she survived 3 days of driving with me *AND* my parents. She's the best!

Hehe ... road trip with the cat =^-^=

Yea ... the steps involved for getting a pet

to another country vary from place to place.

[Enigma11561 336]

Regardless of the money aspect, the real issue is survivability. A long plane ride will induce much stress. A dog, for example, can be given a pill to calm it down, make it sleepy. No such thing for a rabbit. If the animal is DOA, then what?

[Gosia & Tito 199]

My wife has been here since October. She left 2 rabbits and 2 cats back in Germany with her dad. Her dad already has a cat, so it's not a big deal for him to watch a second and third one, but he has little patience for the rabbits and wants them gone as soon as possible. It just so happens that my wife received her green card today, so now she is able to go back to Germany and deal with the situation. From the day we started talking about making a life together in America, I told her that I intended to bring all of the pets over when we could. I meant it then and I still mean it. But the key phrase is "when we can." Right now, we are renting a small house and I am the only one working (and I only make about $25k a year). We are paying our bills and getting by, but we aren't really saving anything at the moment. Considering the small living quarters and lack of much financial cushion, I am opposed to bringing the pets here right now. I would feel better about it once my wife has a job and we have a little more financial breathing room (of course, her getting a job will be another challenge altogether, but that's another topic for another day).

At the same time, her dad has expected all along that as soon as she had her green card, she would come back to take the pets off his hands (the rabbits, at least; I think he would continue watching the cats for as long as needed). So she is in a difficult position, where her dad wants her to get them out, but I am hesitant to bring them here now...so she has no idea what to do. And I don't know what to tell her. I'm sympathetic because I lost my dogs in a previous divorce. I will likely never see them again, but I'm not asking her to never see her pets again. I'm asking her to be patient. But her dad may not allow that patience.

I've asked her if she has any friends who would be willing to watch them until we are on our feet a little more, but she hasn't indicated that that is a possibility. And obviously I would not ask her to give them away permanently (though I'm not going to deny that I'd be a little relieved if she would do that, though I would also feel bad). So, we don't know what to do. It's a big source of conflict between us, and I'd like some insight as to how some of you have dealt with issues like this.

Bringing 2 rabbits is not a big deal; according to the federal agency I have checked with: CDC (had same issu with a rabbit in Poland). There is no special permission or paperwork required. It is up to the airline and according to their rules, if you can tuck a small pet carrier under the sit, it will do. Of course, it's a long flight, so is best with multiple stops, say London, NY and then final destination. In the past, I had brought my dog form Sweden (and since there is no rabies there, there was no quarintine, etc; flew straigh Stockholm-CHicago). FOr cats, there is no special requirement either, however, they will be inspected for diseases at POE and could be rejected, but it depends on the state you will be and ultimately depends on the rules of the airline, most likely, they will have to come in the cargo area.

In general only few specias are regulated.

Check:

http://www.cdc.gov/animalimportation/BringingAnimalToUs.html

http://www.cdc.gov/animalimportation/cats.html

I do recall finding the specific rules for rabbits in where it was stated there were no rules and it was allowed with no problems; you would need to look it up in the CDC site.

I know pets are important, they are for me and that is why I brought my dog from Sweden and why the Polish rabbit came too. Luckily, visas are not needed, Can you imagine a K-Pet visa??

Good luck

Hope this helps

[Gosia & Tito 199]

Second that. Traveling with pets is not as big of a deal as some post here write. True that special arrangements might be needed, and additional care too - you don't want your pet sitting in a hot or freezing tarmac. Here is where you need to research the airlines and how they transport pets. Small enough ones can travel in the cabin, larger ones need to be in cargo.

I have traveled extensively with my now departed middle poodle, who was born in Sweden and had visited 15 countries in 3 continents when he crossed the rainbow bridge.

FYI, within the US, you have PetAirways

[Adriene H 89]

Bringing 2 rabbits is not a big deal; according to the federal agency I have checked with: CDC (had same issu with a rabbit in Poland). There is no special permission or paperwork required. It is up to the airline and according to their rules, if you can tuck a small pet carrier under the sit, it will do. Of course, it's a long flight, so is best with multiple stops, say London, NY and then final destination. In the past, I had brought my dog form Sweden (and since there is no rabies there, there was no quarintine, etc; flew straigh Stockholm-CHicago). FOr cats, there is no special requirement either, however, they will be inspected for diseases at POE and could be rejected, but it depends on the state you will be and ultimately depends on the rules of the airline, most likely, they will have to come in the cargo area.

