Notice to all importing pets to Australia - NB!!!

[tigs]

Well Juanita

Thats a big chunk of change for sure. But be prepared, SA is actually very cheap when it comes to pet care. We are preparing to leave Canada for Australia. We have 2 cats, standard kenneling here cost $60/day per cat. They will be in for 5 weeks before flying to Oz. Vet fees in Canada for example are astronomical compared to SA, I dont know what they are like in Oz but wont be surprised if they are far higher than SA. Does anyone on the forum have a comparison of vet fees in SA to Oz?

Tigs

[Dedrei]

Just to give you an idea, it cost me $110 for my two beagles for their vaccinations. Pretty expensive if you ask me.

[JayNBee]

I know we are much cheaper on vet fees here - especially where I live on the sleepy South Coast of KZN. The last set of vaccs that we had done (Jan this year) was R175 per dog. Guess I will need to learn to stop comparing Rand to Oz Dollars soon!

BFN

Juanita

[tigs]

That seems to be a little more expensive than Canada Dedrei.

Guess I will need to learn to stop comparing Rand to Oz Dollars soon!

Thats a mindset that takes a while to get rid of Juanita, but it has to go.

[Mara]

In Melbourne, a visit to the vet will set you back about $40 plus any medicines that are dispensed or treatment that is given.

[The Parsons Family]

I can see my two "babies" are going to cost me a small fortune in vet bills.

I chatted to the quarantine station about heartworm and they said the dogs have to be treated within 4 months of arriving in Australia. So of course we said DO IT NOW.

The vet call out to the quarantine station is $140 and then we still have to pay for the shots.....

So we are going to give them the tablets until they get out of jail and then we'll take them to the vet ourselves.

Cheers

Gaille

[JayNBee]

We received the quote from the other quarantine kennel here in SA yesterday - and it is even worse - R120,000!

We will definitely not be taking the dogs via this method - so they get to be Yanks for 6 months, I guess! Doing it via the USA we will probably be looking in the region of R45,000 for all 4 dogs.

BFN

Juanita

[Guest Die Carelsen's]

Hi Everyone,

Juanita I fully agree with you. They rip one off, just because one love your babies and emotionally you can't think straight. I also got a quote from Keringa (all and all it will work me out R97346.29 - 2 German Shepards, Maltese and cat), still waiting for Kookaburra.I'm very interested in what you have mentioned about USA. We don't know any one that side. Will it still be possible to go this route?

And then there are only two quarantine stations, so no shopping around for a better price.

Thank's,

Tania

[Chantelle]

Hi Juanita

Hope you are all well.

Just a quick question, I'm also interested in the fact that u mentioned you're first sending the dogs to the USA. How will you be doing this? What are the procedures and how long is their quarintine? If it's an easier way I'll also be following that route. Please do advise me on this.

Thank you so much.

Greetings

Chantelle

[Mara]

Hi Tania and Chantelle

If I understand the situation correctly, I think you may have missed the point, it is going to cost JaynBee so much less via the USA because her babies are going to stay with friends, NOT in kennels. So they will also be free.

If you do not know anybody there and your babies have to go into kennels for the six months, you may as well keep them in kennels in SA for six months and then bring them to Aus for one month in kennels.

[JayNBee]

Hi,

Mara is right. I have bred and shown Staffords for over 20 years and I have friends in the USA who are willing to take on my dogs for the 6 months in their homes (basically for free - the boys will do some stud work whilst there to pay for their holiday!).

There is no quarantine between here and the USA, and they have to be resident in the USA for 6 months before departing for Australia, and then they serve 1 months quarantine.

So, if we get this right and my friends agree to put up with the monsters for the 6 months, we will pay the airfares, veterinary export/import costs between here and the USA, and then the airfares from there to Australia plus the 1 months quarantine.

Sorry if I misled you all into thinking that this would be an answer for everyone.

