There are many appointments that strike terror in the hearts of veterinary teams . . . not the least of which is the client seeking an international health certificate (IHC).

Between the time and research needed to determine if the pet is eligible to enter the destination country, a frequent lack of preparation on the part of the traveling pet owner, and the risks to all parties (financial, legal, and otherwise), it’s no wonder many veterinarians decline to offer this service—or at least dread the appointments when they present themselves.

Thankfully, in vet med’s era of technological innovation and creativity, new solutions aim to remove much of the headache typically involved. Brigitte Gravitt, DVM, CVMMP, an equine veterinarian and owner of Pet Export Support, says she’s “on a mission to keep pet travel accessible” by taking some of the burden of researching and completing the IHC off the veterinary team.

The trouble with IHCs

Gravitt recently conducted a survey of veterinarians to gauge how veterinarians felt about IHCs and where their biggest pain points were. In this survey, 31% of the respondents indicated that their anxiety level caused by completing IHCs was 10 on a scale from 1 to 10.

The time involved in researching each country’s requirements and ensuring that each pet meets all requirements can be the biggest obstacle, especially for veterinarians who only end up completing an IHC a few times per year.

Veterinarians also put their license on the line each time they certify that an animal has met all necessary requirements to travel. They often feel that what they charge for their IHC services is not commensurate with the time, stress, and liability involved.

Because clients don’t understand the importance of meeting all requirements and the amount of work it takes, they sometimes make last-minute requests for an IHC or get impatient with the veterinary team for insisting their pet meet all the requirements.

Pet owners may not be aware of breed restrictions enforced by various countries and airlines, and they may not realize that traveling to some countries can require six months or more of planning to meet that country’s strict animal import requirements.

Often it falls on the veterinary team to relay all of this information to the pet owner, who may inappropriately direct their anger and disappointment toward the team.

How Pet Export Support works

When a pet owner wants to travel abroad with their pet, they can contact Pet Export Support directly at petexportsupport.com, where the client provides information including their pet’s vaccination status and their destination country.

Pet Export Support then provides a report to the client indicating which requirements have not been met and what is needed for their pet to be able to travel. Clients get their questions answered by Gravitt’s team so that they don’t spend a lot of time going back and forth with their veterinary office.

Gravitt sends her report to the veterinarian as well, along with the IHC documents that have been prefilled with as much information as possible. The client pays Pet Export Support for their services directly.

Then, when the client presents to their USDA-accredited veterinarian, they know exactly what needs to be done. The veterinarian performs an exam, completes any treatments that are still needed for the pet to be eligible to travel, and signs the IHC documents once all requirements have been met.

Gravitt also makes herself available to veterinarians who have questions as they complete the IHC.

The future of Pet Export Support

The next iteration of Gravitt’s business will allow veterinarians to subscribe to her services, which may result in lower IHC costs for clients over time.

Subscribers will have access to a community forum where they can ask questions and get support. She also plans to offer a free membership tier where any veterinary professionals who are interested can get helpful information. Gravitt hopes to eventually expand her services to include health certificates for all animals (not just pets).

Gravitt encourages those who have been reluctant to complete IHCs to not be afraid of them and to utilize the help of those who, like herself, do them all the time.

She wants to help vet teams and pet owners complete IHCs in minimal time and with minimal stress.

“Just try it one time,” she encourages.

As services like hers become more commonplace, hopefully more veterinarians will feel comfortable completing IHCs and pet owners will have a better understanding of what it takes to bring their pet abroad safely.  

Further reading

Pet Export Support
https://www.petexportsupport.com/

APHIS Website for Pet Travel
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/pet-travel/us-to-another-country-export

US Department of State Website for Pets and International Travel
https://www.state.gov/pets-and-international-travel/

International Pet and Animal Transportation Association
https://www.ipata.org/

Emily Singler, VMD, is AAHA’s veterinary content specialist.

Cover photo credit: © Flashvector E+ via Getty Images Plus

Disclaimer: The views expressed, and topics discussed, in any NEWStat column or article are intended to inform, educate, or entertain, and do not represent an official position by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) or its Board of Directors.