We had her Blood drawn after the Rabies vaccination on November 19th. My understanding is that she can fly any day after May 19th.
Provided you have the form from KS stating the bloodwork passed, yes.
We have her microchipped
Was the microchip done prior to the rabies vaccine?
rabies vaccinated and tested (both original documents present)
We have her EC 998 form to be filled out by the vet ( no sooner than 4 months prior to the
the State USDA says we can not get their endorsement until 180 days after the blood was drawn ( has anyone else heard of this??) so we plan on doing this whenever the 180days are up (hopefully right around May 19th.)
This is incorrect, unless your USDA vet has some special rules. The USDA vet should be able to sign off on the form as soon as your vet has filled out the information certifying the microchip/vaccine/bloodwork results (sections I-V on the form). Once the USDA vet signs off, that starts a 4-month window for when you can travel with your pets. (So if you were planning to fly her May 20, you could have the USDA vet sign off anytime after January 20.)
48 hours prior we will have her flea and tick treated
You may want to aim for closer to 24 hours, to give yourself some leeway (in case the flight gets delayed, etc). Otherwise once your pet lands in the UK, they'll need to be re-treated and remain in quarantine for 24 hours before going home with you. The 24-48 hour window is prior to
check-in for the flight.
We plan on getting the international health certificate filled out by our vet during the flea and tick treatment.
That should be fine for the airlines, but check with them as to whether they have any other requirements (temperature acclimation, etc.).
Are there any other forms that need to be present, like a customs form???
The only other thing I can think of is the agent. I flew my pets with British Airways, and had to fax a form (with basic info - flight #, pet names/breeds, etc) to a company in the UK. They handled the transfer from the plane to the Animal Reception Centre. The airline ought to be able to tell you if you need any extra forms.
We are planning on using British Airways out of Chicago. Does anyone know if they have any other requirements, and if my friend can drop her off, I am worried they only accept pet agents?
If I remember correctly, my pets needed the PETS paperwork (obviously), the health certificate, and the agent form (for the UK). No customs forms. My parents dropped my boys off at Dulles Airport in DC, they flew British Airways to Heathrow, and I picked them up. There were no problems with that (other than my dog's leash not showing up with him, but ARC was nice and gave me one). I'm pretty sure my mom filled out some form at check-in that had my contact info as well as hers (in case the flight got canceled in DC, or there were issues at Heathrow).
The USDA state vet has also told me I need to fill out the Official Journal of the European Union, but I have seen no mention of it anywhere else.
I have never heard of that, so would check again with the USDA.
Lastly, I got a quote of 1900 from BA for the flight. My dog is 55lbs and using a XL crate. Does this number seem high? And are there any fees they will take on later that aren't included in the 'flight' cost?
I flew a 60lb dog (Giant crate, so XXL? It measured 48x32x35in) and a 13lb cat in April 2010 and it was about $2,275. $1,900 for a 55lb dog sounds about right. When I flew, it was all-inclusive...paid the amount they said at check-in, and there were no other fees to pay after that (for the agent, picking up the boys, etc).
Good luck!
