Moving from Los Angeles to UK with 3 dogs

Hello
I am really nervous about getting my 3 dogs sorted out to move to the UK which will be within the next 2 months. Does anyone know of a vet that is USDA approved in the Los Angeles area or heck anything in general that will help make this go smoothly? Thank you so much!
Nikki

Have you looked into a pet moving company?  Also, do they have their rabies shots and are they microchipped?  That's a big part of the required documentation.  I'm moving; hopefully at the end of October, and I'm working with a company now; I can give you the link to their website if you like.

Hello
I am really nervous about getting my 3 dogs sorted out to move to the UK which will be within the next 2 months. Does anyone know of a vet that is USDA approved in the Los Angeles area or heck anything in general that will help make this go smoothly? Thank you so much!
Nikki

Have a look at our Moving with Pets board. It should answer all your questions! It's not really very difficult to do yourself provided you know all the requirements. Most people don't use a company. 

Thank you so much for your replies, I am having a hard time knowing how to find a USDA approved Vet in Los Angeles, will they have the forms or will I have to get them from somewhere?

Have you checked with your usual vet? I just asked my vet and they said they had done the paperwork for others.

This website will give you contact information for the USDA-APHIS offices in California.
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_welfare/pet_travel/pet_travel.shtml

I found the office in Maryland very helpful when I was going through the process. I almost wish I had contacted them first.

Thank you very much unfortunately the USDA in my state is about 8 hours away, I will ask my vet and see but still really nervous, just hoped someone was from LA and knew of one. I thought maybe there was a site with a list of
 USDA vets that were in my area Thank you so much everyone is so helpful.

You don't actually have to travel to your USDA area vet-in-charge office, nor would they provide the services necessary (vaccination, microchipping, de-worming treatment) required. But you can contact them for information. Ask your regular vet if someone in the office is USDA-certified. If the answer's no, ask for a referral to one who is.

Incidentally, this is the same advice the USDA offers: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/vet_accreditation/locate_av.shtml So it's perfectly acceptable to ring them for a referral.

Yes, I wasn't suggesting you physically go there. You can call them with any questions if you're uncertain of the process and finding a vet.

Thank you very much, took the dogs to the vet today but the scary thing is she was quoting rules that were from before 2012  I had to educate her. The dogs got chipped and rabies shots but she said after she gives me the third country vet paper that she will sign and hopefully fill out correctly I have to go to Los Angeles to have it signed by the USDA vet in charge Huh? and started talking about the titer test. So from what I understand now I have to get the vet paper signed no longer than 10 days before we leave and the tapeworm no longer than 5 days before we leave so actually I need to set an apt so it falls 3 days before we leave to make everything mesh? Wow lucky I love my furry kids so much.

I moved with my dog in 2011, so it was a while ago, but I used the following vet in Los Angeles:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/vca-marina-animal-hospital-venice
VCA Marina
2506 Lincoln Blvd
Venice, CA 90291
(424) 625-2491

The only thing I can say is double check the date fields, because some of the forms have to have the date in the American way mm/dd/yyyy and some in the British way dd/mm/yyyy and the vet did get confused so some of the time he wrote the month out when possible.  Have the vet record the TIME plus the DATE of every shot/microchipping/blood work/check-up and in what order.

Then scan all documents and you can send them to the USDA via email for them to check and to DEFRA. I had all my documents checked and double checked before I flew with my dog to make sure they were correct. The USDA was very good and helped me a lot when there was a mistake, so I could have the vet redo the form. I got my pet four hours after I landed and I did it all myself, so it is possible, you just have to be very accurate with everything.

Little things that matter....

- Documents need to be in blue ink.  I have no idea why.
- Make sure you accurately measure your dogs and their kennels.  They are very strict on this.
- Make sure the microchip can be read in the UK.  Some of them are not not readable and you will need to send a scanner with them.
- Where are you flying to?  If you have a layover in Heathrow, London the processing time can take up to 5 hours and the layover needs to be long enough before their connection.  Double check that the cargo office at your destination will be open at your arrival.

Some things I wish I had known last May before my cat was refused travel.  

I know this is a slightly older thread, but for the sake of those searching this topic in the future....

When I was getting ready to come across with my cats 6 years ago (!), I also contacted the animal arrivals centre at my arrival airport (Manchester), and would recommend anyone do the same.

The woman I spoke with was very helpful and saved me a lot of time and worry - she was able to confirm that they had a reader for my kitties' specific microchips, and I sent her scanned copies of all their arrival paperwork, which she confirmed were all in order and would pose no problems for release on arrival.

It also meant they "knew" my cats before they arrived so it was particularly easy when I arrived at what's already a very stressful time.

Thanks Manchester!