There are two types of health certificates available, one which approves pets for domestic travel between states within the continental United States, and another which approves them for international travel. VCA Wexford Animal Hospital can provide health certificate services for both domestic and international travel.
Acquiring a domestic health certificate will require some advanced planning on your part and notice for our staff. You will be required to schedule an appointment with your veterinarian where your pet will receive a thorough physical examination confirming your pet is healthy and safe for travel. Your veterinarian will verify that your pet’s rabies vaccination is current, and that you are traveling with at least one copy of the official Rabies Certificate. Your veterinarian will fill out and sign the Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI) form that is to accompany your pet during travel. You will need to provide any additional forms that are required by the airline or your destination state.
International travel with your pet is a much more complicated and expensive process that often requires multiple steps, and a few to several months of planning and preparation. Every destination country has slightly different requirements and different mandatory forms. Multiple office visits with your veterinarian are often necessary to accomplish these steps at the appropriate time. This process generally includes: ISO compatible microchip placement, verification of current Rabies and various other vaccinations, Rabies serology (titer testing), parasite treatment, thorough physical examination confirming your pet is healthy and safe for travel, filling out an finalizing numerous forms and documents, and certification by our USDA certified VCA veterinarian as well as certification by the PA state veterinarian. Please consult the USDA Pet Travel website and contact our office if you would like to schedule a consult regarding international travel with your pet.
