Your pet’s safe trip

Adam Melton (01:25): Hello and welcome to the Pet Travel Insider podcast, a podcast produced by Starwood Pet Travel to help pet owners who are considering transporting their pets gain an understanding of the process, learn the ins and outs, and hopefully gather a tip or trick to make the process go smoother. On this podcast, we talk to experts, including pet transporters, government officials, and vets, all in order to give you an insight you need to approach.

On this podcast, we talk to experts, including pet transporters, government officials, and vets, all in order to give you the insight you need to approach pet travel with confidence. I'm your host, Adam Melton. I am the VP of strategic initiatives here at Starwood Pet Travel. And I've been in the pet travel industry for nearly a decade. And today I am joined also by one of Starwood's own, Ryan Bole. Ryan is Starwood's director of customer experience, and she oversees day to day the team of pet travel coordinators.

Ryan Bole (02:12): Thank you.

Adam Melton (02:19): That work with our clients who the Pet Travel Coordinator is responsible for managing the client's move. They're the main point of contact for the client and they're working behind the scenes with our operations team in order to make sure the vet documents are correct, import requirements are met, and booking flights and all those sorts of things in order to ensure a seamless end-to-end move. And so she oversees that team. And today with Ryan, we're going to be doing a deep dive and discussing the process of how to get your dog or cat to the UK.

The UK is one of our top destinations. In fact, it probably is one of our top destinations as far as monthly moves we have from the US over to the UK. And overall, it just seems like there's a ton of volume right now of folks relocating from the US to the UK. So we always get tons of questions about that process. So Ryan, welcome to the Pet Travel Insider podcast.

Ryan Bole (03:10): Thanks for having me, Adam. Happy to be here.

Adam Melton (03:12): Yeah, no worries. So by way of introduction, before we jump into the content, can you share a little bit about your background and how you got into to pet travel? Because we have a colleague who always quips that no one as a child grew up thinking and dreaming that they were going to become a pet shipper because it's such a niche job, such a niche industry. So how did you get your start? What was your background before you got into pet travel?

Ryan Bole (03:35): Yeah, sure. So I'm from Colorado. I went to college at University of Colorado in Boulder. I studied journalism there and mass communication with emphasis on advertising. Very different from pet shipping, I know, but I gradually made my way there.

After that, I worked for satellite and cable television, managing the paper bill. Then Whole Foods doing marketing and hosting healthy eating dinners. I later moved into property management, worked in dietetics at a hospital in Denver, and finally at a co-working space as culinary director.

Adam Melton (05:20): Okay. Eight years. Okay. I was going to ask. Okay. Yeah. Well, yeah. Yeah. None of us come with degrees in pet shipping when we started this job. It's all on the job training, isn't it?

Ryan Bole (05:31): Yep, yep, definitely. I did not know what to expect, but loved it from the start.

Adam Melton (05:34): Yeah, it's a rewarding job. We get to help folks every single day get their pets to their new homes. Whether you're relocating for work or for military or retiring overseas, we help all sorts of clientele and it's really rewarding seeing those pictures on the other side of the pet or pets reunited with their family. So, okay, let's dive into today's topic, which again, we're going to be talking about how to get your pet. From the US to the UK if you're listening to this and you're located somewhere else, but you're headed to the UK Just keep in mind that the rules for you might be a little bit different The import rules for a country are always set based upon where the pet is originating from where they're coming from And so the rules can be very different if you're if you're listening from Asia or from Europe or from Australia, New Zealand the rules might very well be different from what we're going to be discussing today. So just keep that in mind that this podcast is going to specifically focus and look at the rules for getting a pet, a dog or cat from the United States to the United Kingdom. So first, Ryan, can you kind of give a high level overview when you're first working with a customer, when you're explaining to them the process, when they first sign up with us, kind of give that kind of high level overview of what it takes to get a dog or cat over to the UK.

Ryan Bole (06:53): Yeah, so I'll always start off with the vaccine requirements for that specific country. And so for the UK, it's pretty clear cut. You have to have a microchip implanted prior to the most recent rabies. And that rabies vaccination needs to be done within the year of travel. So even if you do have a three-year vaccine that was done in 2023, You still need to get a booster within the calendar year of travel, as well as wait 21 days before you can leave. And I do always recommend when you go in for that rabies to get the microchip scanned, make sure that it matches what you have on all your documentation. That's probably the most important part.

