When I first read about this, I was certain it had to be from The Onion (the world's best online satire magazine). But it's not. It's real.
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you: Showjumping Bunnies.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Monday, May 9, 2011
Health Certificates
If you are planning airline travel for your kitty within the United States, or travel by any means to another country, your cat will need a health certificate. Issuance of health certificates is regulated by state and federal government, and laws regarding import of animals are a matter for the country you are importing to. Veterinarians may only issue health certificates if they are federally accredited (I am and have been since 1983). Airlines typically require health certificates even if the animal is flying within a single state.
In order for us to issue either an interstate or international health certificate, we will need to examine your cat during an office visit, and you will need to make an appointment for this. WE CANNOT LEGALLY ISSUE A HEALTH CERTIFICATE WITHOUT PERFORMING A PHYSICAL EXAM AT THE TIME IT IS ISSUED. This point is not negotiable. Advance planning is the order of the day - you should look into legal requirements as soon as you know you are traveling - please do not wait until the day before you plan to fly to Australia or Hawaii to start the ball rolling.
Interstate travel:
Call your airline or check their website to find out what their travel requirements for pets are. How much does it cost to fly your pet? What restrictions are there on pets traveling in the cabin (carrier size is an issue here)? What sort of paperwork is required for your pet to fly (airlines differ greatly here - some no longer require health certificates at all - some are very strict in their requirement that you provide one).
Do your due diligence and check your state websites, too! Hawaii is the only state with major restrictions on animal importation due to its rabies-free status. The four-month process with allows you to import a cat to Hawaii without a lengthy quarantine is not often fully complied with, so some owners, after doing what they think is the right thing, STILL wind up having to quarantine Fluffy for 4 months at the end. Don't let this happen to you - it's a horribly expensive mistake and very distressing for pet and owner.
International travel:
This is where we see lots of problems leading up to transport. Failure to adequately plan for transportation and allow enough time to comply with all regulations imposed by the importing country is a constant and ongoing issue. Fortunately, due to the wonders of the internet, owners are much better able these days to navigate the minefield that shipping a cat to someplace like Japan or Australia or England can be. Every country has a website that spells out the process in plain English.
Most countries don't require anything other than an exam, health certificate, and current vaccinations (particularly rabies). In these cases it's a simple process involving only one vet visit, generally within a week or two of travel. If you need to submit the health certificate to the USDA in Sacramento for their stamp of approval, you need to allow time for that, too.
If you are traveling to a rabies-free country, be prepared for a long, drawn-out process of exams, vaccinations, blood tests, microchipping, more exams, more vaccinations, etc. And you have to get it JUST RIGHT, or it's the same as not complying at all. So again, do your due diligence and know exactly what you are getting into. Never take a cat to a foreign country on a whim or if it's not absolutely necessary.
Here are links to the pet importation web pages of some of the most common (or challenging) travel destinations:
Hawaii pet importation brochure - this thing's more like a book!
Hawaii Department of Agriculture
Bringing Cats and Dogs to Australia
Traveling With Pets to the UK
Taking Pets to Japan - translation is a little bit problematic with this website, in my opinion. PDF of current requirements is HERE.
Canada
Mexico
And here's the USDA page on pet travel with important links.
In order for us to issue either an interstate or international health certificate, we will need to examine your cat during an office visit, and you will need to make an appointment for this. WE CANNOT LEGALLY ISSUE A HEALTH CERTIFICATE WITHOUT PERFORMING A PHYSICAL EXAM AT THE TIME IT IS ISSUED. This point is not negotiable. Advance planning is the order of the day - you should look into legal requirements as soon as you know you are traveling - please do not wait until the day before you plan to fly to Australia or Hawaii to start the ball rolling.
Interstate travel:
Call your airline or check their website to find out what their travel requirements for pets are. How much does it cost to fly your pet? What restrictions are there on pets traveling in the cabin (carrier size is an issue here)? What sort of paperwork is required for your pet to fly (airlines differ greatly here - some no longer require health certificates at all - some are very strict in their requirement that you provide one).
