Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - New CDC rules taking effect August 1 will require dog owners to fill out more paperwork outside of the standard proof of rabies vaccination if they want to travel with their canines back and forth out of the country.
"There's a lot of paperwork and a lot of certifications that have to happen between now and August 1, for you to be able to get everything done correctly," say Dr. Jeanne Fournier, a veterinarian at Donner Creek Veterinary Clinic in Lockport.
The new rules will now require all dogs entering the U.S. to be at least 6 months, old enough to be vaccinated against rabies and for the shots to take effect; have a proper implanted International Organization for Standardization (ISO)-compatible microchip placed under their skin with a code that can be used to verify rabies vaccination with complete vaccination form filled out by a USDA-accredited vet; and have completed a new CDC import form.
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Fournier says these sudden requirements caught many veterinarians and frequent travelers with dogs off-guard.
"Here we are two months later, we're still scrambling to get everything figured out. You have to find a USDA vet who can check the microchip, appropriately vaccinate and then we have to fill out a certification form that then has to go to the USDA to be approved and that's one piece of paperwork that you need to to come back into the United States. The problem is a vast majority of dogs don't have the correct microchips on them, or they were vaccinated before they had a microchip put in, or they were vaccinated by a non-USDA vet and it has to be done by a USDA vet."
Fournier also notes there are few USDA-accredited vets in Niagara and Erie County, so there will be a significant amount of backup in getting dogs chipped and updated properly.
Fournier notes that the biggest problem is not filling out the extra CDC form, which could take you 10 to 15 minutes to fill out for free, but ensuring you have that rabies certification form filled out by the vet, sent to the USDA and having it in your hands in time to be ready to travel to where you need to go with your cat or dog. If a cat or dog's rabies vaccine expires, you're going to have to go through the certification process all over again and if your animal has to be revaccinated, Fournier says there's a period of time the vets have to wait before they can even write a certificate, a 28-day waiting period in fact.
"I sent mine in for my personal dog on June 13, and I have not gotten it back yet. So that's kind of the timeline that we're dealing with here in New York State, because we're so close to the border, a lot of the vets in some other states aren't really having a problem. But in New York State, it seems like there's backup."
Fournier notes you can go to this USDA website to find an accredited vet for certification.
Fournier also notes going to the CDC has an app called DogBot to help navigate the upcoming rules.