Caution: Live Animal!

10.19.09

Dear Diary,

Since I wrote last, I've finally found some answers. No, not the be-all-and-end-all answers to the Great Question of life, the universe, and everything, but the answers about how to travel with a pet. Finally, the internet gods (or at least Google) have rewarded my quest for information! Here are some things to know, to all those ladies in the audience who plan to cart their hapless pets with them in their adventures around the world.

Before we begin, be aware! Your pet will most likely need to be at least three months old before you can travel with her, unless you're able to get special permission from the government at your destination.

So here's my scrapped-together checklist.

First: at bare minimum, your pet will need to have had its basic vaccines a minimum of 30 days before you leave. For cats and dogs this means rabies vaccinations, and for all other animals, it means...whatever your other small animal normally gets at a regular vet visit. Animals that qualify as livestock, such as horses, are completely off my radar and therefore I can't help you.

Second: "bare minimum" only suffices for certain travel. Assuming that you're coming from the US, you'll probably need to do more than the bare minimum if your travels will take you beyond Canada. Many countries are concerned about fleas or ticks, distemper in cats and heart worms in dogs, and pet identification. Since some of these treatments take time, be ready to start treatment a few months before you leave.

It ain't always in English, of course.

If you're traveling to any country in the European Union, you'll be filling out one of two forms: Form EU 998, or a Blue Passport. The Passport is primarily for animals whose owners live in the EU or who will be traveling between EU countries; Form 998 is for those who are coming from non-EU "Third Countries" and who have one destination for their pets. As long as these forms are properly filled out and accompany you and your pet through customs, you shouldn't need to quarantine your pet unless that's a requirement for your specific country (i.e. the United Kingdom).
Here's a note: I recommend checking that list of Third Countries before you do your paperwork, because the hoops you must jump through are partially determined by which Third Country you're coming from!

So now let's say you've picked a country to travel to. For the sake of example, I'll pick Germany, because that's where I'm actually going. Your next step is to call the Vet-in-Charge in your state and harass the hell out of them until they give you what you want: paperwork. For me, it took four phone calls to the Harrisburg office before the administrative assistant, in a fit of pity, emailed me a ten-page packet of documentation and sample forms and a checklist. All of that work, the stress and the calls, amounted to three sheets of paper that I actually needed to fill out, and seven that I barely needed to glance at.

As it turns out, a cat traveling to Germany needs only a record of recent rabies vaccinations, a special rabies test, and a microchip or tattoo.

I have to admit, this is a lot less complicated than I expected. All that needed to be done was to bring the cat to the vet and have her blood drawn (which absolutely thrilled her, I can assure you), and show them the forms to be filled out. They, in turn, send her blood to Kansas State University to do the special rabies test, and fill out most of the paperwork in the meantime. When the test comes back from KSU, the paperwork gets mailed to the Vet-in-Charge for the state, who signs and seals it and mails it back. Ta-da!

To summarize thus far: when traveling with a pet, be ready for vaccinations and special blood tests and paperwork. Call the Vet-in-Charge to get the paperwork, and read through everything at Europa to find out what requirements are in place for US-to-EU pet transfers.
Take a deep breath- you're almost done with the hard part! Now let's talk the actual travel experience.

*GROAN*

Getting your pet from Point A to Point B is going to be difficult, no matter what you do. Carrier size and quality and type, ground temperatures, water and food, accidents, and of course pet stress are all challenges to be ready to meet. I'll offer my disclaimer now: I haven't actually brought my cat from Philadelphia to Kaiserslautern yet, so I don't know how well the theory will apply in practice! But here's my checklist for day-of travel anyway.

First, your pet needs to be in a carrier in which it can stand up, lie down, and turn around with relative ease. There must also be sufficient ventilation space on at least three of the sides so the carrier can be packed and not suffocate the animal. Traveler's Pet Corner has a great diagram for this, as well as links to the USDA requirements for pet carriers. As a precaution, make extra copies of your travel documents and attach them to your carrier, and write your contact information (and the contact information for your destination) in permanent marker on the carrier.

