Comfort of dogs in quarantine during spring

[Archies owner]

Hi All,

 

The warmer weather has come quickly to Melbourne at least.

 

The good news is that Spotswood turn sprinkler/ misters on in the pens when it gets too hot.

 

I have a spoodle that doesn't handle the hot weather well at all, and has skin allergies.

 

I would like to suggest that as the weather warms up more, a few dogs will be more comfortable getting a closer clip on their coats before they arrive here. I also give my dog anti-histamines as required.

 

If the weather gets too hot, they will actually close the exercise yards, but other than that you can take your dogs out twice per week (Tues to Friday) during their set hours here.

 

During their stay they will usually be fed Advance Dry food. You can arrange for other food if you want, but like antihistamines or Omega 3 and 6 doses, you will need to negotiate for these things to happen.

 

Some people also forget to get heart worm tablets etc administered before their dogs leave and find that it may add a vet bill to your costs if you don't get someone else to give them to your dog (if you dont give it just before they leave). Heartworm tablets are not mandatory for dogs in Australia, but heartworm does exist in rural areas of Victoria, and I like many people dont want to take the chance of it taking hold of our dogs. But then again I give flea treatments monthly too.

 

Just some heads up for the changing seasons.

[Candygirl]

Thanks, very helpful tips.

 

My little un is being "scalped" on Thursday in readiness for her trip and stay. She is used to the hot weather here in Spain, but just want do all that I can to make her as comfortable as possible.

 

My two have their heartworm by injection each year. Should I make sure they are aware of this in quarantine?

[Archies owner]

Hi Candygirl,

 

Because heartworm is not considered as serious threat as viruses (like rabies), it is not on the aqis radar. That is, they wont probably ask, they wont require it, and if you get it done in quarantine by them, you may be paying a vet premium on top of the drug costs. I would personally recommend that people have some protection against it, but aqis wont probably ask or enforce anything, this one is an option for the owners to consider before quarantine, if they haven't a treatment plan already.

 

I have given heartworm tablets to a clients dog in quarantine before, but that is the only demand I have had for that kind of help.

 

I used to get the yearly anti heartworm injections, but since my dog had ear issues/ skin allergies I would often visit the vet a few times a year already where they would check on his general health. A separate visit just for the injection added another $50 for a general vet visit so the heartworm treatment was always over $100. That is why now I use an all in one flea, general worm AND heartworm monthly tablet for my dog. All personal choice, and I know quite a few people who dont bother with heartworm protection at all.

[Candygirl]

Hi Candygirl,

 

Because heartworm is not considered as serious threat as viruses (like rabies), it is not on the aqis radar. That is, they wont probably ask, they wont require it, and if you get it done in quarantine by them, you may be paying a vet premium on top of the drug costs. I would personally recommend that people have some protection against it, but aqis wont probably ask or enforce anything, this one is an option for the owners to consider before quarantine, if they haven't a treatment plan already.

 

I have given heartworm tablets to a clients dog in quarantine before, but that is the only demand I have had for that kind of help.

 

I used to get the yearly anti heartworm injections, but since my dog had ear issues/ skin allergies I would often visit the vet a few times a year already where they would check on his general health. A separate visit just for the injection added another $50 for a general vet visit so the heartworm treatment was always over $100. That is why now I use an all in one flea, general worm AND heartworm monthly tablet for my dog. All personal choice, and I know quite a few people who dont bother with heartworm protection at all.

 

Thanks for the advice.

[brisbanebound1]

hi all, i am in need to relocate to australia and am very worried about placing my dogs in cargo. can anyone tell me their experiences? i will move back from america and the flight is quite long. i fear for their safety as well as their safely in quarantine as they have never been away from my side and are 10 years of age. additionally, does anyone have any new information on whether or not the quarantine time will be cut down? i know many countries have done so in the past year. thank you so much.

[Archies owner]

" i fear for their safety as well as their safely in quarantine"

 

A lot of dog owner's have a strong bond with their dogs, particularly those willing to fly their dogs overseas. My aqis clients are often far more involved in wanting to know how every visit has gone than my regular dog walk clients. It is true that I can only speak about Melbourne quarantine, but I can tell you that most government facilities have strict rules and safety procedures, and that includes quarantine.

 

Your dog may be upset from missing you and hearing the barks of nearby dogs, but they are separated by cement and wire in their pens and the staff take them for exercise yard visits one at a time. There is strictly no dog interaction between dogs in different pens, so their safety is assured from that perspective. Vets are on call etc, so your dog is as safe as they can be during their stay.

 

It is often the owner's that emotionally fair worse then their pets. I hope it goes well for you.

[BobPetairUK]

Yes, indeed. Mostly the humans fair worse with these long journeys than the pets do. They are generally much tougher than we think!

 

Ref the heartworm - heartworm does happen in Australia, but it is not very common. We just think that the owners and the vets involved in exporting these pets have so many "balls to juggle" that keeping things as simple as possible is the key. The advice we give (if asked) is to get the pets there and then once they are out go to a local vets and discuss preventative treatment regime with someone local who knows what is common in that area and what drugs are best to use.

 

Not long now Candygirl:)