Adam Melton (07:36): Right, because the microchip is kind of the way to prove that the pet belongs to the paperwork that's traveling with the pet, right? So what happens with that microchip when the pet arrives in the UK? What happens at that point? They scan it, correct? .

Ryan Bole (07:53): Yep, they scan it, they make sure that it matches what's on the health certificate and what's on the rabies. So that's why if it doesn't match, then we get into issues there. So that's why it's the first step and the most important step.

Adam Melton (08:03): Okay, okay. So rabies and then ensuring the microchip is working and it matches the rabies certificate that you have. So, and then what's next after that?

Ryan Bole (08:12): Right. We do recommend getting vaccines that would be required for boarding just in case we will have to board your pets. So for cats, FV, RCP, dogs, it's a distemper combo vaccine called DHPP as well as Kennel Cough or Bordetella. But then following having all the vaccines together, something that's a little different about the UK is you have to arrive with an ink signed rabies certificate. It can't be digitally signed. It has to be an original document. So we'll work with your vet, make sure that's all ready to go so you can pick it up.

Adam Melton (08:50): Gotcha. And so have that signed and then any other steps as far as getting the pet ready. And let's specifically focus on dogs because as I know that there's a difference between dogs and cats slightly. So after you get that Blue Ink Signature Rabies certificate, what's next?

Ryan Bole (09:13): So aside from just kennel acclimation, that's also important and that's something we'll guide you through, but that's applicable for every country. We'll work with you on timing because then the next step would be for us to book the flights and for you to book your health certificate appointment with a USDA accredited vet. There's two different types of certificates based on when the owner is traveling. If the pet owner is traveling within five days before or after their pet, the health certificate is valid for 10 days. If not, you need to go to the vet within 48 hours of travel. So we get into the details with you on that and walk you through everything. The difference between a dog and a cat is a dog needs to have a tapeworm treatment done within five days of arrival.So yeah, we'll work with you on the timing of that, but it's basically two appointments. So a health certificate exam where they will do a full physical exam, check ears, eyes, respiratory, they'll do a temperature, and then they will scan the microchip there too, just so we can catch anything prior to departure. But yeah, cats do not need the dewormer.

Adam Melton (09:40): OK, so that's the main difference between dogs and cats because the commercial and non-commercial, which we can dive into a little bit deeper later, that's the same for dogs and cats. The main difference is just that tapeworm treatment, right? OK, gotcha. So OK, so we've talked about dogs and cats kind of high level process to get the pet ready. What are some of the sometimes mistakes or problems that you run into when you're kind of looking over the vet work and figuring out that timeline. What are some common issues that arise with, whether that be the rabies or health certificate, tapeworm, any of those things you've mentioned, there's some common things that come up.

Ryan Bole (11:12): Yeah, so the tapeworm, that timing can be a little difficult, like if we're not all on the same page. So essentially, the USDA will endorse the health certificate with a raised seal. They'll send it back via FedEx to either the owner or the vet office. And then the tapeworm treatment needs to be listed on the endorsed health certificate. know, timing issues, if FedEx is running late, if the endorsement doesn't come back in time, we have to rework everything. So that's why it's helpful to have someone like Starwood guiding you through the process and making sure things are done on the correct schedule.

Adam Melton (12:04): Yeah, yeah, having someone to help orchestrate and organize multiple stakeholders that are involved in getting your pet ready, right? It's not it's not just the owner's responsibility. And you know, you have to rely on the vet, you have to rely on the USDA, you have to rely in some cases on FedEx and their service to get that back in time. And and Starwood's there to help, of course, organize and orchestrate that. But there's a lot of stakeholders that come together. So it is really a beautiful thing. I mean, obviously, most of our moves.

Ryan Bole (12:40): Right, yeah, we're more like conductors.

Adam Melton (13:10): Yeah, right. Yeah, that's good. That's a good metaphor. Okay, so. So one common question we see that comes up and you didn't mention this in the rules. So, you know, speak to this. But I see a lot of searches about quarantine. Does my does my will my dog need to be quarantined when it arrives in the UK? What are the quarantine rules? Is there a quarantine period applicable to my pet arriving into the UK? So is that the case?

