pet travel
Travelling with your pet can be an enjoyable experience as long as you are well prepared. The staff at Gilmour Veterinary Services is experienced in international pet travel and can help guide you through the process.
1
Contact the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) as they will help you collect the necessary documents and information required for your pet to enter your destination country. Be sure to inform them if you have any lay-over/transit destinations.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency
2001 University, Montreal, QC H3A 1T9
(514) 283-8888 • www.inspection.gc.ca
2
Contact the Embassy/Consulate of your destination country and any connection locations.
As there are 195 countries in the world, we can not know which country requires which admission requirements for your pet so it is up to you to find out exactly what is required to travel with your pet.
The Embassy/Consulate of the country(ies) you are visiting will inform you if there are any specific requirements such as specific documentation, vaccines, tests and/or treatments necessary to enter the country (microchip, vaccine(s), blood-work, parasite treatments, etc.), and the timeline in which they must be completed.
Please note that the timeline and sequence of the treatments and/or tests may affect the date of travel as there are delays to some of the tests which should be worked into your travel time-line.
3
We require the information listed below in order to properly complete your pet's paperwork:
• The animal's date of birth
• Microchip implant date and microchip number (*note that the microchip must be from and internationally-recognized supplier)
• Rabies vaccination information. If not vaccinated at our office, we will require you to provide us with the manufacturer and the serial number of the vaccine as well as its duration (either 1 year, or 3 years)
• Your complete address (be sure to update us if you have changed your contact information)
• Address of destination (include all if more then one)
• Name of the person travelling with your pet
• Date of travel
(If you have a lay-over or are entering through another country than your final destination, you may require additional travel documents for entry into that country.)
It is also recommended to discuss your pet's travel with your chosen airline to learn of any conditions they may impose.
4
Your Gilmour Veterinary Services Appointment:
• Before you book your travel consultation appointment(s) with Gilmour Veterinary Services, please ensure that you have contacted the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the Embassy/Consulate of the country you will be visiting and have been informed of any special requirements, and have the information listed above in number 3.
• If your pet requires follow-up treatments or vaccinations, this will add days or weeks to your time-line.
• You must bring the proper documentation with you to your appointment, we do not provide the documentation, only the vaccine and international health attestation.
• When you call for your appointment with us, please mention that your appointment is with regard to documentation for your pet as well as your date of travel.
• Independent of the treatments required for entry to your destination with your pet, you are also required to have your pet physically examined by a veterinarian within 10 days of your date of departure.
• Once the final veterinary examination and any required treatments are completed, we will inform you of when you can retrieve your completed travel documentation.
• The documentation will be ready in 3 business days if not sooner.
5
Once you have the completed documentation, you can go to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (by appointment) to have the documents stamped by the government official and you are ready for travel!