Happy New Year to the Shaver Road Animal Hospital friends and family!

We all hope that 2014 will bring fun and exciting adventures for you and your furry friends.  If your adventures will involve travel with your pet, we want you to be aware of some important rules and regulations from the USDA.

When driving within the United States:
Historically, a health certificate has always been required for travel with a "domestic animal" outside of your home state.  Some of us may argue whether our pets are truly domesticated - but I don't think the USDA will find humor in our debate!  For travel within your home state (any state where you hold a current drivers license), you do not need a health certificate but should always travel with your pets' vaccine information. 
Based on these requirements, you may be ticketed or your pet may be quarantined when you are driving throughout the US WITHOUT a health certificate.  Different states, of course, have different requirements!  Please refer to the following site and the accompanying chart to see if your pet may need a health certificate to travel.

https://www.avma.org/Advocacy/StateAndLocal/Pages/certificates-veterinary-inspection.aspx

For airline travel within the United States:
A health certificate will be required within 10 days of your travel.  This can be scheduled with a veterinarian at Shaver Road Animal Hospital at your convenience.  Please refer to the link below concerning other airline requirements and recommendations.

For airline travel outside of the United States:
Each country has its own set of regulations regarding the import of domestic animals (i.e. our cats and dogs).  You will want to look into these regulations WELL in advance of your travel.  A health certificate filled out by a Shaver Road veterinarian will be needed and this certificate needs to be endorsed by the State Veterinarian in Lansing before you leave!  This means you need to leave time to either priority mail the certificate to Lansing or to drive to Lansing for an appointment with the State Veterinarian yourself.  WE RECOMMEND CONTACTING SRAH 30 DAYS IN ADVANCE OF ANY TRAVEL OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES IN ORDER TO ARRANGE THE PAPERWORK FOR YOUR PET.  In addition to the health certificate required by your destination country, the airlines will require a health certificate signed within 10 days of your travel.  Will you be gone more than 10 days?  Contact your airline to see if a second certificate will be needed when you return to the US.  Here are a few links to the USDA travel sites as well as travel requirements for the various airlines:

Requirements for pet travel to many foreign countries
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/regulations/vs/iregs/animals/

Michigan Area Veterinarian-in-Charge
USDA, APHIS, VS
3001 Coolidge Road
Suite # 325
East Lansing, MI 48823-6368
Phone: (517) 337-4700
Fax: (517) 337-4722

Information about airline recommendations/requirements
http://www.iata.org/whatwedo/cargo/live-animals/pets/Pages/index.aspx

Confused yet?  That's what we are here for!  Please call and let us know if you will be traveling with your pet - we can help to be sure you and your pet have a safe, and legal, travel experience!