Cost of Rabies Titer?

It includes the Health Certificate but likely not the endorsement (I will get a breakdown of the costs in the mail).

It seems HomeAgain is the defacto standard in Tucson...

UPDATE: Received another quote from a vet recommended by a friend: $535 for all three for everything except FedEx and USDA endorsement. Hmmm... the huge difference has me worried. Is this more in line with what other people have paid?

Andy

from reading all these posts i think its going to depend upon what your vet charges......there are over priced vets, reasonable vets, and then the good hearted vets.......im going to the vet monday with my two doggies to get their microchips put in......ill let you know how much i am quoted for my process.

i find all of this a bit overwhelming.......anyone else feel the same

steff

ajayre, the $1,500 sounds nuts.

I've posted before with exact figures, but if memory serves, I spent ~$120 to do the initial visit (rabies shot for the cat/dog, microchip for the cat), $200 for the second visit to do bloodwork/mail stuff off to KS, and I just spent $117 and some change to have the USDA sign off on the paperwork. I'm assuming another $50-75 for an office visit fee to get tick/tapeworm done.

So that'd be about $500 for everything for a dog/cat (cat may not get the last stage, he's been MIA for a couple of weeks , but I got his forms USDA-signed anyway, just in case).

Edited to add: Unless the vet had some special deal with the USDA, I'm not sure how their quotes could include the USDA endorsement anyway. I had to bring my forms to the USDA vet in person and pay while I was there. (I think I could've mailed them in as well, so perhaps the vet's quote was including mailing it off and paying.)

Sorry to hear about your kitty - I hope he comes back!

Andy

I agree with Equestrianerd - approx $500 sounds about what I paid.  I would be interested to see the break down of the $1300 quote. I cant imagine what they are charging for!

Steff - it is a bit overwhelming, but really pretty straightforward after you've got the steps down. I would suggest reading through these posts and making a checklist and timeline for yourself AND your vet.  I would do this before you go to your first visit and go through it with you vet - if THEY seem confused or overwhelmed, find a new vet!  Let us know if you have specific questions.

I agree with Equestrianerd - approx $500 sounds about what I paid.  I would be interested to see the break down of the $1300 quote. I cant imagine what they are charging for!

I received the breakdown. Bear in mind this the same vet we have used for the last 15 years... seems that doesn't count for anything. Below are a few highlights, not everything on the list.

Microchipping - $70/pet
Rabies FAVN test - $138/pet
Specimen processing - $12/pet
FedEx - $60/pet
Wellness exams - $72/pet
Praziquantel for a 65lb dog - $78

So the total is $180 for FedEx even though I am sure they would send the samples in one package. They have a 150% markup on the Rabies test. Even though we would bring in all three pets (two dogs, one cat) at the same time, it would be a total of $216 just for a quick checkup.

I have no idea if the Praziquantel is reasonable or not.

Andy

Wow, all of those prices are at least double what I paid. (My vet didn't charge me for FedEx, but then, my samples didn't get there for 3 days, either...still passed by a mile, so it wasn't a huge deal).

It may also be based on area, as well. I'm shopping around for vets to do teeth cleaning (my dog really needs it), and am now looking into just driving back south to get it done, as even the "low cost" vets here in the DC area charge more than the vets (low cost or otherwise) in NC do + plus the cost of gas to get there. In calling around, though, it looks like a general physical/wellness exam is still in the ~$50 range here, so $72/pet seems high as well.

While you're shopping around, also be sure to check with your USDA authority on whether the vet(s) you're looking at are accredited/approved. I didn't know that was a requirement, but luckily my vet was good to go.

.................Steff - it is a bit overwhelming, but really pretty straightforward after you've got the steps down. I would suggest reading through these posts and making a checklist and timeline for yourself AND your vet.  I would do this before you go to your first visit and go through it with you vet - if THEY confused or overwhelmed, find a new vet!  Let us know if you have specific questions.........................

mirrajay thanks for the advice.....cunard was fantastic about sending me a breakdown of everything and are available for my questions...ive read over everything so many times and highlighted everything......my vet is a USDA certified....i called and verified so im sure she knows what she is to do but if i have any doubts im gonna find someone else immediately.....i think its just all so overwhelming because if my dogs are not approved i wont be going anywhere......at this moment i have gotten myself more in a turmoil about driving up to brooklyn to catch the QM2......people are constantly telling me how difficult it is....has me worried......thanks again and i may take you up on asking specific questions.......steff

my vet is a USDA certified....i called and verified so im sure she knows what she is to do but if i have any doubts im gonna find someone else immediately

Just to clarify, being USDA certified doesn't necessarily mean the vet is familiar with the procedures. My vet has a few other clients exporting pets and still managed to screw up my forms (thankfully in a very minor, fixable way, but still...). You need to be the one to clarify with the vet exactly what happens when (unless your vet is super awesome/knowledgeable about the PETS scheme, which most aren't), don't rely on the vet to know the ins and outs.