Kitty doesn't go in here.

Second, consider your pet's size, weight, and type, and start researching airline companies. If you want to bring your pet in the cabin with you, s/he and the carrier combined can't weigh more than 18 pounds, and most airlines prohibit carriers larger than 55 x 40 x 20 cm. Basically, your pet needs to be able to fit comfortably under the seat in front of you and not in the overhead compartment. Also, bear in mind that many US-based airline companies (including United and American Airlines) won't allow you to bring a pet in the cabin on any overseas flights. I'm flying with Lufthansa, which is a German airline and doesn't care.

A heads up: most airlines limit the number of pets allowed on their flight to seven, and most airlines charge your pet as "excess baggage" if checked or a special pet fee if brought into the cabin. To bring my cat to Germany, I have to pay an extra $200 on my ticket (owch!) and reserve her spot at least six weeks in advance.

Third: if your pet can't be carried in the cabin with you, temperature will affect whether your pet can come on the trip at all! Federal regulations prohibit checking pets into the plane's cargo hold if the ground temperature at any stop on your itinerary will be below 45 F (7.2 C). They make exceptions for pets that are accompanied by veterinary documents saying that the pet is used to cold temperatures (all Alaskan Husky owners rejoice!), but 25 F (-3.9 C) is the absolute cutoff. If you're hoping to travel North in the dead of winter, make other arrangements for Fluffy.

Fourth: for accidents, stress, and eating, your best bet is to get your pet as used to her/his carrier as possible. Airlines are highly discouraged from flying animals that have been sedated, because of the effects of cabin pressure on sedated brains, so you can't have that as a fallback. My vet recommended that I start carrying the cat in her carrier with me everywhere I go, just to get her used to spending time in it. So far, I'm the laughingstock of my township, and the cat's taken to sprinting whenever she needs to pass the carrier, just in case I get the idea of shoving her in it and dragging her around with me.
If stress isn't your concern but accidents are, many pet supply stores sell absorbent liners that are designed to be soft, comfy, and disposable when your pet inevitably lets loose. Some soft carriers, for pets that are going in the plane cabin, actually have special pouches for you to carry extra liners in. Be forewarned, though, that pets can't be let out of their carriers at any point in time when they're in the airport or on the plane, so get used to changing the liner with the carrier door mostly shut.

Finally, for food and water, most websites recommend freezing some water in a dish for your pet and putting it in the carrier with them, and giving them a dish of dry food before you check them (or before you get on the plane) if you feel you have to feed them. I have no idea how the frozen water trick interacts with TSA's three ounce rule, so I'll have to let you know if that applies to cabin-bound pets as well as those who are checked.

To summarize yet again: pets need to go in secure containers with enough room to move around and plenty of ventilation. They can't fly when it's too cold at any point on your itinerary, unless they're small enough to go in the cabin with you, and if you're flying overseas, call your airline and ask them about their arrangements for pets. Make sure your carrier has extra copies of documents and contact information on it, so airline personnel can be in touch with you easily. Get your pet used to the carrier before they travel, since they can't be sedated for the trip, and check your local supply store for liners, travel dishes, and any other accoutrements you think may be necessary to keep your pet fed, watered, and dry for the journey.

Phew. That's a lot. Not nearly as much as it seemed when I was first checking it out, but still...a lot! If you're not going to Europe, and/or you have questions that I didn't answer, go to Pet Travel and see what information and links they can provide. And, of course, nothing beats the Feds- APHIS, part of the Department of Agriculture, will give you the nitty-gritty in incomprehensible and complex language.

Next tasks: learn German overnight (subliminal messaging, anyone?), get licensed (oh, the bureaucracy!), and learn about destination (the Autobahn isn't just a road in Germany...or is it?).

-Erica