Take your pet cat to the United States from Shanghai

Pet parents want to take their cats abroad for various reasons. Most of them have no relevant experience, so once they decide, they feel at a loss. They don’t know how to start, which department to contact, and what the process is. , what needs to be paid attention to, the approximate preparation time and cost, etc. In order to better help everyone take their pet cats abroad smoothly, the following article will introduce the process, precautions and other knowledge of cats going abroad.

Entry requirements

First of all, you must understand the import requirements for pets in the destination country, and then strictly follow the requirements of the importing country step by step at home. There are relevant laws and regulations in the country, and it is easy to do it, but sometimes it is very vague and there are many human factors. Very few individuals or companies have experience in sending pets abroad, so to a large extent, you have to rely on yourself to "find the way through the mountains and build the bridge when you meet the water". If you are not familiar with it abroad, you can entrust PetTour to handle all entry matters. If you are in China, you can handle it yourself if conditions permit.

Entry country requirements Each country has different regulations for the import of pets. When a pet leaves the country, it is called "export", and when it enters the country, it is called "import." You must first understand the regulations of the importing country to avoid detours. As far as I know, the most stringent countries at present are Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Japan, EU countries, etc. In addition to basic immunity and chip implantation, they also require rabies antibody level testing (and this test must be carried out by an experiment accredited by EU countries) (laboratory will do it and issue a report), some countries also require a quarantine period ranging from 1 month to 6 months after entry; followed by the United States, Canada, Singapore, etc., there is currently no requirement for rabies antibody level testing; again, it is a general requirement country.

Relevant government departments in various countries have their own websites, where you can find relevant requirements. For example, taking pets to Europe requires

(1) chip implantation

(2) rabies vaccine and rabies antibody level testing (antibody level is not less than 0.5iu/ml)

(3) Basic immunity (including canine distemper/hepatitis/leptospirosis/parvovirus, abbreviated as DHLP, for cats, it includes rhinovirus/small calicivirus/feline distemper)

(4 ) Transportation requires the use of air boxes that meet international standards. The transportation method can be random consignment or CARGO (freight).

Requirements for traveling abroad

Vaccine immunization required for traveling abroad must be done at the local animal husbandry and veterinary station or a pet hospital approved by the Animal Disease Prepaid Control Center, that is, a designated animal rabies injection unit "branded pet hospital. Otherwise, when the pet leaves the country for physical examination, the Entry-Exit Quarantine Bureau will not recognize the immunization of the pet in the private pet hospital.

Go to the pet hospital designated by the local Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau for a physical examination and deworming. The inspection report will be available in about 1-2 working days after the physical examination.

If you pass the physical examination, you can take this physical examination report to the Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau (equivalent to the official foreign veterinarian "OFFICIAL VET") to apply for an "Animal Health Certificate" (that is, an official health certificate) and "Customs Clearance Form", which is used for customs declaration. These two certificates are valid for 14 days, which means they will be invalid if you do not leave the country within 14 days.

It should be noted that the domestic side only does what China requires. As for the requirements of importing countries, China theoretically does not care. Therefore, most of the preparation work should be completed before going to the visiting hospital for a physical examination, such as vaccinations, chip implantation, etc.

Pet Chip

Pet Chip Currently many countries have chip requirements for pets entering the country. Typical ones include the entire European Union, Australia, Japan, Hawaii (USA), Singapore, South Africa, etc. .

The shape of the chip is slightly longer than a grain of rice. The same thing is implanted in the big mule and the little kitten. Currently, more and more countries have requirements, not only for dogs but also for cats. Because the chip is manufactured in compliance with international standards, it can be read with a card reader (the size of a TV remote control) anywhere in the world.

The implantation process is simple: the chip is placed in a large needle and pushed into the skin behind the ear. Don't worry, the nerves in that area are desensitized, so the animal doesn't feel the pain.

Each chip has a serial number. Once implanted, it becomes the pet's lifelong ID card or passport, which will be needed in many places in the future.

There is no requirement that the chip must be implanted in a designated pet hospital, so you can buy the chip yourself and ask an experienced doctor to help implant it. If you don’t know where to buy it, you can contact PetTour.

Rabies Antibody Level Test

Rabies Antibody Level Test In some developed countries, rabies is extinct, so imported pets must be tested for antibodies. At present, there are about dozens of laboratories recognized by EU countries. The specific list can be found on the PetSino website. However, in Asia, there are only one in Japan and South Korea, and most of the others are distributed in European countries. As long as the test report issued by any of them is recognized.

