So far, our Australia Pet Travel Spotlight series has addressed the various challenges of planning a smooth pet move to Australia. The truth is that this is a time-consuming and detail-oriented process, and once they've learned what this endeavor will entail, many pet owners decide to hire professional assistance in one form or another.
Specifically, here's why hiring a pet travel professional to help with your pet's move to Australia will save you time, stress, and even money.
Moving pets to Australia takes at least 180 days (and often more). Not only are there several steps that pet owners need to complete, but these steps need to be carried out in a very particular order. Even a small mistake could throw off a pet's entire timeline and cause a significant delay (which could easily make the move more stressful and expensive), so it's easy to see why many make the choice to pass along the planning responsibilities to someone with experience moving pets. Also, because the timeline for moving a pet to Australia is so long, many of our clients must leave for Australia before their pet is ready to depart. Most of our clients leave pets with a trusted friend or family member to complete the remaining vet work before their pet can reunite with them in Australia. Our team can easily communicate with both you & your caretaker throughout the process - keeping everything on track!
When starting in the United States, most pets make their way through California (part one), where they can complete the export requirements and catch their flight to Australia (part two). An overnight is required because a final vet visit and additional USDA endorsements are needed, making this a particularly lengthy travel process. Especially if you're unavailable because you're dealing with your own trip, leaving these steps to a pet travel agent can make life much easier.
If you've reviewed the pet import requirements for Australia, you've seen that a rabies titer test is required. This isn't a big deal in itself, but the test must be done at the right time and in the right way. For example, the blood test must be done at an approved lab by an accredited veterinarian. Read more about obtaining a rabies titer test in preparation for your pet's journey to Australia, and you'll start to see why it might be preferable to let an expert handle such a sensitive process.
In addition to rabies, pets must be up to date on other vaccines and treatments & must undergo a series of blood tests within weeks before export. Most treatments are easy for your vet to obtain. However, the timeline is very strict, which can be tough to navigate. Working with a pet travel specialist means having access to their knowledge and expertise, and PetRelocation will be able to promptly facilitate the required vet work.
All pets arriving in Australia must fulfill a minimum 10-day quarantine at an official quarantine station. The pet quarantine process in Australia is in flux, and reservations must always be made before your pet's trip. This is an extremely important part of the trip, and it must be handled correctly -- again, an expert is better equipped to ensure things go smoothly.
Because there are so many details to attend to with pet moves to Australia, there are more chances for something to go wrong. As you deal with your own move logistics, it may not be possible to handle anything unexpected that arises, for example, a flight delay or paperwork snafu. Pet travel professionals are trained to deal with anything that arises and will already have a contingency plan in place just in case.