Read this Before Traveling into the USA with a dog!  🐶

New rules for traveling with dogs to the USA kicked into effect August 1st, in an effort to decrease import of dogs with Rabies virus and decrease Rabies vaccine certificate fraud. 

The Center for disease control (CDC) in the USA announced complicated and strict new rules in June of this year, which led to immediate backlash from Canadian officials, US veterinarians and foreign governments. It was a "very poorly thought-out bit of business" in the opinion of Canada’s Health Minister. 

The CDC announced last week that it listened to its critics and relaxed the strict rules.

The requirements now depend on where the dog has been in the last 6 months and how old it is.

 Dogs from Rabies-free and Low Risk Countries:

Owners must fill out an import form prior to the border crossing.

Dogs must be:

• At least 6 months old!

• Appear healthy

• Microchipped

Note, proof of Rabies vaccination is not required.

Dogs from high risk countries or visited a high risk country in the past 6 months:

The requirements differ depending on where the dog was vaccinated.

US Vaccinated dogs:

• Import Form

• Rabies Vaccination Certificate

• Microchip implanted before the Rabies vaccination

• At least 6 months old!

Foreign Vaccinated dogs: 

• Import Form

• Rabies and Microchip form certified by government vet

• Rabies Serology titre (blood test to check for vaccination for Rabies) 

• If no valid serology titre, mandatory 28 day quarantine at a CDC facility

• At least 6 months old!

Unvaccinated dogs from high risk countries:

No entry is permitted.

Any puppy under 6 months of age, from any country:

No entry is permitted

Why the fuss? 

Imported dogs from high risk countries bring the Rabies virus to the US. This virus is deadly to other pets and humans. In the last few years, a few dogs imported from the Middle East later developed Rabies, with one veterinary technician being bitten.

The discovery of fraudulent Rabies vaccine certificates has increased significantly also. 

But why are puppies no longer allowed?

The primary reason is the difficulty in accurately determining the age of younger puppies, which is crucial for verifying whether they are adequately protected against rabies.

In my personal opinion, this rule is aimed at slowing the flow of foreign "puppy mill" and "rescue organization” puppies that are brought to the US to be sold in that lucrative market. This may promote healthier, more ethical breeding and adoption practices. 

Where it may break down: 

Prior to August 1, many dogs were imported into Canada from high risk countries and then immediately shuttled across the border into the US because of the relaxed rules between Canada and the US.  Perhaps the absolute ban on moving puppies under 6 months will decrease this dark side of the pet trade. 

For dogs over 6 months, as far as I can see, an owner only needs to declare on the form that the dog has been in Canada for the previous 6 months, and no proof is required. 

Collateral Damage:

• Legitimate breeders with healthy, vaccinated pups (puppies can be vaccinated as early as 12 weeks of age).

• Owners in border towns that need to travel with puppies for veterinary care.

• Owners that want to travel with pups for vacations, dog sporting events and other reasons.

That´s one big cat! World record big. 

The longest cat in the world was Stewie the Maine Coon, at 4 feet long!

These big beauties are the largest domestic cats in the world. Thank goodness they are gentle and friendly. 

They are the fourth most popular purebred cat in the US, according to Cat Fanciers´ Association.  

Because I know most of you are now wondering, I will leave the list of the top 10 popular cat breeds at the bottom of the newsletter. 

There are a few interesting stories about their origin: 

• Hoping to escape the turmoil in France in 1789, Marie Antoinette sent her pet cats ahead of her to America. While she was busy dealing with the French Revolution , her cats were getting busy creating a new breed.

• Vikings brought their long-haired cats to New England (Similar to the Norwegian Forest Cats)  in the 1700´s and they bred with domestic short-haired cats to create the Maine Coon

• The myth that they started as a mating between a domestic cat and a racoon is interesting to picture, but not scientifically possible! 

What are they like? 

BIG! Males generally weigh 13-18 lbs and stand up to 18 inches from toes to top of head.  Females are smaller at 10-15 lbs.

They have large, tufted ears with "lynx tips," which are longer hairs at the ends of their ears.

