Relocating your Pet Dog to Thailand

Your pets are just as much part of your family as any other member so it is no surprise that the topic of Relocating Your Pet Dog to Thailand is a very interesting one. You can bring your pet to Thailand, especially if coming from a nation that has effective animal control. Thai people love dogs and yours will fit right in here. Thailand also has some of the finest animal hospitals around and pet care is affordable.

Preparation for Relocating Your Pet Dog to Thailand

Prior to leaving your home country, you will need to get all of your pet’s vaccinations updated. You should have these done 30 days prior to leaving. This is because the Thai officials of the Department of Livestock Development will require that this be done 21 days prior to travelling with your dog to Thailand.

Your veterinarian will need to prepare a health certificate for your dog which, at a minimum, must state how many dogs you are bringing, their breeds, colors, age, and gender. The certificate will need to state the dog’s address in your country of origin. The last part of the certificate must state the vaccination specifics.

Pertaining to the vaccination specifics, all dogs must be certified as vaccinated and free of rabies. The rabies vaccination must be current and is required to be given no less than 21 days prior to the departure of the animal.

The other required vaccinations will be for Parovirus, Distemper, Leptospirosis, and Hepatitis. Your dog should also be in generally good health with no obvious signs of disease.

Transporting your Pet

Making transportation arrangements is the next step for Relocating Your Pet Dog to Thailand. The first thing you must do is find a “pet-friendly” carrier that flies to the country. Here is where it gets just a bit complicated. Not all airlines will ship your pets and then there are those that take animals but not overseas. So you must call around to the different airlines. Consider that most flights to Thailand from North America or the U.K. will have at least one connecting flight.

The best thing to do is put the pet in the cargo hold. Not every airline flying to Southeast Asia will offer to do this. The primary reason is because of the hot temperatures that a pet might be exposed to when transferring cargo to a connecting flight. During this transfer, the pet’s carrier may have to wait on the tarmac and the temperatures can be intense during the peak hot weather months. Thus, some airlines do not want the liability. You just have to call around.

For small dogs, an option for Relocating Your Pet Dog to Thailand is to carry it in the cabin. The individual airline has its rules for carrying pets in the cabin and generally it will require the pet be placed in an approved carrier that will fit under the seat. The airline will give you the dimensions of the carrier and probably instruct you that the dog is not allowed out of it and not allowed to bark. If you have a house-trained dog, more than likely it will sleep for the entire trip or just sit still terrified and never make a sound.

There will be an additional fee by the airline for transporting your pet. Fees can start at $200 USD and upwards.

Pet arrival in Thailand

When Relocating Your Pet Dog to Thailand and arriving in the country, you will be directed to take your pet to the Department of Livestock Development office which is located at the group of structures where the Customs Department is located. There is a shuttle bus that will take you there. You may have to leave your dog there overnight while an entry permit is created. More than likely, a quarantine address will be stipulated which can be your address in Thailand and that quarantine period will be for 30 days.

Care of Your Pet in Thailand

Thailand is a tropical country and with this comes parasites that will love your dog no matter how carefully you try to protect it from them. Ticks will probably be your biggest trouble here. Your veterinarian can prescribe medication to apply to your pet’s coat to keep ticks and bugs at a minimum however it usually is never 100% effective.

You will have to inspect your pet’s coat consistently. If you find a tick, you should take quick action. Don’t just pull out the tick because the legs might remain in your dog’s skin and become infected. Take something metal like a fork and heat it up with a lighter. Then touch one of the prongs to the tick and it will either fry or jump off. Either way, it is a clean way to remove the tick.

The other problem is taking the pet out for a walk if you live in a crowded city area. You will find that there are dogs all over the streets here. Locals refer to them as “soi dogs” which translates to street dogs. When you take your dog outside, these dogs will come around out of curiosity. You’ll find that they are friendly dogs for the most part but those bugs will jump on your dog.

For further information, have a look at the Thai Department of Livestock Development website at http://www.dld.go.th/webenglish/movec1.html. This page lists the current requirements for Relocating Your Pet Dog to Thailand.