MnEmCathcart

How do you know that the insurance companies have no access to UK records? Surely all insurance companies talk to each other these days and have fairly open access to that kind of info?

Poor Ozzy, he must be finding it tough to adjust but I'm sure he'll eat what you give him when he's hungry enough Have you thought of a Feliway diffuser? It diffuses a 'happy pheromone' for cats and if you plug it in near their bed or where they spend a lot of time then it can help them to relax a little. It's not a drug - just a synthetically made pheromone produced by cats when they're happy. It doesn't smell to people and can work well with some cats. I hope he feels better soon and stops giving you the guilt trip... Only 6 sleeps til we collect Finlay now..it's getting closer!! Emma

Hi sazgeering, PetAir Scotland is a branch of the main UK company PetAir based near Windsor. Bob from PetAir has a thread on shipping pets on here. We recently moved from Glasgow to Adelaide and we used PetAir and I can honestly say they were wonderful. Their quote for the 'gold' service included collection from a scottish postcode and then a road journey to the kennels in Windsor and an overnight stay before the flight to break it all up a bit. I did get a quote from a Scottish-based company in Dunfermline who I've heard good reviews from also but they were going to Fly our dog from Edinburgh to London making the total flight journey (time in the box) longer so we were keen to minimise this. PetAir were absolutely brilliant in the planning stages and took care of everything. We left 6 weeks before our dog so he was with the in-laws for all the final stages and it was good to know they were in control of everything and the in-laws didn't need to worry about a thing. My husband and I are both vets ourselves and knowing PetAir is run by vets and veterinary nurses definitely added to the peace of mind. We couldn't fault a thing and really think that the 'gold' service was worth the extra money. Let me know if you want any other info Emma

Oh that's gone so quickly! You must be so excited! I can't wait for that feeling! 18 sleeps til I get to pick up my boy...! Have had more photos of him today and he looks like he's pretty relaxed...chasing a tennis ball which is definitely one of his favourite things! Hope all goes well with collecting Ozzy, I'm sure he'll settle into your new home in no time!

I don't think you can even compare the cost of quarantine with the cost of veterinary treatment for a snake bite. There are no comparisons at all. Your dog/cat is away from you..that's the only thing. The intensity of hospital care for these patients, the cost of medication, the need for ventilators in some cases and the anti-venom itself, none of which is required in quarantine (one would seriously hope). It is like trying to compare the cost of staying a month in a travel-lodge with a stay in ICU for a life-threatening traffic accident. The import restrictions into Australia are some of the strictest in the whole world and rightly so - make the most of being an island, but the animal can't enter Australia within 180 days following rabies blood titre testing (which is the rabies incubation period) anyway so this would not change by dropping quarantine time. Latent viruses will not necessarily show in quarantine as previously mentioned. Tick borne diseases are tested for serologically prior to export which wasn't possible historically. I dont think that the movement of animals around the world will ever be perfect but there are many other threats to bringing disease into Australia that go without such strict guidelines. The other argument for reducing to 10 days is that quarantine is only 10 days to New Zealand and pets can travel freely from NZ to Aus with no quarantine so this makes the extra 20 days to Aus a little pointless in terms of disease transmission/monitoring. I am quite sure that if the quarantine is reduced to 10 days then it will be done so with much epidemiological consideration from biosecurity specialists at the top of their fields and the influence of pet owners on these decisions will be negligible. I do not think after all that people have been through to bring their animals across the world that anyone would be naiive enough to think that the cost is the driving factor behind this change.

Hi, Our dog has finally arrived in oz - still the quarantine to get through but we're getting closer. We are going to drive from Adelaide to Melbourne to pick him up as we don't want to put him on another plane.. My question is about the wooden shipping crate that was made for his outward journey. Is it worth keeping these crates for the return journey or will it cost more for us to have it sent back to Adelaide (not sure a Labrador crate will fit in the car with him taking up the whole boot). How much are they worth in terms of reducing costs on the way home? We plan to stay 4-5 years or so but will be going home at some stage. Thanks in advance Emma

Finlay arrived in Melbourne safe and sound - feel so guilty thinking of him stuck in a kennel there! We've got a dogwalker to go and visit Fin as we're in Adelaide and don't have time or emotional strength to visit him and leave him again. They visited him on Friday and had him out in the paddock which was nice, had a couple of photos from them too - just desperate to hear the next update and counting down what seems like forever til we can pick him up. Did you manage to go and see Ozzy? Really wish I could be close by!!