Bye for now,

Juanita

[Cindylou]

basically for free - the boys will do some stud work whilst there to pay for their holiday

This sounds like holiday heaven for most of the boys I know!

(Sorry, couldn't resist)

Cindylou

[Chantelle]

Hi Mara.

Ok, sorry, now I see. Thought it was an easy way of getting them there. Misread that. Sorry

It's just starting to get to me to let the babies stay in quarintine for a whole 7 months. That's really too long. And yes, I know many pets have made it, I'm still worried.

Maybe i'll move to USA then? Anything not to inconvenient the babies.

Cheers for now. Have a lovely day

[Allie en Urs]

Hi ons het ook die opsie gehad in Europa waar families na jou diere kyk [bly dan by hulle]maar het toe als gekanseleer .Rede daarvoor is sal ek hul lewendig terug kry.Ja,hul kyk na jou diere en bly by hul in huis maar se nou een van hul kom dalk uit en word dood gery .Ek sou iets oorkom.My ma se weer ;se nou net van die mense doen dit net vir die geld en warry nie regtig oor jou 'kinders'nie wat dan?Niemand voel oor jou diere soos wat jy teenoor hul voel nie .Wat ook deur ons koppe gegaan het is word hul nie dalk seergemaak nie.Sal nooit weet nie so nee ek moet se Was baie baie moeilik maar ek is nie n dag spyt dat hul in Karinga is nie .Jadit is deur maar ons was daar en gesien hoe dit lyk en het die opset daar gesien en is hemel op aarde daar vir honde en deur en deur die moeite werd 6maande daar en word dan net laaste maand ontwrig.Sterkte vir almal ek weet dit is baie moeielik ek was daar het permanent siek geraak soos tyd nader gekom het en gewonder doen ons die regte ding en was baie onseker oor besluite en conf.en toe ons honde n week daar was het ons oorgevlieg en gaan kyk en dankie tog in my hart het ek vrede en weet ek het ek die regte keuse gemaak.Ursula

Edited March 4, 2007 by Allie&Urs

[JayNBee]

Hi ons het ook die opsie gehad in Europa waar families na jou diere kyk [bly dan by hulle]maar het toe als gekanseleer .Rede daarvoor is sal ek hul lewendig terug kry.Ja,hul kyk na jou diere en bly by hul in huis maar se nou een van hul kom dalk uit en word dood gery .Ek sou iets oorkom.My ma se weer ;se nou net van die mense doen dit net vir die geld en warry nie regtig oor jou 'kinders'nie wat dan?Niemand voel oor jou diere soos wat jy teenoor hul voel nie .Wat ook deur ons koppe gegaan het is word hul nie dalk seergemaak nie.Sal nooit weet nie so nee ek moet se Was baie baie moeilik maar ek is nie n dag spyt dat hul in Karinga is nie .Jadit is deur maar ons was daar en gesien hoe dit lyk en het die opset daar gesien en is hemel op aarde daar vir honde en deur en deur die moeite werd 6maande daar en word dan net laaste maand ontwrig.Sterkte vir almal ek weet dit is baie moeielik ek was daar het permanent siek geraak soos tyd nader gekom het en gewonder doen ons die regte ding en was baie onseker oor besluite en conf.en toe ons honde n week daar was het ons oorgevlieg en gaan kyk en dankie tog in my hart het ek vrede en weet ek het ek die regte keuse gemaak.Ursula

Hi, Ursula

Being an ex-Zimbo, I can't read Afrikaans (can get by in a conversation). Please would you translate for me?

Thanks!

Bye for now,

Juanita

[Marion]

I can see my two "babies" are going to cost me a small fortune in vet bills.

I chatted to the quarantine station about heartworm and they said the dogs have to be treated within 4 months of arriving in Australia. So of course we said DO IT NOW.

The vet call out to the quarantine station is $140 and then we still have to pay for the shots.....

So we are going to give them the tablets until they get out of jail and then we'll take them to the vet ourselves.