In general only few specias are regulated.

Check:

http://www.cdc.gov/animalimportation/BringingAnimalToUs.html

http://www.cdc.gov/animalimportation/cats.html

I do recall finding the specific rules for rabbits in where it was stated there were no rules and it was allowed with no problems; you would need to look it up in the CDC site.

I know pets are important, they are for me and that is why I brought my dog from Sweden and why the Polish rabbit came too. Luckily, visas are not needed, Can you imagine a K-Pet visa??

Good luck

Hope this helps

If your pet is in the UK ... there used to be a kind of

'passport' scheme for pets and it could travel to all

parts of the EU with it's own little passport

http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/pets/travel/pets/

[Gosia & Tito 199]

My wife has been here since October. She left 2 rabbits and 2 cats back in Germany with her dad. Her dad already has a cat, so it's not a big deal for him to watch a second and third one, but he has little patience for the rabbits and wants them gone as soon as possible. It just so happens that my wife received her green card today, so now she is able to go back to Germany and deal with the situation. From the day we started talking about making a life together in America, I told her that I intended to bring all of the pets over when we could. I meant it then and I still mean it. But the key phrase is "when we can." Right now, we are renting a small house and I am the only one working (and I only make about $25k a year). We are paying our bills and getting by, but we aren't really saving anything at the moment. Considering the small living quarters and lack of much financial cushion, I am opposed to bringing the pets here right now. I would feel better about it once my wife has a job and we have a little more financial breathing room (of course, her getting a job will be another challenge altogether, but that's another topic for another day).

At the same time, her dad has expected all along that as soon as she had her green card, she would come back to take the pets off his hands (the rabbits, at least; I think he would continue watching the cats for as long as needed). So she is in a difficult position, where her dad wants her to get them out, but I am hesitant to bring them here now...so she has no idea what to do. And I don't know what to tell her. I'm sympathetic because I lost my dogs in a previous divorce. I will likely never see them again, but I'm not asking her to never see her pets again. I'm asking her to be patient. But her dad may not allow that patience.

I've asked her if she has any friends who would be willing to watch them until we are on our feet a little more, but she hasn't indicated that that is a possibility. And obviously I would not ask her to give them away permanently (though I'm not going to deny that I'd be a little relieved if she would do that, though I would also feel bad). So, we don't know what to do. It's a big source of conflict between us, and I'd like some insight as to how some of you have dealt with issues like this.

Page 6 in:

http://www.cbp.gov/ImageCache/cgov/content/publications/pets_2epdf/v1/pets.pdf

[Lainie B 465]

Regardless of the money aspect, the real issue is survivability. A long plane ride will induce much stress. A dog, for example, can be given a pill to calm it down, make it sleepy. No such thing for a rabbit. If the animal is DOA, then what?

It is recommended by airlines and vets not to drug your animals for flights - it makes them scared, unable to react and subject to injury if there is turbulence.

[Darkmoonfaerie 19]

I'd only fly with them in cabin and not ship rabbits. They really are fragile animals and can die from stress. Are they small enough to fit into one carrier under the seat? If so, someone could do a round trip with them in the same carrier. Some airlines allow this and others don't but it might help them deal with the stress. I've flown many times across the USA with a cat and we're planning to bring one from the UK when my fiance moves. It's really not hard at all to fly a pet as long as you take supplies and are well prepared. It's the high stress level of rabbits that worries me. I'd recommend speaking with breeders who ship and see what they say. It's not worth ending up with dead bunnies. We're planning to cruise with our cat if there's availability and thought that might be a good suggestion. But the dogs and cats share a kennel room and I bet that would really stress out a rabbit. Good luck with it. I'd hate to leave my pets behind.

[KLS2010 30]

I don't know how things work specifically for Germany, but I just wanted to add in my experience with bringing animals to the US.

I flew my two dogs, three cats and two guinea pigs from Australia to Houston. They flew from Sydney to Singapore to London Heathrow to Houston. None of them had any after effects from flying. Infact - I think they handled the trip better than I did!

