International Pet Travel Is Broken—And Vets Are Paying the Price

Navigating international pet travel has become increasingly complex and demand is higher than ever. Veterinarians at the forefront of this challenging landscape. With changing regulations from the CDC rolling back on regulations to the UK still without a resolution to the loss of the pet passport post-Brexit, pet travel has transformed from a simple process to a bureaucratic maze.

Vets aren't trained to be international travel experts.

In veterinary school, we study epidemiology regionally, but we can't possibly know every country's specific import requirements.

The current system places an enormous burden on veterinarians. Pet owners often arrive with incomplete information, expecting vets to instantly understand intricate international travel regulations. In the UK I struggle with this daily. Just the other day a client confused the UK import requirements with Portugal's in a simple case of mistaking the country of export requirements to be equal to the import requirements of another.

There seems to be confusion for where the responsibility of pet travel falls. 

For pet owners willing to travel, they should do research before arriving at a vet consultation rather than relying on the Veterinarian. By doing so, they are better informed to provide support for vets to handle pet travel requirements effectively at the time of signing pet’s travel documents. Otherwise, they risk walking out of the veterinarian’s office without any signed paperwork or worse - facing consequences at borders.

It’s worth noting that challenges of pet travel are faced equally by pet parents and veterinarians.

Key challenges include:

• Lack of a centralized information source

• Complex and changing international regulations

• Significant responsibility placed on veterinarians

• Potential legal and professional risks

Many vets would rather avoid pet travel paperwork altogether. The stress of potentially making a mistake is overwhelming.

As international travel continues to evolve, collaboration between governments and veterinarians, technology platforms will be crucial in creating a smoother, more transparent pet travel experience.

Innovative solutions like PadsPass aim to simplify this process, providing clear, country-specific guidance and reducing the administrative burden on veterinary practices. Taking what would require hours of research and streamlining it into seconds.

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