Cheers

Gaille

Hey Everyone

Gaille, I feel your pain!! Our 2 Boxers are currently at the AQIS in Melbourne and we had them vaccinated for Heartworm a week after they arrived. The total vet bill came to $230 which included the vet's call out fee, tests on both dogs (they need to confirm the dogs havent been infected yet, cos if they had been, they would need to first treat and THEN vaccinate) and then we opted for the yearly injection. Was a little more pricey, BUT you dont have to worry about depending on the staff to give a tablet every day or once a month. APPARENTLY (vet told me) if they do not give the tablet consistently at the same time every day / month, the tablet doesnt work. So for those of you that can afford to pay a little extra, rather go for the injection if you can. They will be fully vaccinated for the full year. I remember someone mentioning that vet fees were higher here before we came.

To everyone else who is worried about your dogs being in "jail" and not remembering you and worried about feeling guilty for subjecting your babies to kennels and quarantine - all i can say is you dont have to worry about that. Dont think of it as jail for them, but rather like a vacation. There just was no other option for us. Our dogs are part of our family, they sleep on the bed with us, watch movies on the couch with us, go on holiday with us - we couldnt bear leaving them behind. The whole family goes or no-one goes. Yes, it is FREAKING expensive I know, but for us (and again it's a very personal decision like Deidre said), we couldnt put a price on moving them with us. We too, like Deidre, had some money from selling our cars, etc which helped ease the pain of coughing up R60 000 for the two of them that side. What helped us is that we paid Keringa with our Credit Card initially and then paid that off when our money became available.

Our babies arrived in Melbourne beginning Feb so they are just about half way through their 4 months here. We live in Brisbane which unfortunately does not have an AQIS station - just our luck!! We come from CPT and the only approved quarantine is in JHB!! Yup, it's been even more expensive for us, as we promised to visit our babies once a month in JHB and in Melbourne so we've had to cough up for flights, accommodation and car hire for every trip. For those of you that are worried about your dogs forgetting you - NO WAYS!! Our dogs know exactly who we are and their personalities have not changed like people warned us before we left. The important thing to remember here, is that dogs do not perceive time like humans do. So, they see it as a vacation and enjoy the visits from Mom and Dad - whenever that is.

Our experience at Keringa was fantastic. Colin and Danuta and them were fantastic, well organised, gave regular updates on our babies, sent pics and kept us "sane". We've had a brilliant service from Melbourne too. Angelo and his team are great and they good care of all the animals. Yes, it is an expensive exercise and there are different deciding factors for every family and certain constraints when it comes to finances, but if you can do it, do it. Personally for me I would rather endure a challenging 7 months away from my babies in order to be reunited with them and being a big happy family again. We were worried that our babies had become accustomed to a certain way of life and amount of attention, and we were concerned that if we gave them away, there was no guarantee it would be the same. I just cant imagine being permanently separated from them.

"My gat juik nou" for next weekend - cos we going to visit our babies again - cant wait!! It's been a challenging 5 months and I miss them every day, but it doesnt feel as long as it sounds. You are generally so busy packing up and organising stuff and making plans, that time goes pretty quick. When you get to Aus, you are so busy getting organised this side again, that times goes pretty quick too. I would say the first 3 weeks was the toughest for us. Its getting used to not having the wagging tails and bouncing playful bodies and slobbering that you were used around.

I feel I need to give those of you that havent sent your babies off yet a heads up. Nothing prepared me for the day we loaded them up into the animal transport van in their travel boxes and said goodbye, crying SNOT EN TRANE. It was the hardest thing I've had to do. No-one warned me about it. You feel like the worst mom in the world ... but it passes when you get to see them again - then it makes it worth while!! Just be strong for them!!

Keringa put a couple of their old clients who have been through the whole experience in touch with me via email and it was them that put my heart at ease and hearing their testimonials and happy reunions helped me through it.

For us, we never feel that we have made the wrong decision ... they are our babies!!

