Pet Transportation - Swine Flu Not A Threat to Pets

With all of the recent new surrounding the Swine Flu, MSNBC reports that companion animals are not at risk:

Is there any possibility of this strain crossing into dogs, cats or other pets? If so, are small animals (puppies, kittens) more at risk than adult animals?

There is no evidence whatsoever of any risk for animals that has come up. The main problem with this is that it’s a virus that seems to have originated in pigs and became capable of infecting human beings.

Pet Travel - Do NOT Sedate Your Pets

Many pet owners are afraid their pet will be too stressed to travel and want to offer relief by giving them a sedative. The short answer is DON'T DO IT.

The longer answer is that the sedative vets give to pets is almost always "acepromezine" or ACE for short. While this is an excellent and safe drug on the ground, it is dangerous for pets who will be flying as it restricts the respiratory functions. It also effects the pets natural balance and equilibrium. The American Veterinary Association recommends that ACE not be used for flying pets as does Animal Land Pet Movers.

The good news is there are many things which can be done to prevent anxiety. First, acclimate your pet to his travel kennel (click HERE for post). Also, we have had very good success with several herbal remedies. We have created a 3 page PDF brochure which goes into detail regarding the different solutions. If you would like to receive it, please send us a quick EMAIL and we will get it to you right away. These techniques when used in tandem have proven quite effective.

A New Option for Domestic Pet Travel

There is a new "Pet Only" airline which has made a big splash recently. Obviously it is too soon to tell whether it is a good thing, but it looks like a great option if you fit into their criterion.

The PROS:

• Seems very reasonably priced (Some are labeled "introductory")
  
• They fly from smaller airports, which reduces hassle
• Someone is there to watch the pets during flight

The CONS:

• They only fly to a limited number of cities (New York, LA, Chicago, Denver, DC)
• They only fly each route one day a week
• No proven track record

The only other thing which causes a bit of concern is that they have attendants take the pets out of their cages en-route. This has the potential to create problems. Other than that, it is great to have options!

Animal Land Pet Movers is Officially on Facebook

Now there is another place where you can get great information about moving your pets and connect with others!

Technology is wonderful.

So Join Us on FaceBook!

Screw Worms and Importing Pets into the US

Officially the USDA requires all dogs being imported from countries affected by screw worms to have a statement on the Health Certificate stating the dog has been examined for screw worms and have been found free. This must be done within 5 days of entry as opposed to the usual 10.

This applies to dogs coming in from the following countries:

AFRICA-Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, S. Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zaire, Zambia, Zimbabwe 

ASIA- Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Laos, Macau, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Viet Nam 

CENTRAL AMERICA/CARIBBEAN- Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago

MIDDLE EAST-Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates

PACIFIC ISLANDS- Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Paracel Islands, Philippines, Singapore, Spratly Islands


SOUTH AMERICA -Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Easter Islands, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Surinam, Uruguay, Venezuela

Here is the kicker. So far as we know this is only being enforced in Atlanta, GA. Also, the USDA does not have an official quarantine facility for dogs. Consequently, all that happens is that Customs will refuse to clear the dog until the owner can get him checked by a vet. Also screw worms apparently only affect dogs so there is no such requirements for incoming felines.

Hilton Has Gone To The Dogs

There's some good news for pet owners who find themselves trying to find dog-friendly hotels -- Hilton has just started offering their "Hilton Pet Friendly" program in all of their hotels. The amenities under their pet-friendly program include a welcome package of the following:

• Tasty Organic Treats
• A Pocket Size Packet of Bio-Degradable Waste Bags
• Crypton Travel Tote
• Travel-Sized Bottle of Disinfectant
• Hilton Pet Collar Tag
  

Alas, luxury has its price as a $75 USD non-refundable deposit is required for all Pet Friendly rooms and pets must weigh under 75 pounds. Dogs weighing over 75 pounds will be allowed, but only at the discretion of the hotelier -- click here for the fine print. But once you're in the room, the special creature comforts continue. All Pet Friendly rooms include Hilton’s Crypton Clean Pet Pillow designed by Weimaraner photographer William Wegman, two Hilton-branded pet bowls and a placemat. The Hilton concierge desks will also now have a list of local pet services.

