Pet Export Services

2. Choose your Pet Transport Company

Qantas Freight provides a list of pre-approved pet transport companies. Turramurra Vet does not endorse any particular pet transport company.

Your pet transport company (the exporter) will facilitate Australian “Notice of Intention to Export” certification and obtain an Import Permit and health requirements from the destination country. It is the exporter’s responsibility to check with the relevant government authority of the importing country and provide the veterinarian with the importing country requirements before commencing pre-export preparation.

Turramurra Veterinary Hospital will not accept bookings for export services, apart from rabies vaccination and export testing for rabies, Babesia or heartworm, unless you have engaged a pet transport company, and provided us with the current requirements at least 24 hours before your appointment (see below). If this information is not provided the appointment will be cancelled and any deposit forfeited.

Self-managed exports run the risk of a delayed or failed export and increased veterinary certification fees and/or extended quarantine at your destination, along with potentially significant costs. Further information is available from the Australian Department of Agriculture MICOR website, which sets out the known importing country requirements that Australian exporters must comply with to export live animals.

3. Pre-export Examination, Review of Regular Vaccination, Worm and Heartworm Control, Tests and Planning

Performed at Turramurra Vet Hospital

To plan a successful export, we firstly need to assess that your pet is in good general health. A complete physical examination will always be performed, and ideally a screening blood test to evaluate the internal organs. Prior to the appointment for the initial export assessment we require the following at least 24 hours in advance, via email to info@turramurravet.com.au.

1. Full owner name, address, email address and contact phone numbers – complete the Turramurra Vet New Client form from our website, scan and email
2. Pet microchip number(s)
3. Destination country
4. Proposed date of travel
5. Complete patient veterinary history including most recent vaccinations with vaccination batch numbers and expiry dates.
6. The pet transport company that will be providing transport and contact details.

4. Export Certification and Rabies Vaccination (when required)

Performed at Turramurra Vet Hospital

It is important that your pet is in satisfactory health to travel internationally, so a complete physical examination is required. Standard vaccinations and heartworm prevention must be up to date. Export to New Zealand is often complex and requires multiple visits for parasite treatments and blood tests. At Turramurra Vet, we have experience in exporting dogs and cats to many countries including New Zealand. Rabies vaccination is a requirement for entry to many countries including the USA, even from rabies free countries such as Australia. Please contact Turramurra Vet on 9988-0198 for an appointment well in advance if rabies vaccination is required, particularly if multiple animals are being exported. This is to ensure we have adequate supplies of rabies vaccination (which we keep in limited stock).

5. Rabies Testing (if required)

Undertaken at Turramurra Vet Hospital (with testing performed at an external export-accredited laboratory)

Some countries require a blood test after rabies vaccinations to confirm that immunity has been achieved.

Whilst this may vary from country to country, the rabies protection validity test is generally carried out on a sample collected by an authorised veterinarian at least 30 days after the date of vaccination and not less than three months before the date of movement. The test must be performed by an export accredited laboratory.

Rabies antibody blood test results generally take 3-4 weeks to be receive results so take this into account when making your booking.

6. Final Government Vet Health Check

The final health check (or appendix 6 form), must take place close to your flight time and then be reviewed by an Australian Government official.. While the time varies from country to country, it can be as small as 48 hours before you fly. Turramurra Vet can perform this health check and complete the appendix 6 form, which you then present to the Australian Government vet quarantine service (this appointment is made by your transport company). The Sydney address of the Australian Government vet quarantine service (Federal Department of Agriculture) is Building 2, Level 7, 185 O’Riordan Street, Mascot, NSW 2018 (map). Pet owners must submit a Notice of Intention 10 working days prior to departure. More details can be found on the Australian Government Agriculture website. Note that as the Australian Government vet service is only open weekdays, never book a Sunday or Monday morning flight, as if your flight is delayed, your pet’s final health check may be more than 48 hours ago, and thus invalid, and the export process will fail. Check departure times of flights from Sydney Airport here.

7. Travel

Bon Voyage!

Further information is available from Qantas: https://freight.qantas.com/pets.html.

Important information about brachycephalic (short faced) breeds: https://freight.qantas.com/pets/brachycephalic-breeds.html