Arranging Safe Pet Travel to Canada

Name: Cori
From: Puyallup, WA
To: Vancouver, BC
Pets: Stoagie (Boxer); Bleu (Deaf Boxer); Doobie (Pit Bull); Remi (Chocolate Lab) Ellie (Exotic Shorthair); Zazzy (Exotic Shorthair) Merlot (Exotic Shorthair); Mac (Orange Tabby); Cheezie (Orange Tabby)

Hi PetRelocation,

 

Does Vancouver British Colombia have a quarantine period for cats and dogs when they are coming from Washington state? We are also worried about timing and locating a pet friendly home since we will have to rent for a while.

 

Additionally, three of our cats have FLUTD, which is triggered by stress. Our boy Bleu is deaf, and Stage (our senior dog) is very tall and needs room to stretch.

 

Thanks,

 

 

Hi Cori,

 

Thanks for your great questions -- these hit on some important pet travel details that we'd be happy to discuss with you. First, please review the official pet import requirements for Canada. You'll see that there is no quarantine for pets arriving from the United States but you will need proof that each pet is up-to-date on their rabies vaccine.

 

Next, we'd like to suggest looking over these commonly asked pet travel questions for tips about how to prepare your pets for travel. Checking in with your vet before planning a trip is always a good idea, and it sounds especially important for you since your pets have a few health considerations to adapt to. In general we always advise allowing plenty of time to plan a pet move and research living options online just in case it takes longer than you think it will.

 

Choosing a pet travel crate that is large enough and working on crate-training in the weeks before a move are two ways to help pets handle the plane trip with as little stress as possible (if they're used to spending time in the crate, they won't view the experience as such a draining ordeal). You can read more crate-training tips here.

 

As for your dog Bleu, we suggest marking his crate with a note that describes his condition and otherwise preparing him the same way as your other pets by discussing any concerns with your vet and putting in time towards crate acclimation. We recently helped a deaf English Bulldog named Chiefa move to Switzerland and she did quite well!
 

If you think you'd like some assistance planning your pets' move, please fill out our online consultation form. Either way, thanks for checking in and good luck with everything!