Very few people have done this in China, and the government has no specific regulations. What the owner needs to do is: he needs to contact the hospital or ask a reliable doctor to help draw blood and make serum, and then freeze or refrigerate it in a test tube immediately.

Don’t forget to tape the chip number on the test tube!

It is generally required to start blood drawing 30 days after receiving the rabies vaccine.

How to send serum to a foreign laboratory? Because individuals are not allowed to send serum products in China, you need to find someone to take it to a laboratory in a designated country for testing.

Serum transportation packaging is a delicate matter: first buy "refrigerant" and foam boxes. How many bags of refrigerant you buy depends on the size of the box. 4-6 bags are enough. After returning, put the refrigerant in the refrigerator for 36 hours until it becomes as hard as a rock. Put the frozen refrigerant into the foam box, put the test tube containing the serum in a plastic bag and put it into the box. Seal the box with tape and put a cardboard box outside. The purpose is to keep the temperature low. You must know that the serum may become ineffective once the temperature rises!

Each laboratory has its own website. You can download the relevant forms and fill them out. It takes about 7-15 days for each laboratory to issue a report. The report is sent back directly, and the owner must grasp the time.

If the test result is unqualified (lower than the required standard), you may need to give your pet another shot of vaccine and then retest, which means an increase in costs and a delay in time. Some people, out of caution, gave their dogs two rabies injections and then took blood samples for testing. This may be worth recommending.

Many people do not have the conditions to take pet serum abroad for testing. They can also find some agencies to help take their pet serum abroad for testing, but it will take longer. Generally, it will take about 1 month to get the results. Time, if you are in China, PetTour China can handle it.

Each animal has a different absorption response to the vaccine. In addition, the quality of each batch of vaccines may also be different (for example, the one you bought is parallel import or expired), which may lead to differences in animal antibody levels. . This may explain why the test failed.

The results of Rabies Antibody Level Test (RNATT) are also time-limited. For example, the European Union requires 90 days after serum collection before entry, and countries such as Japan, the United Kingdom, and Australia require 6 months before entry.

FAQ

FAQ According to Chinese customs regulations, a passenger can only take a maximum of 1 pet out of the country. What should I do if I bring multiple pets out of the country? In theory, there is only one other way, that is, export through trade. In this way, in theory, you need to entrust a company with animal import and export rights (such as PetTour) to do it. The specific details are discussed separately. In addition, transiting out of Hong Kong is also an optional way.

Selection of agency. Taking pets abroad is a systematic project, especially to countries such as the European Union, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Japan. The procedures that need to be completed are very complicated. They often require serum testing, remote care, chip implantation, etc. These procedures are not handled by many small companies. experience, or simply do not know the latest regulations of the relevant countries, so it is strongly recommended to choose an experienced and professional company, such as PetTour China, PetSino, etc. An agency with no handling experience may cause your pet’s flight errors, problems in the arrangement process, or even the pet being destroyed because the entry documents do not meet the requirements.

Choose the appropriate shipping method. Importing countries generally have two requirements for pet transportation, either traveling with the owner, or being transported as cargo, that is, CARGO. The former is very user-friendly: the owner checks the pet at the counter as carry-on luggage, and the pet also needs to buy a ticket. After arriving, the owner picks it up in a dedicated area and goes home directly. I know that the United States and Canada fall into this category, and the latter (CARGO) is transported according to the cargo. Shipping and receipt are in the "CARGO" area of ??the airport. After arrival, the owner himself or an entrusted agency will go through the customs clearance procedures. The official veterinarian will check and release the goods, such as the United Kingdom and Australia. , Hong Kong belongs to this category.

Choose a good quality flight case. Put mats and toys in the flight box to familiarize the pet with it. In addition, you can put something with the owner's scent to stabilize the little animal's mood.

Book with the airline in advance. If you are traveling with the owner, you need to make an appointment with the airline in advance to book the pet cabin; but if it is CARGO, it will be troublesome. The airline does not accept individual cargo cabin reservations, and it must be done through the airline's freight forwarder. Some airlines do not carry pets for various reasons, and even if they do, they are not available on every flight, so owners must book through a freight forwarder in advance. When filling in the transportation form, please note: the consignee must be yourself (if the consignor is not equal to the consignee, the nature will become an export trade, which will be troublesome).