Ryan Bole (13:32): Nope, there is no quarantine in the UK. know they used to have that many moons ago. But the only time a pet would have to quarantine would be if they get there and either their microchip has fallen out or it's not scanning or the number doesn't match what's on the rabies. At that point, they cannot connect the rabies to that animal and they can't correctly ID it. So a new microchip would need to be done and then a rabies vaccination and then they do need to stay in quarantine for 21 days.

Adam Melton (14:07): So everyone should you know have a sigh of relief there that's not required Can't say the same for some of our other destinations like Australia that do have quarantine requirements But for the UK no quarantine so long as that microchip works and matches which you know If you work with starwood, we definitely help you ensure that that is is gonna be the case Okay, cool. So no quarantine. You've given us a high-level overview of the process. Can you kind of walk us through and talk through the logistics and the timing of what happens when the pet arrives in the UK? Can maybe start by saying, can a pet arrive at any UK airport or are there certain designated ports that the pet has to arrive at?

Ryan Bole (15:20): Um, yeah, so there are certain airports. can, I can rattle them off if you'd like. Um, there's not that many. Okay. So there's Edinburgh and Glasgow and Scotland. And then we have Heathrow, Manchester, um, El Gatwick. Yeah. And so there should be all of them. Um, but yeah, when a pet arrives, um, the next step is to, to get them into one of the facilities that holds them and houses them while customs is cleared. So luckily in most UK ports, they are brought into their own kennel run. So they are out of their crates, able to go potty, eat, drink, the whole nine yards. So that's really nice because a lot of countries, they don't have such facilities. And then customs, it depends on how busy they are. It'll typically take between three to five hours. And then if you're gonna pick up the pet, you'll just come to the facility, pick up, otherwise we'll be delivering. So it's pretty smooth on the other end.

Adam Melton (16:46): Gotcha. Okay. And so in total, the process from the time that the flight lands to when, you can pick your pet up, how long does that typically take?

Ryan Bole (17:14): Like I said, is very different day to day depending on how busy the government customs agent is, but on average I would say four hours.

Adam Melton (16:18.301) Okay, four hours. And it probably depends too on which port they're going into, Heathrow versus Manchester versus Edinburgh. Okay. All right. Gotcha. Okay. So pet has to arrive at one of those specific ports where there is an animal reception center as it's called, right? It's a border control post that the UK government manages. And then they oversee that import process, which can take roughly four hours, you said, right? Gotcha. Okay.

Adam Melton (16:46): All right, perfect. So no quarantine, they're released same day, so long as there's no microchip issues, as we mentioned. Okay, so another question we often get in that search for often in regards to getting their pet, for someone getting their pet from the US to the UK is about pet passports. We see lots of questions about whether a pet passport is required, what is a pet passport? again, I didn't hear you mention anything like that.

Adam Melton: In the overall process. what's that about? Do know anything about that?

Ryan Bole (17:14): Yeah. So the EU does authorize pet passports for travel within the EU and the UK. So it makes things a bit easier to travel with your pet while you're abroad. But coming from the US, the UK or the EU, they don't really recognize pet passports in lieu of a health certificate. So you can still verify a microchip and a rabies.

Adam Melton (17:34): Okay. Okay.

Ryan Bole (17:39): Done within a pet passport as long as it's done by a vet abroad in whatever country you're in. But you cannot use it to travel with as a passport as you would in the EU.

Adam Melton (17:41): Mm-hmm. Okay. Uh-huh.

Adam Melton (17:52): Okay. So in the EU, you can travel without a health certificate. That's the pet passport takes that place. But you're saying if you're going from the U.S. to the UK, if you already have a pet passport, you can use that to prove you say microchip and rabies. okay. Okay. Okay.

Ryan Bole (17:58): Right.

Ryan Bole (18:05): Yeah, because the microchip will be listed in there as well as the implant date. So that's helpful. And then the vaccines are just in a pamphlet.

