International travel with your pet is getting a lot harder

The agency of the U.S. Government that regulates health and safety of animals is the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). A veterinarian has to have a license to sign health certificates for animals.

Each country has regulations that may be unique to that county alone for the importation of pets. Recently, the system for accrediting veterinarians underwent many revisions. Each of the doctors here at Oasis Animal Hospital are accredited and able to sign international health certificates. But due to the many budget cuts, the process for getting the certificates approved has become much more time consuming and complex.  We have far more responsibilities than we had before.

My “take home message” is that if you intend to travel internationally with your pet, please begin the process many weeks (or months) before hand. There may be additional vaccines required, rabies testing, parasite treatments and paperwork. (It wouldn’t be the government if there weren’t forms to be completed in quadruplet or more!).  Thanks, Dr. Tenney

#healthcertificate #travel