Guest klm1702 Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Hi, we're currently thinking about a move to Perth from Scotland but I'm a bit concerned about my two cats. They are both 12 (13 in feb). One is diabetic so has insulin injections twice per day and the other has hyperthyroidism so is on a strict diet (hills prescription Y/D). I am wondering if they would be allowed to travel regarding health issues? Would appreciate some advice. Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob dc Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Quick phone call to Petair UK - speak to Bob - owner and vet - we found them more than helpful with the many questions we had, they know the system inside out - head office in Dorset but they have an office in Glasgow as well I think - good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobPetairUK Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Dear KLM This is a super tough one as leaving them behind is not an option i am sure. Ref your hyperthyroid cat - yes this little cat can fly and we can send medication with him or her and your cat is likely to be just fine. Ref your diabetic cat, this is really tough. the medication cant go with him as it needs to be kept in the fridge. You can take the chance of not medicating him and hoping he does not go into shock over there. Cats are often unstabilised for months before they are diagnosed and with the quarantine looking like it will go down to 10 days, so 10 days off meds is not great at all but if you have no other choice then it may have to be. AQIS will email you to say things along the lines of "you do know this is risky for your cat and the fees if they get ill are huge etc etc" and try to put you off. Diabetic cats can be controlled by tablets and food, so maybe you fly your cat on medication and prescription food to keep him as stable as possible for as long as possible. If i were in your position, i would chat to your vets as they know the individual cats. I would go through the rabies vaccinations and rabies blood samples so you still have the options available to you and then around a month before the flight you can make a decision. Making a choice now is not easy. Sorry not to be of more help. I think in your positions i would bury my head in the sand, get the rabies work done and then decide nearer the time Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 I was thinking the same Bob. One thing though, surely the duty vet at quarantine can continue with the injections on arrival meaning it would be only the flight that's an issue? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobPetairUK Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 Dear All Check out this link: http://www.daff.gov.au/aqis/cat-dogs/accom/easterncreek AQIS dont like chronically ill animals coming in (that does not mean they cant come in), they just dont like it. There is a bit about medicating animals. They will give tablets, but i dont think they will inject and it is tough to get the refrigerated insulin to Australia. The flight itself is not a problem - the cat just does not have injections for that 24 hours, we have flown quite a few diabetic pets. It is fairly common for a pet to miss the occasional injection if the owner for gets, misses or is away. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest klm1702 Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 I was thinking the same Bob. One thing though, surely the duty vet at quarantine can continue with the injections on arrival meaning it would be only the flight that's an issue? Hi thanks for the feedback. Great to get advice from people in the know. You are right, moving there without my cats just isn't an option, I've had them since 5 weeks old so could never part with them now. Thats great one of my cats would be allowed to travel. As for my diabetic cat, the reason she has diabetes is due to her weight so I'm wondering if I was really strict with her and she lost weight would her diabetes go? Also worst case could she not get her injection before the flight then again as soon as she arrived? I know she would miss a couple but I think she would be ok (she has missed a couple in the past and been fine). I know that her insulin couldn't go on the flight but would it not be possible for her to get a prescription for more on arrival and it administered each day whilst in quarantine? It's put us in such a dilemma, really want to move there, new life and good for my kids etc but I just couldn't do it without my cats :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest klm1702 Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 Dear All Check out this link: http://www.daff.gov.au/aqis/cat-dogs/accom/easterncreek AQIS dont like chronically ill animals coming in (that does not mean they cant come in), they just dont like it. There is a bit about medicating animals. They will give tablets, but i dont think they will inject and it is tough to get the refrigerated insulin to Australia. The flight itself is not a problem - the cat just does not have injections for that 24 hours, we have flown quite a few diabetic pets. It is fairly common for a pet to miss the occasional injection if the owner for gets, misses or is away. Bob Hi Bob, Thanks for the link, having read it I'm wondering if it would be possible to give my cat her injection before she were to fly then arranging for a local vet to examine her and prescribe more insulin the day she was admitted to quarantine? Also I've copied a paragraph (see below) "If your animal requires the administration of medication outside the station’s medicating hours e.g. diabetic/epileptic animals, you should discuss alternative treatment intervals with the animal’s veterinarian prior to import into Australia." The fact it mentions diabetic animals must mean they have received them in the past? I was a bit confused as to what that meant? I couldn't see anything that specifically says they won't give injections, if an animal is diabetic would that not be the only way to treat them? i pressume there is no PETS travel scheme in place? I find it strange that they have such strict quarantine laws when the UK is a rabies free country. I actually took my cats back from America when I lived there so have been through this procedure before but used the PETS travel scheme so there was no quarantine when they arrived in this country. The shipping company I used dealt with all the paperwork and they had to get their tests done by an approved vet. Can you use any vet to do the tests here? Also would you look after shipping, paperwork etc when they are in Aberdeen? Sorry lots of questions but I really would appreciate the info on this. Thank you Karen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobPetairUK Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 Dear KLM good point about the note about diabetic cats, but i think what they are saying is you need to come up with an alternative plan for them so they dont need to be injected 12 hours apart. It would be definitely a good thing to spend some time getting the weight off your cat and seeing how stable you can get him on food therapy only. There is a tablet cats can have. it does not work amazing consistently but it does work in some cats. Yes the quarantine thing is a bit odd, as we let pets in with no quarantine but Australia demands it, but that is the way it is. our laws have relaxed due to the EU telling us what to do! You do need to use a Official government vet, but most practices have one. if they can do pet passports they can help you with the pre travel vet work. Hope that helps. Bob http://www.petairuk.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.