Wooopss looks like I got a little carried away with all the info - managed to write a small book here As you can see I'm very passionate about my Boxers.

Good luck everyone. I hope I've helped some of you in some way. Remember to make a decision that is right for YOUR family.

PS. Norman, how you getting your horse over? When I enquired about bringing my other baby over, they wanted him to go to Europe for 6 months and wanted to charge me US$25 000 (R175 000 at the time) for it.

[Dedrei]

Marion, thanks vir hierdie EXCELLENT post! Bly om nog een te sien wat net so voel soos ek oor my kinders. :ilikeit::ilikeit:

Good Luck met al die dinge en binnekort is jou kinders by die huis.

Groete

D

P.S. Post seblief vir ons 'n fototjie van jou boxers, sal so graag wil sien. My twee se foto's is some where hier op die forum.

[The Parsons Family]

Thanks Marion

I was very happy with Keringa but I really enjoy being able to pop into Byford (Perth) to play for an hour or so with my girls.

I am off to see them tomorrow, I can't wait! Every time we see them we take different treats or toys.... they are very spoilt.

They are home from their "world travels" on the 30th May, which is in 76 sleeps!!!!

Cheers

Gaille

Edited March 15, 2007 by The Parsons Family

[Marion]

Marion, thanks vir hierdie EXCELLENT post! Bly om nog een te sien wat net so voel soos ek oor my kinders. :ilikeit:

Good Luck met al die dinge en binnekort is jou kinders by die huis.

Groete

D

P.S. Post seblief vir ons 'n fototjie van jou boxers, sal so graag wil sien. My twee se foto's is some where hier op die forum.

Hey Dedrei

Yup, we counting down the 11 weeks till our babies come back to us. In the mean time, settling in and enjoying our monthly visits.

I've posted a pic of Jake and Roxy on my profile for you. Awww just wanna eat them up!!

Thanks, take care!!

[Marion]

Thanks Marion

I was very happy with Keringa but I really enjoy being able to pop into Byford (Perth) to play for an hour or so with my girls.

I am off to see them tomorrow, I can't wait! Every time we see them we take different treats or toys.... they are very spoilt.

They are home from their "world travels" on the 30th May, which is in 76 sleeps!!!!

Cheers

Gaille

Hey Gaille

Aww that is great that you can visit your girls whenever you want. Wish there was an AQIS in Brisbane, dunno why not. So silly. But we enjoy our trip down once a month to visit nevertheless.

I know!! Jake and Roxy are spoilt rotten too with treats and toys. Like I said, it's a holiday for them. Groomed everyday, fed, play games with staff, socialising with new friends, etc etc.

Hope you had a great visit with them on Friday!!

Yup, ours are home on 6 June, a week after yours. Not long now - we're heading for the home stretch. Hang in there!!

Take care

[welshman]

Hi Norman,

I'm also a great horse lover! We have 2 dogs (not any horses) that we also want to bring over when we eventually go. I totally feel for you guys!!

I take it the horse is your wife's horse? How long must a horse stay in quarantine?

GOOD LUCK with everything!!!!! Will be thinking of you guys!

Helena G

Well, due to African Horse Sickness in South Africa, there is sometimes a total ban on exporting of horses from South Africa.

The quarantine period is normally 60 days in the African Horse Sickness Free Zone in Cape Town.

Just some info incase others are wanting to move horses

[Marion]

Well, due to African Horse Sickness in South Africa, there is sometimes a total ban on exporting of horses from South Africa.

The quarantine period is normally 60 days in the African Horse Sickness Free Zone in Cape Town.

