Quote:
Originally Posted by selchie
Didn't you have to have your cats vaccinated for rabies 6 months before moving, and then do the rabies serum test? ...Fortunately our vet is USDA approved (he said he sent in 50 cents and a couple of boxtops when he was a young graduate), so he'll be able to take care of everything. ...I do wish the quarantine weren't so long, but at least its not 180 days. I'd not bring them over if that were so.
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Hi Selchie,
You absolutely should bring your babies, my post was a reflection of our experience. We knew for about a year that we'd be moving to NZ and started the shots process early. Although you have to be mindful of the timeline MAF wants, not too early and definitely not too late. I believe the rabies limit is no more than a year before the pet is shipped and no less than six months.
And the rabies serum test is what held our cat up. There is a short window right before you ship the pet to have the serum test done. And only one lab in the country does it (at Kansas State Univ.) Our vet placed a leaky cold pack in with the sample and UPS returned it several days later. Also the Kansas State lab was backed up for some reason. We had to fly out, no changing those plans. The cat was flown to the goofball importers in LA who kept her until the lab results came through. She then met us in NZ.
As it was explained to me, the USDA vet has to be the state's appointed USDA vet. If you're in CA, that person may be in Sacremento. Hopefully since CA is a huge state they have more than one. We had to drive to the USDA's office in Indianapolis with all of the appropriate ppw (woe be to those whose ppw is not in order). This whole USDA requirement, which is utter BS, was implemented after we had submitted the pet import application but before it was approved. We had to abide by the new rule, and our application was held until we had completed the new requirement.
Sometimes I think there's a circle in hell Dante forgot to mention which includes all government offices (no matter the country).
And the quarantine period flies by.
If you're not finding the answers you need, especially in regards to the timeline, let me know and I'll dig out my old ppw for you.