New CDC Regulations about Importing Dogs to the U.S. effective in August 2024

[DiamondJubilee]

Thought I would update this in case any Canadian is looking to go to the US soon with their dog. Here is the form my vet fills out (until section E) then it goes to a CFIA agent (Federal Vet) to fill out section F
347457B_FRM_NCEZID_Rabies_Free-508.pdf (233.1 KB)

I did get off the phone with my vet about all of the forms and what is needed for me to cross into the US. A ISO compatible microchip must be implanted BEFORE the rabies vaccine is given (no problem for me as my girl was microchipped by her breeder as a pup but my vet didn’t have her microchip info, so I just emailed it to them). From my understanding if you dog is up to date with rabies but is not microchipped, you must get them microchipped first and then they have to be given a rabies vaccine again and they can’t cross for 22 days afterwards (both the microchip info and rabies info must be on the form the vet has to fill out and verify). I did not look into this too much as it didn’t apply to me.

My vet as of yesterday is booking into AUGUST!! So I’m trying to make an appt with him asap as we leave Aug 22nd. They have to fill out the form, check the dog to ensure it appears healthy and is over the age of 6 months. This will cost about $100 for the exam and $25 to fill out the form. Then I make an appt with the federal vet (usually takes about 1 or so weeks to book an appt) and its $23 for that. The good thing about this form is that it is good for the duration of the rabies vaccine. So for me, my dog had her shot 20-Apr-23 and its good for 3 years - so the signed form is good until 20-Apr-26 for multiple border crossings. We usually cross the border several times a year for camping vacations or horse shows. At least it will last for a little bit - for my horses its only good for 30 days so I see the federal vet often when we travel.

You need to keep about 6 months of copies of any medical records (to prove the dog is healthy and has been in the country - I usually only take my dog 1 x year to see the vet for check up in the spring, so some people may have to go more often), I have a copy of her CKC papers which shows her registered name, my name and her microchip #, and her copy of rabies as well, plus the filled out form above from the vets.

Then there is an app or its called an online CDC Dog Import Form which is not available until 15-Jul-24 for viewing. This is the app that will have the picture of your dogs face, and both sides and you fill it out 2 or so days before you cross letting them know where you are going in the US. This has to be filled out each time you cross but it does not cost any $. (sort of like a coggins for dogs)

[SusanO]

Is this just for dogs coming from Canada or dogs coming from all outside countries? I just wonder if it is a response to the persons importing rescue dogs from other countries (like the US doesn’t have any dogs that need rescuing). And more specifically that canine respiratory syndrome that was thought to be introduced to the US from dogs coming into this country from China??? Or another country - can’t remember which. That would make sense to tighten up the import laws in this instance.

[JanM]

All dogs, including service dogs, coming from any country into the U.S. And it covers dogs born in the U.S., and returning to the U.S. from any country.

[mommy_peanut]

Lufthansa will not accept dogs on flights to USA starting August 1st!

https://www.lufthansa.com/de/de/anmeldung-tiere-frachtraum

[sophie]

That’s crazy!! I thought they just had to be 6 months or older and have a health certificate to be allowed back in the US…

[DiamondJubilee]

I saw that post about Lufthansa yesterday. They are apparently a very dog friendly air line but of course can’t get past the new CDC rules.

[GoodTimes]

I’m involved in the ski-joring community, and by extension the sled dog community. I’ve seen a few groups post on social media that they’re reaching out to the CDC, asking them to rethink the rules. Taking a team back and forth across the Canada - USA border is now going to cost several thousand dollars. There’s a high likelihood these rules will kill a number of races.

There really should be some sort of reciprocal agreement between Canada and the US.

[DiamondJubilee]

I’m still waiting for the “app” (the online form that has pictures of sides and face of your dog and is filled out 2 days before you cross) that was supposed to be released from CDC today. So far nothing.
As soon as its released, CFIA will open to take appointments for the federal vet to sign the completed paperwork my vet has filled out. Talk about last minute! I have a feeling something is being modified and delayed (I’m sure that’s why the CFIA won’t take appointments until tomorrow at the earliest).