Just some info incase others are wanting to move horses

Hey Norman,

We found it logistically and financially more "challenging" to bring over my horse than our dogs. I contacted a company that transports race horses to various countries and they only have trips a few times during the year and they quoted me USD 25 000 at the time when I enquired. Cos we lived in Cape Town already we were able to shorten our quarantine time but they still needed to do a quarantine stint in Europe for 60 days. You also need to consider that if they have a flight out in May for example, and you live outside of Cape Town, your horse needs to be in quarantine for 60 days BEFORE their flight, which means if they went into quarantine in April, they wouldnt be able to make the May flight, and would need to wait until the next available flight. Guess it depends when you are planning on leaving SA, etc too. You are 100% correct that they sometimes have a total ban on exporting horses, as there was talk of the flight beginning of this year being the last one for a while. Here's the link for Mike de Kock Racing who use BBR Bloodstock Transport: http://www.mikedekockracing.com/Default.aspx?tabid=109. Maybe you can find a better deal, but at least this could help you on your search.

Good luck with everything!! I wish I could have convinced my husband to pay that amount for my baby boy to come over with us, but alas we couldnt. But I did find an amazing home for him with the most loving family who spoilt him rotten and send me regular updates on him, which helps!!

[welshman]

Yeah, as I am in the Veterinary industry, we often get regular updates on African Horse sickness status an EU bans world-wide. The price you quoted is reasonable, that is if you are owners of racehorses, unfortunately, someone like me would never be able to afford that to send my horses overseas.

[The Parsons Family]

WARNING

I found out this week that the duration of the quarantine period begins from the day blood is drawn from your pets.

There is a South African family who placed their pets in Kookaburra and their blood was drawn five days after they were admitted so their quarantine period is now 215 days. The family is obviously quite upset as they were looking forward to having their pets with them ASAP.

I suggest chatting to the folks at the quarantine station in SA to ensure that the tests are done as soon as possible after being admitted.

Cheers

Gaille

[DieSkim]

Hi

Got a quote from Kookebura on the possible relocation of our boxer to aus.

SOME INTERESTING NOTES in their mail to me:

What you need to know…

The total quarantine period for pets emigrating to Australia is 210 days minimum. Of this time, at least three months must be spent in South Africa and at least one month in Australia. The remaining three months’ quarantine may be spent either in South Africa or in Australia. Pets’ parents may visit them at both quarantine stations. Australia has quarantine facilities in Sydney, Perth and Melbourne.

For New Zealand, however, animals are quarantined there only (120 days). This is a DIY route. You have to start at least six months prior to export and you keep your pets at home. All the rules still apply, and we can help with information, etc. If you do not have the time left, you may take the easy way out and follow the alternative route through Australia as above. On completion of the 210 days quarantine, your pets are then flown to New Zealand with no further quarantine.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tariffs

Quarantine charges in South Africa are by quotation, depending on the number of pets (in one family), their size, etc. We give family discounts for pets sharing and accept up to three payments.

In Australia, the daily tariff is AU$17.55 for the first dog, AU$12.55 for subsequent dogs, AU$13.5 per cat, AU$10.55 for subsequent cats. Add to this  AU$400-500 for various sundries. This amount is payable there in AU$.

3 months 4 months 5 months 6 months

Boxer R 9075.00 R11625.00 R14125.00 R16825.00

Transport R 8000.00 R 8000.00 R 8000.00 R 8000.00

Import permit R 1700.00 R 1700.00 R 1700.00 R 1700.00

=========================================================

QUARANTINE IN SA &

TRANSPORT TO AUSTRALIA R18775.00 R21325.00 R23825.00 R26525.00

=========================================================

The final figure includes everything pertaining to the quarantine process in South Africa but excludes transport to Australia and all that it entails.

Provided the pets’ vaccinations are up to date (having been done within six months of commencing their quarantine) there are no other costs! Should a pet fail any test that forms part of the quarantine protocol, the account for extra testing and any treatment that may be necessary will be for the owners.

Their charges seems to be based very much on the cost of quarantine in aus (just a little bit cheaper at the current exchange rate)...and your options ito who you use in sa seems limited !! Otherwise known as a bit of a monopoly

Can anybody please advise on the option of moving the pets through the US or the UK. Apparantly a bit more expensive (how much??) but can be quicker ??

Thanks.