Yes, rabbits (like guinea pigs) are more susceptible to the stress of flying than say cats and dogs. Yes there is a risk transporting them, but that risk can be minimised by making sure they are as healthy as possible before flying, and choosing an airline that has a good reputation for transporting animals.

But...I do sympathise with you being concerned about the cost (of both the trip and for their care after they are in the US). For the amount it cost me to fly my animals one-way - I could have bought 3 round-trip tickets for myself! I had to work for 4mths to be able to afford to bring them. But there was never a question about bringing them - I just had to do whatever it took to make it happen.

If these rabbits are as dear to your wife as my animals are to me, then I think you owe it to her to at least do some research into the real costs involved. It may turn out that it will be just too expensive for you - in which case other arrangements will need to be made. But it may turn out that it isn't as expensive as you may think. I'm just saying....check things out thoroughly before you make a decision one way or the other.

P.S Ditto to what Lainie B said - do not allow your animals to be sedated or tranquilised for flights (except on express instruction of, or done, by an experienced vet). Most vets however will not recommend sedating animals for flights as any animal under sedation needs to be monitored closely - which obviously isn't possible when they are in a crate in the cargo hold of a plane. Sedatives and tranquilisers can affect an animal's balance (so increasing the chance of injury as they can't adjust to the movement of their crate and/or the plane), have effects on the respiratory and cardiovascular systems which are exacerbated by conditions in the cargo hold (flying at altitude and pressurised), and can prevent the animal from swallowing properly and, in dogs, from panting which can lead to problems with over-heating.

[Lainie B 465]

I'd only fly with them in cabin and not ship rabbits. They really are fragile animals and can die from stress. Are they small enough to fit into one carrier under the seat? If so, someone could do a round trip with them in the same carrier. Some airlines allow this and others don't but it might help them deal with the stress. I've flown many times across the USA with a cat and we're planning to bring one from the UK when my fiance moves. It's really not hard at all to fly a pet as long as you take supplies and are well prepared. It's the high stress level of rabbits that worries me. I'd recommend speaking with breeders who ship and see what they say. It's not worth ending up with dead bunnies. We're planning to cruise with our cat if there's availability and thought that might be a good suggestion. But the dogs and cats share a kennel room and I bet that would really stress out a rabbit. Good luck with it. I'd hate to leave my pets behind.

Most airlines will not allow animals in the cabin for international flights (except for service animals), even if they are small enough to fit under the seat. You would need to check with the airline.

I would argue that it is more stressful to take the animal in the cabin than put it in with baggage anyway. It would be a lot brighter, and more jostling around.

Edited March 13, 2012 by Lainie B

[Marilyn. 340]

I knew the travel would be hard on my two cats specially the one so I made the hard decision to find them loving homes before I moved to the US.

I know it would be hard on your wife but I really think the best thing to do is for her to find permanent homes for them over there. Like many have said already, rabbits are very skittish creatures and a long flight would probably cause them a lot of stress..

[Derek & Rita 6]

Don't argue, just do it. This is your wife, be her man. Men solve problems, just solve it. Marshmallows, if you must, look for ways to avoid responsibility, whine, make excuses and generally disappoint everyone around them.

Men just say "I'll take care of that" and make it so. Make it so. That's why she married you.

Bringing animals is no big deal. Seriously? C'mon, this is a cinch and you will likely not get a better price on anything that will please your wife so much. Check around, call the airlines, make the plans and do it.

That's what I love about Russian women - they expect the man to be a man, to make the decisions. It's important how the OP responds here.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

That's what I love about Russian women - they expect the man to be a man, to make the decisions. It's important how the OP responds here.

And they enjoy being women.

However I will admit to being less than an expert on rabbits. If indeed it would be traumatic and possibly harmful for the animal then the MAN ought to research that and present that information to his wife so SHE can make an informed decision. Then the man can carry that out for her.

Again check with the airline. We were allowed to bring ONE carrier in the cabin so we brought dog in the cabin and out the cat in the hold. The cat probably didn't know the difference. The dog would have freaked out and died. I do not know why a flight in an airplane cabin in a carrier would be so stressful, but again I am no rabbit expert.

Simply saying "it is cheaper to buy new rabbits" is a cop out, of course it is but that is not what is being requested here.