[DiamondJubilee]

Now I did just read that the CFIA is putting a lot of push back on the CDC saying that they can’t put up with the demand (from their current federal vets) that they will be creating if this goes forward. So they are still in meetings about this right now, which is why there is a delay on releasing the “app” (it was supposed to be released on the CDC website at 9am this morning). Hopefully Canada (and the US) can be exempt from this new importation rule, but only time will tell fingers crossed

[skydy]

I watched a dogs-launching-themselves-over-water-and-grabbing-a-soft-bar-on-the-way-down competition on TV yesterday ( I can’t remember what it was called.) It was really fun to watch and those dogs were having a blast! The slow motion replays were very funny.

Apparently there is a circuit that they participate in. Do they have those competitions in Canada? It would be a shame if the new regulations put a damper on their fun.

[GoodTimes]

My vet posted on facebook that they haven’t been informed yet whether or not paperwork will need to be certified by the CFIA. The CDC is supposed to making this known this week.
Really leaving things down to the wire.

[DiamondJubilee]

@skydy - Dock diving? If so, yes, very popular here in Ontario. Someone I know has a pool and has dock diving competitions at her farm close by all the time and they get points and cross the border to US shows all the time…

Yes, the CFIA does not want to stamp the current form that is out already. This is what the meetings are about. But the CFIA also wanted to see what the “app” would look like once it was released on July 15th, which it still is not of course (even though this is filled out by the owners of the dogs and has nothing to do with the CFIA).

They are really leaving it down to the wire and I really do see a delay of this. It may still go ahead, but no way would it be ready for Aug 1. I do have a vet appt on Aug 8th to get my paperwork filled out by my vet, but I haven’t made an appt with the CFIA of course. I do have to call the CFIA soonish to make an appt for my horse paperwork which gets completed by Aug 15th. It used to take me about 1 week to get an appt with the CFIA, we will see what happens by the end of the week though. If it does go through, I can see a much longer wait time making an appt with the CFIA to get my horse and dog paperwork signed before Aug 22 (when I leave for WEC Ohio with pony and dog in tow). Only time will tell!

[skydy]

Dock Diving, I think that was it! The “air retrieval” section was what I watched and they were split by dog size. It was on ESPN.

What a regulatory disaster. I wonder if they just didn’t think it through?

[DiamondJubilee]

So the app or “import form” is now out and was released later yesterday so you can now go to the CDC website to take a look at it. Nothing too crazy…

CFIA have said that they still will not take appointments to sign the rabies/vet forms so this will be interesting. They are fighting it tooth and nail but the CDC is not backing down. Perhaps I won’t be able to take my dog across the border, which makes me pretty sad. Hopefully someone caves!

I’m calling my CFIA this morning to see what they say. I need to make an appt for my horses paperwork anyway.

[DiamondJubilee]

Just got off the phone a couple of hours ago with the CFIA and they did change the rabies form. There is no need to have the paperwork signed at the CFIA (federal vet) and they just released a new form that just your vet has to fill out. So one less step!

This form and new information was just sent from the CDC to the CFIA this morning so vet clinics should be aware of this shortly. So you still need to make a vet appt to have your dog looked at, ensure that the ISO microchip was implanted before giving the rabies shot and the vet signs off on all of this.

And you still need the “app” or Import Form that is on your phone with info on where you are crossing, the address on where you are going in the US, info on your dog, info on the owner and a picture of your dog showing their side and face which is to be filled out and sent 2 days before you cross into the US.

