Pet Immigration Cost

[JAC.PE]

We have a pet dog that will immigrate with us.  He is a four year old neutered male Maltese which we love dearly    I understand that there are a lot of preparation, administration and costs involved with the importation of pets to NZ. 

  Has anyone recently immigrated with their pet/s?  Can you please let us know what the costs were in your case with the following points?
•   South Africa costs - vet fees, rabies injections and testing, export/import permit and all the other things we do not yet know about.
•   Microchip Transponder - Which type, make, model and frequency is accepted in NZ?
•   Transporting company - Which ones can be relied on and which ones must be avoided?
•   Quarantine facility - Which one did you use?

Please let us know if there are any pitfalls that must be avoided.

Thank you

[Pornolio]

Hi Jac....

We just brought our two cats over, and they both got parole from quarantine last week.
Things you should know... It's expensive, very expensive.

Most important thing is, if your pet(s) don't have a microchip in, you are looking at 6 months FROM the date you have your pet chipped, before they are eligible for leaving SA.  This is non negotiable, and no matter if you have a full facsine  history, it's not valid.  From the day your pet(s) get their microchip, that's when the injections / tests count.

We shopped around a LOT, and the best people we found, was animal travel services in CT.  They were not only the cheapest, but absolutely amazing with the care and support they gave us in getting our pets over.

Now costs...

Chips for both pets were +/- R1000 and that included their first injection (rabies).
1 month later rabies injection again. R500
Rabies blood tests which had to be done 3 months prior to departure. R2500 for two cats.
Animal travel services travel fees and we also purchased 2 cat boxes which we upgraded to the larger size, since we did'nt want our pets to be too cramped. We also purchased 2 calming collars, to ensure the trip was not too stressfully for the cats - R24 000
Kennels for 2 months in SA because the cats had to stay two months before they completed their initial 6 months since they had their chips fitted.  - This price was included in the R24k above.
Upon arrival they had to stay in quarenteen for 10 days - $1800 NZ dollars - we used Pet Haven, they are a bit far outside Auckland (1 hours drive), but they were considerably cheaper than the other places.

That's the most of it  ... Hope it helps :-).

[Dan]

@JAC.PE bringing a dog here, and trying to rent with a dog is going to be very expensive and probably not something that can be done without considerable frustration and stress. Can you not find someone to adopt him?

I suspect that beloved pet will not be too welcome by landlords everywhere.

[JAC.PE]

@Dan - We understand from other post we read that it is difficult to rent with pets, but we can not believe that it is impossible. We will make it work 

[vulpes]

You have more chance as your dog is small, but don't underestimate just how difficult it is to find a rental that allows pets.

[Dan]

@JAC.PE - Where are you moving to?  When are you moving?

[Gypsymom]

@Dan - We understand from other post we read that it is difficult to rent with pets, but we can not believe that it is impossible. We will make it work 

It is hard, but not impossible.  I brought my 2 small dogs over and was lucky to rent a house that let me keep them.  It seems a standard thing to say "No pets allowed" but sometimes talking to the agent or owner can help.  It was expensive, but I don't regret it, but then I had no one to leave them with and did not want to let them go with people I did not know.  Good luck with your decision.   

[JAC.PE]

Hi all, thank you for your input 
Update: our pet is getting his microchip and first set of injections tomorrow.

@Pornolio - Thank you for all the detail, especially about microchip before rabies shots etc   We are still looking into more pet transportation agencies...it does not seem that "expensive" is part of their vocabulary
@Vulpes - That was our thinking as well, small=bigger chance.  We do not underestimate anything, that is why we are seeking advice/tips.  We will probably have to find a pet-friendly agent to find a home for us.
@Dan - We do not have a date or destination yet.  Hoping for Dec 2013/Jan 2014.  We are planning to get all documents together before we apply for visa/PR.  Everything takes time and money...we do not want to apply, get accepted and then have to run around for all outstanding docs.
@Gypsymom - Thank you for the encouragement  We do not understand the resistance to renting pet owners  It is expensive yes, but it will be worth taking him with us.