Adam Melton (18:14): Gotcha. OK. So but it does not take the place of one of the health certificates, which is then endorsed by the USDA. OK. So gotcha. And so for most most people moving from the US to the UK, unless they're former, you they were formerly in the EU or UK, probably not going to have a pet passport anyway. And so really, it's just not applicable for US born pets. It's not something that is required at all.

Ryan Bole (18:20): Correct, yeah, you can't skip that step.

Ryan Bole (18:32): Right.

Adam Melton (18:39): We would prove rabies and microchip by other means through getting that rabies certificate And then of course the health certificate. Okay. Gotcha. Okay, so Good. We've talked about the the pet passport which often comes up and you mentioned the pet passport In some instances over in the EU can take the place of that health certificate But here in the US have to have the health certificate Let's let's dive into and talk specifically about that health certificate. You mentioned at the beginning. There's some timing on when

Ryan Bole (18:39): Christ.

Ryan Bole (18:47): Yeah, exactly.

Adam Melton (19:10): That has to be done. Can you give us an overview again of the timing of that health certificate?

Ryan Bole (19:16): Yeah, so our recommendation, and this is assuming if an owner is traveling within that five days on a non-commercial certificate, is that the pet goes into the vet about seven to eight days before travel. The USDA typically takes three to five business days to process the endorsement. And so that's our reasoning there. I will say you can go in within 30 days of travel for the vet appointment.

Ryan Bole (19:45) We don't often recommend that because it's not giving an accurate description of what the state your animal's in at the vet appointment. And it's important that the microchip's scanned as close to departure really as possible because as we talked about, that's important. And yeah, again, with the commercial certificates, that's done within 48 hours of travel. So that's typically on a certain time frame. So the vet appointment would be Monday, fly out on Wednesday is usually.

Adam Melton (20:16): Okay. And you said at that appointment, the, what exactly is the vet doing? What's the process? What are they, what are they expected to do to do that health certificate?

Ryan Bole (20:25): Yeah, so we do send them very thorough instructions, but more from a technical perspective about the endorsement and scanning the microchip. But it's really just a typical health exam to make sure that the vet will sign off that the pet is fit to fly. We haven't had many cases where they go into the vet and they're not. If it's anything, it's unusual, like respiratory issues.

Ryan Bole: Breathing, that's why snub-nosed dogs can't fly in the summer, because that puts them at a higher risk. They're checking the eyes, ears. Like I said, they have to take the temperature. Feeling around for any unusual or concerning bumps. But yeah, really it's just a general health check, as if to make sure that they can travel.

Adam Melton (21:16): Okay, and then so they do that exam, they sign the health certificate, which if you work with Starwood, we typically pre-fill that health certificate with all the pertinent details so that the vet can pretty much do the minimum, right? We ensure that everything is filled out correctly. We give it to the client who gives it to the vet, and then the vet can basically just sign off on it, right? They sign and date it, and then what happens from there?

Ryan Bole (21:24): Yes.

Ryan Bole (21:30): Right.

Ryan Bole (21:39): Yeah, so the purpose of us pre-filling it out is because we do get it approved from the destination country ahead of time. So we know there's no issues and we really want the vet to focus on doing a thorough exam and not worry about the paperwork because that's already handled. yeah, so from there, the vet needs to upload the documents electronically through a system called VHICS on the USDA website. And then the USDA has it in their queue to review.

Adam Melton (21:46): Okay.

Ryan Bole (22:09): If your vet works with us directly and uses our USDA tracking, we help support your vet by letting them know, this was returned because a date was forgotten. So that's another benefit. Vets are busy doing surgeries, going in and out, but we're there tracking that document. And then we also...

Adam Melton (22:28): Okay, but that's only if it's done through the electronic system, because there is the option where you can manually or you can physically FedEx the document to the USDA, but we really recommend that VHICS, making sure that you work with, uses and is set up with that VHICS, that USDA system, so that the benefit being that we can track it, right?

Ryan Bole (22:50): Right, an issue with FedExing the actual document is USDA offices have downsized a bit and only I think one or two offices will accept those FedExes. So we try to avoid that at all cost for those reasons.

Adam Melton (23:08): So the VHICS being an important thing, presumably not all vets are set up with that, especially if they're not doing a lot of export health certificates, but is that a process that is pretty straightforward for a vet to sign up for?

