Moving pets from the US to PI

Did anyone here have moved their pets with them from the US? We have 2 mini dachshunds and moving to PI will really depend on how it would fare in any phases of this big change- custom, immigration and we dread quarantine. Any info about the move would greatly be appreciated.

 

luvdox, it is a rather simple process. I brought two dogs over 5 yrs ago, they road in a special area of the cargo section on the Philippines Airlines flight we took. The following web site gives you more information.
Bringing Pets to the Philippines
Be aware that each flight has a limit to the number of animals to they can transport.

 

My buddy brought over his beloved dog and made the trip just fine.

Sadly, the dog couldn't cope with the elements here and it developed pretty massive skin rashes which broke open and bled. Under the care of Dr. Acuna it was put on meds, some of which were steroids and it took it's toll on the dogs liver and kidneys. The dog became lethargic, readily went downhill over the course of 18 months and really was in BAD shape.

The owner of the dog has had to go back to the states and the dog couldn't get a vet certification saying it was in good health so the dog could be taken back state-side with him. The owner faced the decision to put the dog down. He called Acuna who came to the house prepared to put the dog down with the owner sobbing and in complete distress on the patio. Acuna offered to take the dog and try and bring it back to health but they fear the worst as it's got something here that's attacking it's body.

Acuna still has the dog (been 3 weeks now) and it's making a tiny bit of progress I'm told. But, the outlook is not good.

Case #2 is a guy that brought over a dog that was longer haired and thicker coat. It had a heat stroke and died.

So PLEASE, from a dog lover like me - to you - take this decision to bring your dogs here very serious.

 

There is No quarintine her for imported dogs, I brought my Boxer here from the UK here 5 years ago. Youn can either use a Professinal animal shipper or do it yourself { saving yourself a lot of money }
You will need a Faa/Caa aproved Air Kennal { No more wooden crates } Which is aprox 2 times the size of the dog.
Do not feed your animal al least 8 hours before the flight & DO NOT sedate them...
inform the airline that you will be bringing live doggie cargo & book them in as excess baggage { You will save yourself a fortune }
You need to down load or on line fill, out the importation form from the Philippine dept of Aggricultre to gain a import licence, Make sure you get a fit to travel letter from you vet, & that your dog is up to date on annual shots { I would include a Rabies one as well }
My dog is Micro chipped So I also had a Dogs passport { yes they do exist ! Its an EC thing, but it cotains all the info & chip number of the animal, Also would you beleave a Doggy Mug shot ! }
A lot of running around at Manila airport, we found a fixer, you will never manage with out one. I think thats about it , I made sure that the captain was aware on both International & Domestic flights that my dog was in the hold { was a aircraft mech seen a few nasty inncidents with live cargo } ask away if you have any questons.
Regards

 

A long process sometimes slow process, but worth it

I brought over two Persian long hair cats from the US about 8 months ago. I schedule three months for processing, it I consumed almost every hour.
I had to deal with the Philippine’s Department of Agriculture. Their information is on line. They we not easy but I was persistent and everything evolved to a conclusion with hours to spare, (6 hours before flight time for one of the cats). It took the full three months to do the processing. Some of the pages on line can be very confusing.
You have to deal with the Philippine Consulate, so be sure you are close to them, as they have to prepare “pretty” papers for your animal. This is one of the last things you do. These papers are key to moving you animals around the Philippines, so keep them close to you during your travel. The Consulate has times you drop off your papers, and another time hours later you pick up your travel documents.
I had to deal with my own vet getting all the vaccinations and certifications. A good US vet knows what to do. These certifications have to be done in the last days prior to your departure, and put a stress on the whole process because after getting them you have to go to the USDA, and then the Philippine Consulate. I started working with my vet approximately 3 months before departure, and the certifications and vaccines occur in the last 14 days (they cannot be done earlier). The sequence is US vet, USDA, and the Philippine Consulate. This is done in the last ten to fourteen days if I recall correctly. The USDA was working 4 hours days when I did mine, and that schedule almost screwed by schedule.
I flew on PAL. It was easy but again visited the PAL loading desk twice in prior days to my departure, having inspections of the kennels, etc. Pal only take so many pets per vet, so you have to let them know you are going to bring them. They require one kennel for each animal.
The highlight of this whole process was watching homeland security going through the “kitty Litter” in each kennel for threatening items as the cats were prepared for departure. If they have had explosive turds they would have been turned back..hahahaha
I did not have problems when arriving in Manila. I had no fixer. However every time you move the animals with in the country to your final destination, you have to have new papers, which are pretty easy to get. I had to get paper for Cebu, and then again from Cebu to Dumaguete by boat.
My final suggestion is to schedule yourself months for the process. Do as many “dry” runs as you can with your vet, USDA, Philippine Consulate and PAL (or your chosen airline).
My approximate cost for both cats was about $1200. Including everything and flight costs.

Was it worth it? Absolutely. Even though they are long hair cats, the heat does not seem to bother them. They were in air conditioned building in the US, and in Air Con buildings here so the temperature difference does not seem to make a difference. I do have a very good relationship with a good vet here in Dumaguete, and keep them monitored as there was concern voice here on line when I originally said I was to bring long hair cats. . They are indoor cats, most of the time.
PM me if you want additional information including copies of email with the Philippine’s Agriculture department. All the information is on line. Do not tranquilize your animals, if you vet suggests it, get a new vet. Read everything on line you can about moving pets to the Philippines.