They have tufted paws that act like snowshoes, helping them walk on snow without sinking.

Friendly Personality.

Main Health Problems: 

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy:

• Disease of the heart muscle causing thickening of the walls and poor function, with signs occurring as early as 1-2 years of age 

• 20-30% of Maine Coons are affected, compared to 10-15% of the general cat population

• Due to an inherited genetic mutation

• A DNA screening test exists, and can be used by breeders to choose healthy breeding stock and by owners to screen and treat affected pets proactively

Hip Dysplasia:

• An abnormal development of the hip joint, leading to an unstable joint and often arthritis later in life 

• Up to 20% of Maine Coons can be affected, compared to 6% in the general cat population

• No screening genetic test exists

• X-rays of hip joints can be used by breeders to try to weed out unsuitable breeding cats

  

One thing I bet you didn't know… 

A Tale of Two Nicky´s: 

In 2004, a Maine Coon named Little Nicky became the first commercially purchased cloned pet. His owner paid $50,000 USD to Genetic Savings & Clone Inc. (love the name) to clone her beloved deceased cat Nicky, using his preserved DNA. 

Popular brands like Halo Collar and SpotOn are examples of wireless containment systems that use satellites and GPS to create a virtual, invisible fence.

How does it work? 

• A collar, worn by the dog, is a GPS receiver and receives signals from multiple GPS satellites to determine the precise location. 

• A person walks the perimeter where you want the virtual fence with a special handheld device or smartphone app recording the GPS coordinates along the path. The boundary can also be traced on a digital map.

• The system creates a  ¨geofence¨ that the GPS collar recognizes.

• As the dog moves around, the GPS collar constantly checks the dog's location against the stored boundary.

• Warning zone: If the dog approaches the boundary, the collar emits a warning signal (tone or vibration) 

• Correction Zone: If the dog crosses the boundary, the collar emits a stronger signal (vibration or static correction) to encourage the dog to return to the safe area, so that the uncomfortable stimulus stops. 

Pros: 

• The boundary can be anywhere you want, as big as you want. You can take it with you camping, the lake house, you can even take it to Canada! 

• Easy to change and customize the geofence.

• Costs less than a physical fence and is portable.

• Can cover large areas.

• Real time tracking and alerts about the dog´s location.

• You can vary the strength of the static correction.

What the heck is static correction? 

Companies that produce electronic collars use the term static correction because the sensation delivered by these collars is often likened to the feeling of static electricity, such as the mild shock you might feel when touching a metal object after walking on carpet. The term "static" refers to this mild electrical sensation.

Frankly, it sounds a lot better than ¨shock collar¨. 

These collars are widely used for training, using the principles of negative reinforcement and positive punishment to correct an undesired behavior and decrease the likelihood of it occurring again.

They deliver an electric stimulus that can be adjusted in intensity and in the case of GPS collars, turned off completely (only a sound or vibration is used). The big benefit of the electronic training collars is that they can be used remotely. 

Cons of the GPS Fence & Collars: 

• Battery lasts the day and must be recharged nightly.

• Some require cellular service and app subscriptions (think monthly cost) for full features such as tracking and boundary alerts.

• Requires training to be applied effectively and humanely. This training requires a commitment of time and consistency. A dog must be able to understand and know the desired behavior to avoid the unpleasant correction. It must be combined with positive reinforcement. 

• A changing geofence boundary may lead to a dog not knowing where the “safe area¨  is that they can go to to stop the negative sensation. 

Other options: 

Apple Air Tags:

• Location only, no virtual boundary or containment 

• Requires other Apple devices nearby so not great in remote areas

Garmin GPS Collars:

• real-time tracking and training

• No containment function but you do get an alert when the boundary is crossed

• More than one collar per device 

• Does not rely on cellular network

All of these options offer different features, capabilities, and cost.

GPS Collars are also available for cats, including Tractive that “monitors health”, in the form of alerts when your pet’s activity level changes.

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Thank you for your time! I hope you enjoyed the newsletter. You can reply to this email anytime with questions or comments.

Take care,

April