Ryan Bole (23:24): Yeah, so it's important, and I don't know if I mentioned this, but your vet is USDA accredited that allows them to do a health certificate and work with our Department of Agriculture. It is straightforward if your vet wasn't signed up and we had to walk them through that. We have a vet team that can easily do that.

Adam Melton (23:42): Gotcha, okay. So we submit that or the vet submits it through this VHICS system to the USDA, goes into their queue. And you mentioned kind of some of the downsizing that has happened. Is that queue, that response time of endorsement, is that slowed at all or what do you generally recommend as kind of the typical lead time for that?

Ryan Bole (24:01): Yeah, so it has slowed a little bit, but I've noticed since we list the departure date, that's how they prioritize things. So again, for a commercial move, that's gonna be at the top of their priority list. Despite downsizing, we're still seeing health certificates come in in time for the flight.

Ryan Bole: Even if they endorse it the day before, we do priority FedEx shipping. So hopefully it arrives, you know, 8 a.m. before we have to check in.

Adam Melton (24:31): Gotcha. Okay. So the USDA endorses it. They have to manually endorse it, even though we're electronically submitting it to them. They have to do an embossed stamp or something right on the document. And then they are going to FedEx that original physical form to the client or to our driver in that case. Okay. Gotcha.

Ryan Bole (24:40): Yep. Right.

Ryan Bole (24:45): Right.

Ryan Bole: Yeah, right. Yeah. So it's important we do know where that document should go. If it's not going to your vet, if you've changed your house, like please let us know because that's very important. I mean, it's the most important thing that that original document travels with your pet. And then again, if you're getting the tapeworm treatment, you have to bring in that original endorsed health certificate. So the vet can administer the tapeworm treatment and record it on the endorsed health certificate.

Adam Melton (24:57): Right. Right.

Adam Melton (25:16): Okay, and that's only for dogs, right? Only for dogs, okay. Cats, easier, easier to go at it. I don't have to do that tapeworm treatment. Okay, cool. So with that being said, the final health certificate, maybe we can kind of wrap things up by talking about, like what are some common misconceptions people have when you first start working with a client moving from the US to the UK?

Ryan Bole (25:16): For dogs only, yeah, for dogs only.

Adam Melton (25:43): What are some common misconceptions or assumptions, incorrect assumptions that they have about the process that you hear and how do you respond to those?

Ryan Bole (25:54): Yeah, I mean, there's not a lot of incorrect myths or assumptions about the paperwork. If anything, it's just not knowing about the rabies being, yeah, they don't know it. They think their three-year rabies will fly. So that's really the only one in terms of paperwork. But what I hear almost on every call is about bringing medication and specifically sedatives.

Ryan Bole (22:50): Right, an issue with FedExing the actual document is USDA offices have downsized a bit and only I think one or two offices will accept those FedExes. So we try to avoid that at all cost for those reasons.

Adam Melton (23:08): So the VHICS being an important thing, presumably not all vets are set up with that, especially if they're not doing a lot of export health certificates, but is that a process that is pretty straightforward for a vet to sign up for?

Ryan Bole (23:24): Yeah, so it's important, and I don't know if I mentioned this, but your vet is USDA accredited that allows them to do a health certificate and work with our Department of Agriculture. It is straightforward if your vet wasn't signed up and we had to walk them through that. We have a vet team that can easily do that.

Adam Melton (23:42): Gotcha, okay. So we submit that or the vet submits it through this VHICS system to the USDA, goes into their queue. And you mentioned kind of some of the downsizing that has happened. Is that queue, that response time of endorsement, is that slowed at all or what do you generally recommend as kind of the typical lead time for that?

Ryan Bole (24:01): Yeah, so it has slowed a little bit, but I've noticed since we list the departure date, that's how they prioritize things. So again, for a commercial move, that's gonna be at the top of their priority list. Despite downsizing, we're still seeing health certificates come in in time for the flight.

Ryan Bole: Even if they endorse it the day before, we do priority FedEx shipping. So hopefully it arrives, you know, 8 a.m. before we have to check in.