 

Hope This Helps Dog Owners

"Sadly, the dog couldn't cope with the elements here and it developed pretty massive skin rashes which broke open and bled"

Sorry for your loss.

My elderly Aussie had been here for over two years and developed the same problem. After shots failed from a guy who masqueraded as a vet but had no license, I took her to a clinic connected with a University and she was biopsied to be sure it wasn't mites. The Vet suggested heavy daily doses of vitamin "A". I was skeptical but she improved immediately and a month later the sores were gone and she regrew her hair for a total recovery..
BTW, I got the forms necessary from the Philippine Embassy, had my U.S. vet complete them and brought her over on Philippine Airlines to Manila for $1500.

 

Thanks for the info. We are moving to Dumaguete City in probably 2.5 or 3 yrs from now. We've made some preliminary researches on our end here as moving our babies would be a big part of this change. Since we travel a lot we know the limit on how many pets could be on board the US domestic plane. However, we did not know that International flights would also have pet limitation. So this is a good thing to know before we get things squared away and book the flight. Also, US Domestic flights lets passengers keep the pets stowed under the seat in front of them. Is this also possible with International flight? We watch our pets like kids and won't be comfortable doing the long flight without having them near us. Thanks, once again.

 

This is a scary thing to know. Our mini short-haired dachshunds are heavily pampered, treated like shielded kids. And there is no way that we would move without them. We are scared that the long trip could affect their perfect health - they have excellent yearly health plan through Banfield Hospital and are up-to date on vaccinations, neutered and are micro chipped. We know the Philippine Custom and Immigration is always the hardest to deal with so both hard and easy experiences are all welcome. This is the reason why we want to know the pet parent's experiences b/c no one is the same and we would like to be well prepared. Btw, we will arrange our trip during the cooler times to avoid any heat distress on them but I think the plane would have regulated temp knowing they have pets on board, wouldn't they? Anyway, I'm hoping your friend's dog survives its ordeal. Thanks!

 

Thank you Dave and Imp for a very informative reply. I will definitely keep this information in my documents for review as time to move is closer. We have made our preliminary researches through pet travel and somehow know the processing it would take for us. But really thankful for sharing your experiences with us including the time frames on when to start processing the paperwork. We know dealing with anything Philippine-wise is always the hardest. Sad to say we could not even find a pet-friendly hotel we could stay just in case we get stranded in Manila. Obviously, this is just one of the horrible things we have anticipated with this move.

I saw the USDA forms online and the passport requirements which involve the Vet certifications and pet health requirements and so on. That's no problem on our end since our short-haired mini dachshunds have yearly health plan through Banfield Hospital and so they are current with anything and everything, are neutered and micro chipped. The USDA and Consulate may totally be a different story. Philippine offices are not so very receptive and lacks the sense of urgency, I just observed.

We live in San Antonio, TX and so the closest Philippine Consulate is in Austin which is only 1.5 hrs drive. That part is not bad if we have to deal with them face-to-face. Unfortunately, coming from a Filipino myself I know how well Filipinos could drive you crazy with lost paperwork so I am planning to make lots of copies of documents and keep them close to me. We may have to check with other airlines since I do avoid flying with PAL... the cargo gets really super full and if my babies are placed in there God knows what would happen to them. I'd prefer having them stowed under the seat in front of me and hubby... if there's an airline that would allow that - could be just a dream but i'm crossing my finger..... United Airline won't even accept pets as cargo.

Also, I read from your post that you have to get new papers every time you move, say from Manila to Dumaguete. Where would you get the papers from and what kind of papers are they? If I have to get a new paper would that mean that we could not fly same day from Manila to Dumaguete if Manila is a few hours lay over to get to our final destination?

Yup, the explosive turd! I will remind myself not to feed them a few hours before departure. My two-year old could hold as long as 8 hrs but the 1 yr old that would be 3 yrs old when we move could surely hold that long or more by then. Thanks also for sharing the approximate cost in flying them. I'll probably start doing the mani for them myself to save up ha ha! they got frisky when I tried doing it so I leave the groomer do their nails. They stay still for them - such two-faced babies he he!

Heat won't be a problem. Our babies stay indoor - what with the scorching hot weather here in Texas. So daddy and babies stay in an air conditioned house all the time and get their afternoon walk when the sun sets and paved walkways are cooled down. An air conditioned house is a must-have when we move there ... but the occassional power black out we know is inevitable.

Finally, we just had a vacation there Basay last month. Consequently, we had to spend the night in Dumaguete before and after Basay. We did not have that much time but hubby did fall in love with the city. So, I'd like to know if there are pet groomers in Duma... been away for so long (26 yrs) until last month. Really, really appreciate the info from you!

P.S. Please do pm me all the docs you could possibly share with me. I'm on fb as emma boyd... email cboyds007@yahoo.com

 

Hello Roadking,

Good to know there is no quarantine periods for pets. I'd dread not knowing who's handling them during those lonely "jail" period. My babies are heavily pampered and certainly need their lap time. We know this is going to be very challenging for them probably not so much for the older one, Bratwurst. He was crated when he was a puppy for potty training purposes so I think he could manage. The younger one, Weisswurst, will probably have a hard time since he was never crated, ever. Bratwurst potty trained him so there was no need for us to crate him. Will surely train them to stay in the crate if we could not find an airline that would let us accomodate them as carry on... they're mini dachshunds by the way. And yes, I know about the mug shot. It will be attached to their kennel for identification. Thanks a lot for the info. Will surely post more questions we come closer to moving.