A. You are not alone. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has been trying to figure out how to keep our dogs and people safe from imported diseases. Each revision has brought more issues for pet owners and competitors to light.
To understand why the changes, we need to go back in history. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is a big organization that regulates the safety of our food production. The Food Safety and Inspection Service is responsible for protecting public health. In this department there is another department called Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). Their job is to promote and protect the United States’ plants, animals, and natural resources. This includes protection from invasive pests and diseases, help people and wildlife coexist, and administer the Animal Welfare Act. These departments are the folks who make sure the CDC policies are followed.
Since 2007 dog-maintained rabies virus variant (DMRVV) has been eradicated from the United States. This is a very big deal. Dog rabies is much more virulent and contagious to dogs versus other variants like raccoon, bat, and fox rabies. Many places in the world are still fighting the dog variation of rabies. These are high risk rabies countries. Countries designated as rabies free or low risk do not have DMRVV. The country’s designation from which you are bringing in a new dog or returning to the US with your best friend will determine what documents you need to come in.
Changes started slowly from bringing in 8-week-old puppies without a problem to pups coming into the US having a rabies vaccination at 12 weeks of age and waiting a month before being allowed to come in. The reason for the delay is for the buildup of some immunity against rabies. Maine until a few years ago would allow pups to be vaccinated at 6 months. Because of the increased number of pups coming in from questionable places, Maine has changed the rabies requirement to 3 months.
I think everyone remembers the Avian Flu epidemic in the Chicago area where thousands of dogs got sick. This new disease came into our country by a dog brought in from Korea. At least 4 dog rabies cases have been brought in from rescues from high-risk countries. These dogs were euthanized and all the people in contact with them were treated for rabies exposure.
There is a huge market for imported dogs and puppies. The CDC and USDA are dealing with thousands of puppies and dogs being imported daily. Many of them are coming from puppy mills and unregulated rescues from around the world. The increased age to 6 months is to give these puppies a better chance to stay healthy during importation process. Many of these pups are coming from high-risk rabies countries. They are coming through rabies free low risk countries that have less requirements to come into the States.
To be more in line with other rabies free-low risk countries, the CDC has been trying to set up guidelines that are similar to theirs. The new requirements starting August first have been continually tweaked to support the concerns of pet owners, competitors, and breeders.
At this moment the requirements to cross over to Canada and back again are simple.
- Dog must be 6 months or older.
- The dog must look healthy.
- They must be microchipped with an ISO chip.
- The dog needs to have a current rabies with a valid certificate from the veterinarian who gave the rabies vaccine.
- You need a CDC receipt that can be filled out online at any time before travel. It is suggested to do this at least a few days in advance if possible. The receipt will be emailed to you. This receipt is valid for 6 months.
- You can now use any border crossing when traveling.
These are the current requirements. If traveling to another country, always check the import requirements for that country and for your return to this one.
Judith K. Herman, DVM, CVH
Animal Wellness Center
Augusta, Maine
www.mainehomeopahticvet.com