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Hi everyone:
This is my first post!
We are still in the states and in the “information gathering” stage at this point.
My biggest worry is my multiple cats (7 to be exact.)1. Has anyone out there moved multiple felines like this?
We don’t want to do the baggage/cargo hold of the plane if we can avoid it.2. 1/2 our heard are senior citizens and need vet care that includes the diagnostic equipment that goes with it. For instance: one of my cats this week had emergency surgery to remove a kidney which was diagnosed by sonogram (a piece of equipment not all vets can afford to put in their clinic.)
Cats don’t seem very popular in CR which makes me wonder how much veterinarian care there is for them.
Any info & experiences regarding the move and good feline vets located anywhere in CR would be greatly appreciated. We will most likely move close to San Jose but would like to know about good feline vets anywhere in the country.
Thanking everyone in advance! Leah
If you search for “pets” or “veterinarian” you’ll find a few articles on the site
Also try searching the forum (different search engine) for the same things …
As I understand it, it is NOT difficult at all to bring pet cats into Costa Rica
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comHi Catty1,
My wife and I also want to bring our little friends with us. We also have a medical case which we have discussed with Dr. Adrian Molina in Escazu, he will make all arrangements to help you get your little friends into the country and I would suggest that you contact him directly and discuss your concerns. He can be reached at: Phone: (506) 228-1909 / 288-1716 Fax: (506) 289-9989 E-mail:dradrianmolina@hotmail.com
Edited on Aug 09, 2007 15:21
Speaking of pet popularity in Costa Rica, I don’t recall seeing a single dog on a leash when I visit. I saw roaming dogs everywhere, but no one walking them. Strays don’t last long in Miami but the Costa Ricans don’t seem to even notice them. I have to wonder about the incidence of rabies and other animal infections in CR.
I have two dogs I rescued over the years from a Miami animal shelter. Since I am retiring to the country side in Costa Rica, I see great value in keeping several dogs on the property but am concerned about all the care that has to be taken with parasites and infections in the tropics. Cats are usually left to roam at will but I don’t feel comfortable letting my dogs do that, especially in the tropics. Anybody on this message board in CR have a dog or two?
As far as the actual moving of our pets, I am very interested in fnding info or gathering a group of some kind to get our fury children down there without putting them in a cargo hold of a plane. If anybody out there wants to try to put something together, or knows of any possibilties, we’re game.
We’re in Key West, and have two large dogs, who would not do well at all being put into kennels under a plane. When are we going? Still working on that.
By the way, they get along with cats just fine.You can bring your pets as long as they have updated shots and a vet’s letter stating their shots and good health. You have to buy a standard airline carrier and your vet will probably suggest a 1/2 tablet of Valium to keep them calm. Its a harrowing experience for them but worth it. They should be fine.
One critical fact about flying pets is, the temperature at the airports, especially if a connecting flight is involved. If the ground temperature is 85 degrees or above, or 45 (?) degrees or below, the airlines will not fly your pets! You wont know the ground temperature until you check in and they could refuse to fly your pet. What do you do then? Huge problems! Please check with your airlines and verify this regulation.
We flew two cats with us in the cabin and did not have to put them in the bulk luggage area. Check with your carrier. We flew Continental and they allow only two animals in the passenger area, no matter if it’s first class or coach. We booked enough ahead of time that no one else had booked with a pet. They were considered as our carry on luggage, Which was fine, except for the fact that we had to pay $100 per cat. My complaint about the $100 shake down as I felt it was fell on deaf ears of course. The pet carriers must fit under the seat and take the place of your carry on luggage, so what justification is there for charging $100 per pet? Their attitude was, “that is the policy and that is the price, take it or leave it”. All you have to have is a health certificate from your local vet that is no more than 30 days old. When we arrived in Costa Rica, Customs and Immigration officials were not even interested in looking at what was in the pet carriers. My wife had to actually go ask someone where we needed to drop of the certificates. We could have simply walked right through customs. Not that I would suggest trying that. It is really a simply process though.
I will add, I disagree with the advice of giving your pet valium. Our vet did not recommend doing that because in his opinion, the pet in many cases is more freaked out by being drugged for the first time than from the travel. Our cats were a little freaked out, but they came through the entire trip with no emotional scars.
The airlines will not knowingly accept for transport any live animal which is either drugged or not in apparently good health.
There are international regulations and procedures which the U.S. and Costa Rica recognize and are supposed to abide by. Not to follow them would expose your pet to the possibility of an outright rejection either by the airline or by Costa Rican Customs once you arrive. Why chance it?
Unless your two large dogs will fit under the seat, in a pet carrier, I don’t think they’ll be making the trip in the passenger compartment unless you can convince the airline that they’re legitimate companion (e.g., Seeing Eye) dogs.
First, Dr. Molina in Escazu is a great vet. As far as dogs on leashes, the ticos just don’t do that; when people first saw my dog on a leash they thought it was because he was vicious and they were afraid of him.
Most airlines will only let two animals in the cabin, so you may need to make several trips or recruit some friends to come down with some of your cats. My cat did fine under the seat, and it was easy to get through customs in the airport as described above. My dog came cargo and was fine but I had a bad experience and had to bribe him out of customs. The cargo animals go into another building that is a customs warehouse kind of thing. Make sure if you put an animal in cargo that you take someone who speaks spanish with you to pick him up if you don’t speak it well.
Thanks for the info everyone placed here! I will definately contact Dr. Molina as many of you kindly suggested.
I am also going to check with my local vets and have them educated me a bit on the baseline of what a clinic should have in the way of diagnostic equipment (it varies widely from clinic to clinic where I am now.) This way, I will know what I am shopping around for. I will post whatever I find out for everone’s benefit.
Regarding transporting pets to CR: someone told me they used “air animal” http://www.airanimal.com and moved several of their cats using this service. It appears to be a relocation service. Depending on how well they oversee things it may be worthwhile for people with pets that are too large to travel in the flight cabin.
There are a number of professional pet transporters who move domestic animals all over the world. We used AnimalsAway! for our late Labrador, Max, and felt he and we were very well treated.
None of these services could be mistaken for “cheap”, however, so bring your checkbook.
Re: Pet transport services, how much did it cost you David?…if you don’t mind sharing.
Also, And what did they promise regarding pet transfers?First, let me say that there are better and worse places to begin your pet’s journey. Our Max began in Detroit where he spent the night, flew to Houston where he spent the second night, and then flew to San Jose where he was met by a knowledgeable veterinarian who delivered him to us in Denny’s parking lot across from the airport. We originally planned to fly him from Charlotte, NC, but that’s not a good jump-off point.
Now, please take a deep breath . . .
The whole service from the kennel in Detroit to Denny’s parking lot cost us $2,200.00US. We had another bid of (are you ready??) $2,800.
I spent two months in 2005 trying to figure out the airlines’ requirements and procedures. The governmental procedures are quite specific and entirely feasible but the airlines were a friggin’ nightmare. In the end, it seemed our choices were to try to do it on our own, as many, many have done successfully, or put Max in the hands of somebody who really knows what’s going on. We opted to buy their expertise.
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