Not to scare you or anything...everyone I've talked to (including my vet) have been very helpful and nice, so it's been pretty easy, but there are a lot of Is and Ts to dot/cross, and you're the one most likely to know/intimately care whether that happens or not.

yes when i made the appt for microchips she asked that i bring in copies of everything....so i think she is not too famaliar with things.....i was feeling pretty good about what all i had read but now i read mirrajays reply on another post and im all upset for ive never read that form has to be in blue ink and european times......also mailing off forms to usda office.......god i dont know if i can do this......i just think i have it down pat then something else comes along.......if my dogs dont go i dont go....plain and simple.....can i scream now....please......lol.......thanks for your advice

but now i read mirrajays reply on another post and im all upset for ive never read that form has to be in blue ink and european times......also mailing off forms to usda office.......god i dont know if i can do this......i just think i have it down pat then something else comes along.......

Looking at my EC998 form, there's only one section where it specifically requires a european date format (dd/mm/yyyy)...section V, where it asks when the blood was drawn for the rabies test (which is what starts off the 6-month countdown). All other date spots are blank, and just to be safe, I spelled out the dates (May 27, Oct 28, etc).

My vet filled out the date in his portion 12-28-09, but I don't think that will be a big deal, as they go off the date for the USDA vet anyway. (Which, for reference since I think you'll be using him as well since he services all of NC, is an actual stamped date and says "Jan 04 2010", so no question of what date format is required.)

From my interactions with DEFRA, I think there's a lot of red tape involved, but everyone has seemed really nice so I think they understand that it's a complicated process and allow some leeway with things as well. (Note that I haven't actually shipped my pet(s) yet so I could be making this up about them being awesome people , but I think the only date that's really crucial is the one for section V, since if you do 01/03/2010 and 03/01/2010 those are two completely different dates and would affect when the pet was eligible to enter the country.)

let me ask you this.....when i printed the forms yesterday it printed on two pages but i read that it needs to be a single form......am i reading that correctly......so it will be a longer page? you know everyone keeps telling me its far more easier to do than it seems but im beginning to think otherwise.......i wish DEFRA would allow us to fax copies over before hand to make sure all was in order.

let me ask you this.....when i printed the forms yesterday it printed on two pages but i read that it needs to be a single form......am i reading that correctly......so it will be a longer page?

No. You'll want to print it off double-sided (so page 1 is on the front of the paper, page 2 is on the back, and you have 1 physical sheet of paper but 2 pages' worth of text).

What I did:
- got a Microsoft Word version of the 2-page form
- filled it all in (via computer) with blue font (and all caps b/c the instructions say block type)
- took it to Kinko's (only had a B&W printer available) to get it copied in color
- handed it off to my vet to sign
- took it to the USDA vet to sign

i wish DEFRA would allow us to fax copies over before hand to make sure all was in order.

They might:

I had faxed off my EC998 form, Microchip Certificate, Vaccination Certificate and her Rabies Titer to the Animal Reception Center at Heathrow the day before I flew out.  Not sure if this made a difference either way, but DEFRA did seem to clear her rather quickly on arrival.

It sounds like DEFRA didn't pre-authorize her paperwork, but you could call them and see if they would.

yes im gonna call them and ask......i will offer to pay a fee......its worth it to me to do such.

ill just take the forms to kinkos to complete for im not very computer savy.....as you can tell i dont even how to put what you write in the blue box like everyone else does....lol

where are you moving to in the uk.....im going to birmingham.....i leave out nov 1st......i hope the spousal visa is easier to do than this pet scheme

ill just take the forms to kinkos to complete for im not very computer savy.....as you can tell i dont even how to put what you write in the blue box like everyone else does....lol

If you look at the top right of my (or anyone's) posts, there's a link that says "Quote". Click on that and it should put text into the bottom box where you type your reply. Scroll to the bottom and type your reply as usual, and my post will be quoted in the blue box. (You can also delete parts out if you don't want to quote the entire thing, just make sure everything inside the first and second set of brackets [] stays as-is.)

where are you moving to in the uk.....im going to birmingham.....i leave out nov 1st......i hope the spousal visa is easier to do than this pet scheme

I'm heading to London. I have family there and that's where the jobs are (I hope).

I haven't done any visas, but my citizenship was certainly easier (if not cheaper) than the pet stuff.