Do your due diligence and check your state websites, too! Hawaii is the only state with major restrictions on animal importation due to its rabies-free status. The four-month process with allows you to import a cat to Hawaii without a lengthy quarantine is not often fully complied with, so some owners, after doing what they think is the right thing, STILL wind up having to quarantine Fluffy for 4 months at the end. Don't let this happen to you - it's a horribly expensive mistake and very distressing for pet and owner.
International travel:
This is where we see lots of problems leading up to transport. Failure to adequately plan for transportation and allow enough time to comply with all regulations imposed by the importing country is a constant and ongoing issue. Fortunately, due to the wonders of the internet, owners are much better able these days to navigate the minefield that shipping a cat to someplace like Japan or Australia or England can be. Every country has a website that spells out the process in plain English.
Most countries don't require anything other than an exam, health certificate, and current vaccinations (particularly rabies). In these cases it's a simple process involving only one vet visit, generally within a week or two of travel. If you need to submit the health certificate to the USDA in Sacramento for their stamp of approval, you need to allow time for that, too.
If you are traveling to a rabies-free country, be prepared for a long, drawn-out process of exams, vaccinations, blood tests, microchipping, more exams, more vaccinations, etc. And you have to get it JUST RIGHT, or it's the same as not complying at all. So again, do your due diligence and know exactly what you are getting into. Never take a cat to a foreign country on a whim or if it's not absolutely necessary.
Here are links to the pet importation web pages of some of the most common (or challenging) travel destinations:
Hawaii pet importation brochure - this thing's more like a book!
Hawaii Department of Agriculture
Bringing Cats and Dogs to Australia
Traveling With Pets to the UK
Taking Pets to Japan - translation is a little bit problematic with this website, in my opinion. PDF of current requirements is HERE.
Canada
Mexico
And here's the USDA page on pet travel with important links.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
The Bush Out Front
Those of you who have been clients for a while may vaguely recall the lovely crape myrtle tree out front that was mercilessly hacked down one weekend years ago, presumably by agents of the pizza shop manager next door who complained to me that it blocked views of his sign. The stump of the tree soldiered on, valiantly putting out suckers every spring, which my dear landlord faithfully kept trimmed into a semi-tidy bush.
A couple of weeks ago, an aide from Councilman Zine's office stopped by to talk about the "bush" and the need to remove it as the next step in the tree-planting beautification project along Ventura Blvd. We don't own the property it sits on (it belongs to the pizza shop/dental office building next door) so we can't give the final okay, but I told him we and every other business owner in the area that I knew of were eager to get a nice new REAL tree back in there.
Well, last weekend the bush/stump was removed. So I guess we are going to get our new tree one of these days pretty soon!
A couple of weeks ago, an aide from Councilman Zine's office stopped by to talk about the "bush" and the need to remove it as the next step in the tree-planting beautification project along Ventura Blvd. We don't own the property it sits on (it belongs to the pizza shop/dental office building next door) so we can't give the final okay, but I told him we and every other business owner in the area that I knew of were eager to get a nice new REAL tree back in there.
Well, last weekend the bush/stump was removed. So I guess we are going to get our new tree one of these days pretty soon!
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Other Blogs
I snagged web addresses to set up two other blogs for the sole purpose of directing viewers to THIS blog. Though since you are already here and reading this, I guess YOU, constant reader, don't need them. But FYI, www.catsmeowveterinaryclinic.blogspot.com and www.gaylerobisondvm.blogspot.com do now exist. I wish every web address involving my practice name were available, and some ARE (for a PRICE), but I am happy with the blog format for keeping clients informed rather than traditional business website formats, so here I am and here I will stay.
Please just remember if you give my blog address to others verbally or in writing that it has BLOGSPOT in it.
Please just remember if you give my blog address to others verbally or in writing that it has BLOGSPOT in it.
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