Adam Melton (24:31): Gotcha. Okay. So the USDA endorses it. They have to manually endorse it, even though we're electronically submitting it to them. They have to do an embossed stamp or something right on the document. And then they are going to FedEx that original physical form to the client or to our driver in that case. Okay. Gotcha.

Ryan Bole (24:40): Yep. Right.

Ryan Bole (24:45): Right.

Ryan Bole: Yeah, right. Yeah. So it's important we do know where that document should go. If it's not going to your vet, if you've changed your house, like please let us know because that's very important. I mean, it's the most important thing that that original document travels with your pet. And then again, if you're getting the tapeworm treatment, you have to bring in that original endorsed health certificate. So the vet can administer the tapeworm treatment and record it on the endorsed health certificate.

Adam Melton (24:57): Right. Right.

Adam Melton (25:16): Okay, and that's only for dogs, right? Only for dogs, okay. Cats, easier, easier to go at it. I don't have to do that tapeworm treatment. Okay, cool. So with that being said, the final health certificate, maybe we can kind of wrap things up by talking about, like what are some common misconceptions people have when you first start working with a client moving from the US to the UK?

Ryan Bole (25:16): For dogs only, yeah, for dogs only.

Adam Melton (25:43): What are some common misconceptions or assumptions, incorrect assumptions that they have about the process that you hear and how do you respond to those?

Ryan Bole (25:54): Yeah, I mean, there's not a lot of incorrect myths or assumptions about the paperwork. If anything, it's just not knowing about the rabies being, yeah, they don't know it. They think their three-year rabies will fly. So that's really the only one in terms of paperwork. But what I hear almost on every call is about bringing medication and specifically sedatives.

Ryan Bole (26:23): I don't know where they're hearing it or if they're vets talking about it. But things like trazodone or gabapentin, which vets can prescribe for anti-anxiety are categorically sedatives. So those, those can't travel with them. We don't really recommend giving them that before the flight unless they've been on it and you can say they do fine on it. And that's because, you know, the people, the cargo handlers want to make sure the pets are alert. They're not sluggish or sleepy because that's not healthy when they're flying in the air either. So we hear that a lot and also just the fear that after this big trip across the pond their dog or cat is not going to be the same. And we always tell them you know you're going to be more nervous than the pet because this is something that you do. You do a lot, you travel a lot. This is usually you know the first time a pet is traveling so they're more or less curious kind of observing all the sights and the sounds and the smells and then

Adam Melton (27:04): Mm.

Ryan Bole (27:22): Time and time again, people are shocked at how easily they've adjusted the next day or a couple, like a week later, they're totally into their own routine. They get jet lagged just like we would. So they're off on their schedules. They're maybe not eating at the same times, they're sleeping, but that's to be expected when there's a large time difference. But yeah, those two things are what we get a lot.

Adam Melton (27:27): Mm-hmm.

Adam Melton (27:37): Really? Didn't... okay, yeah.

Ryan Bole (27:49): We talk about travel kennels and how important it is that they're the proper size. Starwood has a nice tool to help make sure for dogs at least, we're right sizing the kennel and telling you the right size to get long before your trip.

Adam Melton (28:03): Gotcha. Okay. Well, thank you so much, Ryan. It's been a great conversation. Really hope our listeners have gleaned some important insights into how this process of getting their dog or cat over to the UK from the US, how that works. And I want to thank you, especially Ryan, because I know it's a super busy season right now. Summer's always super, super busy for moves, you know, in between school and work, people are transitioning. So this is our busy season. So thank you for taking the time to sit down with me.

Ryan Bole (28:06): Yeah.

Ryan Bole (28:21): Yeah.

Ryan Bole (28:25): Mm-hmm.

Ryan Bole (28:29): You're welcome.

Adam Melton (28:31): And I also want to of course thank our viewers for joining us today. If you have any more questions or if you need help with your pet's upcoming move, please feel free to visit our website where we have tons of free resources and where we can also, you can also easily request a quote for our services and we can help you out. Have Ryan or one of her team members help you with the move. Hold your hand the whole way and make sure that process is seamless. And be sure of course to subscribe to our channel so you can stay up to date on all the podcasts we have coming up.

Adam Melton: Until next time, I'm Adam Melton for the Pet Travel Insider Podcast. Thanks for listening and safe travels to you and your furry friends.