Pet Transport (domestic, transborder and international!)

Hi Guys!

Was on the Defra site over the weekend, and noticed it no longer says you have to fly with your pet. It simply doesn't make any comment about it. Air Canada cargo says you don't have to according to them, but was wondering if anyone has recently sent their pet to the UK without accompanying the pet? Obviously a lot cheaper if I can just have my cats sent to me!

Also, if anyone has flown air canada, did you find there were any additonal forms needed other than the certificate? I have done all the certificate paperwork and had it approved by Agriculture Canada's vet, and have my airline crate. Just curious about the timing of flying them over.

Much thanks!

Hi all,

We are bringing our 2 cats over from Vancouver to the UK. We have already got the chip, vaccination and test results and our cats will have finished their 6 months at the beginning of August. The next step is to arrange the travel and any advice you can give me would be great. Do you contact the airlines direct to get a price and when a flight is available?

Flights from Vancouver are currently only bookable 2 weeks before you actually leave - I've just gone through the process to get my two cats over here, and everything went smoothly, though I've learned that Defra changes things midstream and if I hadn't been working with a knowledgeable vet, I would have asked for a 'no-longer-used' tick medication. So keep tuned to Defra for changes, and keep checking back.

If you have any questions, I am happy to offer what help I can!

So, my travel with my dog is not looking good- Zoom filed for bankruptcy today, so not sure what to do.

Any other agencies/options out there?

Ouch! Sorry to hear! Hopefully you hadn't paid them anything yet!

Having just gone through the process without an agency, I know it can be done - my vet had done the process previously for another cat so she knew the drill. Plus in Vancouver, you need to get the paperwork approved by the Agriculture Canada Veterinarian, who was a huge help as well. I flew Air canada cargo for my pets, and price comparing between them and British airways, it was dead cheaper. I even got a better price than what I was originally quoted over the phone.

I just had a quote from some joint in BC, they want $4957 to ship him- the second you tell them that Zoom abandonded you, the price must go up ("seeing how this person has no other choice" they must be thinking). A/C cargo was *only* $2800 (more than double of Ladyhaye).

Yikes.

I'm going through moving my family and pets to the UK and though I'd share my info to date.

I saw someone mention waiting 6 months from the titer test. My understanding is that the wait starts from the date the blood used for the test is drawn, so don't sweat the delay in getting the results.

My vet also recommended a travel company based in Vancouver. They are called World Wide Travel and can be found online at "animaltravel dot com". I can't post a proper link because I've not been a member long enough.

You might ask them for a quote if you will be travelling from Vancouver to the UK.

Yup, that was the place for $4957.

I called back, and the cost drastically comes down if I just want them to go to London instead of Edinburgh- like $1500 cheaper. Not as nice as the Zoom deal would of been, but at least it's something. I'm hoping to hear back from a few more.

cordobaman,

That is exactly what I did - sent them to Heathrow. I live in the Midlands - I got a quote to send them to Manchester (with Ladyhaye and it was more than double ACC to LHR - In the end, I paid $1113 for two cats). I was worried about having to go all the way down there to collect them, but ACC works with a company called James Cargo on the UK side who takes them through customs when the animal arrives, and they had a home delivery service for £200, which we figured was worth it. Still cheaper than flying into Manchester, and by the time we factored in gas to get to London ourselves, parking, meals, etc. the price was not bad. And still cheaper than going to Manchester. It also takes about 3-5 hours for your animal to go through all the procedures on the other side (clear customs, have documents checked, have animals scanned and health checked, etc)- if you're flying over with your pet, something to be aware of. We were already in the UK and didn't want to travel back down there and then wait around.

In the end, I guess it pays to check around with options and it probably differs from Carrier to carrier based upon the size and number of pets you are shipping. At this point, you can either go directly through ACC or BA or use an agency, who will take you via one of those two carriers, but they will take care of all the steps for you. Keep us in the loop on what you find and good luck! :0)

Hey, I've been super busy, but I thouht I'd share a quick. 'comment'. That's the best way I can put it.


So when I was in Canada for 5 days to bring my cat back home in August, as someone already mentioned, Zoom went bust. The day before I was flying BACK to England. I landed no problem, no hint of a bankruptcy, nothing. Tickets booked (for my boyfriend, myself, and my cat). Took the cat to the vet within the 24h/48h time slot, and went home to have a nice rest in bed before we had to get up early the next day for the 5 hour drive back to the airport.


At around 11 pm, my dad checked his voicemail, and there was numerous messages from my boyfriends mum (in England) about Zoom going bust. Imagine our horror! Not only did we lose OUR flight, but I either had to get my cat out within the next 24 hours, or he had to stay behind. We spent half the night rebooking tickets, and woke up the next morning to harrass airlines to get my cat over. The hardest part was that my dad lives in the middle of nowhere and we were on dialup, causing our flight tickets to keep 'timing out' before we could book them!

The next morning, after hours of speaking with Air Canada in both Canada and the UK, DEFRA assistance lines, and Heathrow (we were originally flying into Gatwick) airport staff, and James Cargo staff, we FINALLY managed to get my cat on our AC flight to England--where there is usually a 1 week MINIMUM booking limit, though I think it's 2.

We ended up being really lucky, and I would NEVER wish that hassle or stress on anyone. One thing that was real nice was the fact that my cats 'ticket' ended up being a few hundred dollars less than the Ladyhaye ticket price I originally paid (which, thankfully, I got back).


It's just to show you all that, with a LOT of persistance (there was three of us calling around, two in Canada, one in England) you can get anything done, and I'm so pleased to finally have my cat over here.


Also, because of that horrendous mess, I know a -lot- more about the DEFRA PETS scheme than I ever would have otherwise. So hopefully (since I've now been through this and still have most of the paperwork) I can help people answer any questions/concerns they have.


Oh, and also, once I actually got to the vet area to pick Vaun (my cat) up in England, the people there were -extremely- nice. I was pleased. :3


Good luck to anyone going through this!