New rabies form:

Documentation%20of%20Canadian-Issued%20Rabies%20Vaccination%20-%20Export%20of%20Dogs%20to%20the%20U.S.%20-%20Documentation%20des%20vaccins%20contra%20la%20rage%20admi.pdf

Dog import form (app)
https://cdc-786687.workflowcloud.com/forms/fb112553-dd9a-4c3e-a75f-12d6b7e2f2a4

[Alpha_Mare]

The southern border (US) is a different story. Some very sad/diseased animals have been coming through from rescues…

[DiamondJubilee]

@Alpha_Mare - but with rabies? This is what doesn’t make sense to me or pretty much to anyone else. All of this work and paperwork is for rabies only. To cross the border we have already needed proof of a rabies shot (always took my vet paperwork with rabies info on it in case they ask for it). I get the need for rescue dogs, especially if they are coming from 3rd world countries to ensure they are inoculated for things such as rabies before they cross over, but from Canada or the US? They are pretty much a dog rabies free country already, and the rabies has always been required to cross. I can 100% see this for other shots such as parvo or influenza in rescue dogs or even NA dogs, especially from dogs from different countries, but they are not asking for this. Now they have added a 6 month old rule, so no puppies crossing. So that is new.

I have now just heard that the CDC is allowing a 12-18 month long grace period for all of this paperwork. The border will educate people crossing with dogs but will not require the paperwork for a bit (I’m waiting to see this in writing though). The CDC is getting such backlash about this new rule as it will stop a lot of truckers going back and forth as a good % have dogs with them. So this may effect both Canada and the US with a potential trucker shortage (something the CDC never thought of). Not to mention the lost income from both countries on vacationers. It will prevent some US vacationers from crossing into Canada to spend $ and vice versa. A little more thought needs to be done on this (which is what everyone is saying). So again, only time will tell what comes out by Aug 1st! All this stress for potentially nothing…

[clipper]

@DiamondJubilee

but with rabies? This is what doesn’t make sense to me or pretty much to anyone else. All of this work and paperwork is for rabies only.

This is really about Human Health.

Rabies is a very scary disease. (From the CDC). It is 99% fatal in humans but 100% preventable.

The business of rescue is bringing dogs from countries with rabies.
From Canada, which has a very small population compared to the US.

Importation of rabies-infected dogs results in significant and costly public and animal health risks. “In January 2022, a dog in Ontario, Canada, which was imported from Iran in June 2021, developed rabies, leading to an extensive public health investigation and administration of rabies post-exposure prophylaxis to 37 individuals. The dog was infected with a rabies virus variant known to circulate in Iran. This is the second reported case of a rabies-infected dog imported into Canada in 2021 from a high-risk country for canine mediated rabies.”

It is very costly to treat humans with rabies. Again from the CDC " Canine rabies importation events are estimated to cost $213,833 (range = $171,066–$256,599) per event in public health response and health care costs to prevent the spread of the disease to humans and their pets. Total estimated costs associated with rabies public health emergency response activities are $7.6 million per year (range = $2.6 million–$12.9 million). "

[DiamondJubilee]

Yes, but the dog came from a different country. So I can see asking for proof of rabies for that and ensuring that they have had the shot for at least 28 days before importing etc.

Rabies of course is terrible, it 100% preventable and I don’t disagree with dogs having to have this vaccine. But I don’t think this is the right way to go. They need to solve the issue of animals coming from different countries and not having any or the right vaccines in the first place, and continue to show proof of rabies for NA animals (which is what has currently been done for years and years, not filling out forms from the vet when we already have rabies tags and paperwork stating that they have their rabies shots). Make this new system for dogs not coming from NA, where the issue currently is (unvacinated, high risk areas).

[GoodTimes]

@clipper @DiamondJubilee it’s tricky because rabies can take up to four months to develop after exposure. Perhaps Canada needs to get more strict as well when it comes to rescues importing dogs. And of course Canada and the US both have rabies in wild animals so it’s not like the rabies risk in either country is zero, it’s just extremely low.
The more likely scenario is probably the anti vax neighbour down the street who secretly refuses to vaccinate their dog, and doesn’t notice when the dog gets bit by a rabies infected bat, etc.

From the CDC “While rabies is uncommon in humans, three out of four Americans live in a community where raccoons, skunks, or foxes carry this deadly disease.”

Edited to add that Canada did in fact change their import requirements in 2022. Rescues, fosters, etc fall under commercial and their requirements are quite strict now.