Just to say thankyou to PetAir for organising the transportation of our labrador Finlay to Aus. Everyone at PetAir have all been wonderful in the planning stages. We had left the UK 6 weeks before Finlay travelled and he was with the in-laws so we used the Gold service to make sure they didn't have to worry about a thing and it really made all the difference - reassurance on the bloods/certification, booking of all the travel, collection from Dumfries was professional and efficient and organising everything for his journey was just wonderful. We had Rachel looking after the planning for our boy and she was always there to answer any questions we had and had everything under control - she was really excellent. Finlay only arrived in Melbourne 4 days ago so still has all of his quarantine stay to go. It's not easy thinking of your pet scared or alone but PetAir have definitely made the whole process so much easier and I would recommend their service to everyone! Now the countdown til we get our boy back...!

Just to say thankyou to PetAir for organising the transportation of our labrador Finlay to Aus. Everyone at PetAir have all been wonderful in the planning stages. We had left the UK 6 weeks before Finlay travelled and he was with the in-laws so we used the Gold service to make sure they didn't have to worry about a thing and it really made all the difference - reassurance on the bloods/certification, booking of all the travel, collection from Dumfries was professional and efficient and organising everything for his journey was just wonderful. We had Rachel looking after the planning for our boy and she was always there to answer any questions we had and had everything under control - she was really excellent. Finlay only arrived in Melbourne 4 days ago so still has all of his quarantine stay to go. It's not easy thinking of your pet scared or alone but PetAir have definitely made the whole process so much easier and I would recommend their service to everyone! Now the countdown til we get our boy back...!

It's reassuring to hear everyone's stories. We moved to Adelaide just over 4 weeks ago and left our dog, a 3yr old black lab called Finlay, with the in-laws until his flight date. He was picked up by PetAir yesterday which all went well - hope he got there safe! He flies from LHR tonight (Tues 10:30pm UK time) and we're both so worried about his journey. Can't wait to hear he's arrived in quarantine ok and that he's ok. Hate to think what he will think of the whole thing, so so glad we've used PetAir though, they've been fab the whole way. Fingers crossed time flies til Thursday morning...more worried than I was for any of the other parts of the relocation! Emma

Hi there, Apologies if this has been already posted but I've searched and am struggling to find any relevant threads. My dog will be in Spotswood quarantine from 11th April for 30 days and I'm wanting to get him a dog walker. Does anyone have experience of this? Or could anyone recommend a company? How often are the dog walkers allowed to visit and what are they allowed to do? Also rou idea of costs would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much Emma

Finlay's going to Melbourne too - we're moving to Adelaide so closest one and I'e heard good reviews for it. It's a long journey over though isn't it! I think I'm just as concerned about the journey as the quarantine!! Lots of vetbeds to soak up the accidents I think. I think a familiar toy will def help when he gets there. We're arriving ahead of him so should be able to find somewhere to buy them before he arrives too. My spoilt dog!!! Glad Satch has adapted, I guess labs are good at that!!

Did the bag of grotty toys get declared on the container inventory? I think I'll try take a few in my suitcase and send the clean ones in the container and maybe send another one to his dog walker at the quarantine that doesn't matter so much if it gets lost. Thanks for all your help everyone. JoandJon, I guess that's your dog in the photo, Satch the lab, she's lovely. How does she cope with the heat? My boy's a black lab and I'm worried about the heat. He lives to swim over here too and I'm not sure there'll be so much of that in Oz..was she ok in quarantine? Which did you use? It's getting closer now and I'm getting fretty!! Emma

Thanks for all your replies. Didn't think I'd be able to put anything in his box but do things sent with the crate on the outside ever make it to the end with the dog? I've thought about putting one in my suitcase, may have to be the way forward and just but a few replacements over there. Do you think it would be ok to put a clean rope tog tugger in the container? How about brand new toys? His used ones just look a bit used as they've been carried around in his mouth but no mud etc...don't want it to draw extra attention to the container though!! So many concerns all for the doggie!!