Beware of Puppy Scams

There are a TON of people trying to sell "fake" puppies on the Internet. If anyone asks you to wire them a Western Union just to pay for shipping, please BEWARE as this is a scam. This particular scam site is doing business as Country Hospetality.

Below is the email we were forwarded. If you get an email like this, or any email stating that they are giving away free english bull dog puppies, please do NOT send them money as there IS NO PUPPY. Even if they send you pictures, it is just a fake picture of a bulldog puppy.


& nbsp;
- USA PET RELOCATION PROFESSIONAL
INFORMATION ON YOUR PUPPY IN TRANSIT

MOODY ALABAMA BRANCH
PHONE NUMBER:00237-9751-6606


Independent Pet & Animal Transport Assoc....
USDA Intermediate Handler
U.S. Dept. of Agriculture-vet services
Website:www.countryhospetality.net
We treat your Pet like Royalty!

HOW TO MAKE PAYMENT
COPY DOWN THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IN RED.

NAME : AKUM DEKLERK

COUNTRY: CAMEROON

CITY: LIMBE

POST CODE: 00237

AMOUNT $160

NB;GET IN CONTACT WITH 00237-7419-6688 FOR ANY INQUIRIES ABOUT PAYMENTS
WHEN YOU ARE PAYING THE FEES YOU WILL NEED A TEST QUESTION,MAKE IT TO BE

TEST QUESTION:..............TO WHO

ANSWER:........................FRIEND

GO TO ANY WESTERN UNION STORE AT YOUR LOCATION.
IF YOU DONT KNOW ANY LOCAL WESTERN UNION STORE, THEN HERE ARE SOME STORES YOU CAN USE.WHEN YOU GET THERE SAY YOU WANT TO SEND MONEY TO THE ABOVE ADDRESS.'THEY ARE GOING TO PROVIDE TO YOU A SENDERS FORM.
FILL OUT THE INFORMATION ABOVE CAREFULLY ON THE FORM AND THEN HAND OVER THE FORM AND THE MONEY TO THE WESTERN UNION CASHIER.WHEN YOU ARE DONE WITH THE SENDING PROCESS.
ASK THE WESTERN UNION CASHIER TO SHOW TO YOU THE 10DIGIT MTCN NUMBER ,WHICH YOU SHALL THEN EMAIL TO US FOR ACTIVATION OF YOUR PUPPIES DELIVERY CARD.
PLEASE WE DO WANT YOU TO SEND THE MONEY AS SOON AS THE WESTERN UNION STORES ARE OPEN AND GET BACK TO US WITH THE MTCN NUMBER.

Advice:we advice all our clients that when making the payment,in order not to attract high charges at your local WESTERNUNION STORES,avoid stating that you are sending the fee to a company.This is because we want the best for all our clients.SIMPLY COPY THE ADDRESS ABOVE WHICH WILL BE USED IN MAKING PAYMENT AT THE WESTERN UNION.WE DO PLEAD THAT THIS PAYMENT SHOULD BE DONE WITHING THE NEXT 45MINUTES.THIS IS BECAUSE WE NEED URGENT ACTIVATION OF PUPPIES DELIVERY CARD.

THANKS
MANAGEMENT
SECRETARY
MRS CHRIS CHAMBERS

Myth - "The Cargo Hold Isn't Pressurized"

There are many misconceptions surrounding the safety of transporting pets by airplane. One of the more common myths is "the cargo hold of the plane is not pressurized".

For the record, not true. The fact is the cargo hold of the commercial aircraft which accept pets for travel are pressurized. An airplane is just a big tube with the floor separating the passenger compartment from the cargo hold. It is more efficient to pressurize the entire tube than to attempt to compartmentalize.

One source of the misconception may come from some of the larger airplanes such as 747s. Many larger planes actually have 4 separate compartments or "bins". In these aircraft bins 2 and 3 (the middle two) are often unpressurized. However, bins 1 and 4 are pressurized which works out well because this also ensures pets are the last to be loaded on the plane and the first to be taken off.