Hi there, Apologies if this has been posted elsewhere. Just planning our packing and was wondering if I'm allowed to ship some of my dogs toys? They've ever been out of the house but obviously don't look too clean and new as he likes to carry them round with him all the time. Am I allowed to bring these (he knows them all by name and has favourites) or do I just need to buy him new ones when we arrive? Also am I allowed to buy new ones here and send them on the outside of his crate for when he arrives? Thanks so much! Emma

Any more news??

If you have a dog, just make sure when you get the 'normal vaccinations', you avoid the Leptospirosis part. This is usually given to dogs every year but is manufactured individually so the rest of the vaccination (Distemper, Hepatitis, Parvo and Parainfluenza) can be given but avoid the Lepto. If the dog has had Lepto vaccine last year then the antibody titre may be low enough to pass the blood test. If you vaccinate just before the blood test for Lepto then the antibody titre will be higher and so they may not pass the test. Hope that makes sense...

Such a shame it's going to take so long to change. I'm sorely tempted to leave Finlay home with the in-laws a little bit longer but don't want to risk it being too late in the year as it'll be getting warm...!

Hi Iron Chef, Great post, the whole subject is extremely confusing so nice to have someone who understands it all! My question, I have a 2000 Audi A3 registered in my husband's name and we've had it for 3 years and have both been insured on it for the full time and registered at current address. We are looking at moving over to Adelaide in March 2013 as hubby has been offered a job! We'd be on e457 to begin with at least. The car initially was paid for very generously by my grandad when we bought it. It is now worth approk £1k in the Uk but is an extremely reliable and fun car to drive. My husband's new employer is likely going to be paying all our relocation costs so I was considering bringing the car in a container with all our furniture. As I said, the car didn't cost us anything initially to buy, and it worth more to us in reliability etc than the £1k we'd get for it. Is it worth thinking about bringing over? Or does this sound like a silly plan? How much is it likely to cost me in import taxes etc? There's no external rust on the bodywork but may be some underneath. There's no a/c at the moment but I would look at getting this fitted in Australia once it was imported. Also what's the situation like for getting parts and repair for older Audi cars in AUS? Thanks so much for any help Emma

Thank you, there's more to consider relocating the dog than both my hubby, myself and all our stuff....! Crazy really! Exciting though, can't wait to be over there

Thanks for that, apologies for the double post, I'll have a better look for them Emma

Hi there, Looking at types of dog food available in Oz, as obviously won't be able to send any with my dog. Any ideas what kind of food they use in the quarantine kennels and which are they common brands of dog food available in Oz. Finlay currently eats James Wellbeloved lamb and rice which is hypoallergenic and is a large breed food (Labrador). Is there anything similar over there? I prefer feeding dry food and wondered if it's possible to get some of the food used in Oz over here before we travel to make sure he doesn't get an upset tummy in quarantine from the change. Thanks so much! Emma

Hi Bob, Thanks for that, got the email too so will get back to you soon about possibly modifying it a little. I'm glad he can fly directly to melbourne, I was worried he'd have to be offloaded and checked in Sydney and then put on bother forwarding flight which I thought would make it a really long journey but this world help. Thanks again, will be in touch Emma

Hi there, Bob, just wondering if you can help with our planning to move to Adelaide in March 2013. Our dog will have to wait to travel until April/May as he's only having his blood sample tomorrow. My husband and I will hopefully already be over in Oz by then but the plan will be for him to live with my in-laws for the couple of months gap. How long in advance am I likely to have to book Finlay into quarantine kennels. We were hoping to book him into Melbourne as its a slightly smaller kennel and then we can collect him at the end of his stay. We've not applied for permits etc yet as no blood test and our visas are still being processed but just for general planning, wondering how long I need to provisionally book this. Also, do all dogs have to enter via Sydney or van can they fly directly to Melbourne? I've sent a quotation enquiry to yourselves for transporting Finlay too. Emma

Fingers crossed it changes at the start of 2013... I think a 10-day stay in quarantine would be much easier for me to accept for my Labrador..! Emma