Moving Pets to Mexico

Bringing pets home from Playa del Carmen Mexico or Moving with your pets to Playa del Carmen. 

Good news-There is NO quarantine between  Canada and the USA and Mexico for pets and many countries in Europe. Rest assured you can bring your domestic animals to Mexico and live in Riviera Maya.  This article will give you a good understanding of traveling to or from Mexico with pets.

That means YES you can easily adopt a pet  Playa del Carmen. Bring a pet home from Riviera Maya.

See www.peanutpetshelter.com. There are many street dogs Playa del Carmen that are beautiful and loving and need homes with you- forever homes with food and love and care. You can travel back to your home with them freely and hassle free. Well maybe  a few extra little details but the amount of love they give in return is worth it !

Did you know that introducing your dog into a new home and especially into a new country, with new smells different sounds and different temperatures can be incredibly stressful for them?

Fortunately, there are a lot of things that we can do to make this transition easier on them, which in the end makes it easier on us!

There are a lot of things that you can do to make the move less stressful on your pet.

First, when moving from or to Playa del Carmen or Riviera Maya with pets,  plan everything well, from before you leave your home country, including  the travel to the airport,  airport check in, arrival on the first day. What will all that look like smell like, sound like, and feel like to you pet?

Just like preparing  your own passport before you travel to Mexico, your dog can have its own passport and you can safely bring  your dog with you to Mexico.  It is not recommended to bring your pet for short trip but for extended stays it is an easy and worthy process to travel to and from Mexico with pets. 

Who will bring you and your pet to the airport? How much time in advance do you need to check in? Lots ! there are always last minute things that you didnt think or that are airline or country specific so get there early to be sure. 

Pets will need to be up to date on their rabies shots and distemper and all other communicable diseases. They must show proof of current shots with in 6 month prior to travel. 

Then, close to travel date, between 3 and 10 days prior to travel (closer is better) your cat or dog will also need an international travel health certificate, available from almost every certified veteranarian. If you need a veterinarian in Playa del Carmen, Dr Diego at Playa Pet speaks English and Spanish perfectly and has performed many cross boarder prepartions.    contact:  playa_pet@yahoo.com. 

A dog or cat or other domestic animal can travel between Mexico Canada United States and many countries in Europe by car,  by air travel, or of course on foot, although this is less common.

If you are flying with a pet, Domestic animals under 20 lbs can travel in the passenger cabin of planes, as carry on luggage.  They must be in a  travel case  with adequate ventilation, large enough so they can freely turn around and stand up,   that fits under the seat in front on an airplane. Check with your airline for exact requirements. 

Be sure you have some collar and leash to constrain them when you go through security so they don't escape accidentally when they come out of their travel case for inspection !!! Nothing could be worse than having your pet jump from your arms and escape, only to make you miss your flight to Mexico with your animal because you have to chase "Fluffy" or "Fido" around the airport to catch it. 

Just before you check in at the airport, find some time to let your pet "go".  Remember they will be locked up for a long time-longer than you and your flight time before they can "go " again. 

The travel carriers must have some blanket or other item that can soak up those mistakes that animals might make along the way. A small amount of kitty litter is good for cats traveling to or from Mexico. 

If your pets are larger than 20 lbs or larger,  or can not fit in carry on luggage that can fit under the seat in front, then they fly as regular checked baggage, with an extra charge.  

Yes the airline has temperature controlled areas for pets when they fly as baggage. Make sure you advance book your pet  as airlines limit the number of pets to and from Mexico for each flight. Don't let it be a surprise at the airport  to find out there is no room on todays flight for Fluffy. Book in advance.

Dogs and cats and other domestic animals must be in special airline approved travel cages for travel  when checked as baggage when pets travel to Mexico. They and be easily able to stand up and turn around.  Make sure they have water in a some kind of dispenser attached to the door of the cage and some food attached to the cage in case of delay. For example use a tupperware container attached to the cage door and put an ice cube in before they travel. 

Most important , have their name, age and your contact info fully and completely visible in a few places on the cage. Include local contact info from your original city and your destination. Have 2 different emails and both phone numbers of where you left from and where you are arriving to.

Not all airlines take pets to Mexico or pets from Mexico so make sure you ask the airline first before you buy on line !!

There are also travel black out dates and this depends on the  ground temperature at the airport you leave from and the ground temperature at the airport you will arrive at. Make sure you check with the airline directly before you buy and also check with them the day you leave. 

Some animal friendly airlines are American Airlines, Continental, Delta, Air Transat, Air Canada, West Jet, Aero Mexico, to name only  a few.

Also if travelling from Mexico with pets, contact www.peanutpetshelter.com, Playa del Carmen adopt a pet privately funded no kill pet shelter.

No matter the size of donation they are happy to receive  and it will go toward spaying and neutering street dogs of Playa del Carmen, providing medicines, and helping to find new homes for homeless animals Playa del Carmen.  Andy and his crew will gladly give you accurate information about traveling with pets from and to Mexico. 

When you arrive in your new destination ( at the airport)  make sure to find a spot as soon as you can to let the pet "relieve" themselves. Again, make sure you have leash and collar attached to them. Sometimes new locations and sounds are frightening making your normally calm and tranquil pet nervous and erratic. Imagine being at your new location only a few minutes to your new home and Fido or Fluffy runs off never to be seen again because they run fast and dont know how to get back to you and are afraid.   Although they need to be let out, control them with care. 

If you are staying at a temporary accommodation make sure in advance they are pet friendly. 

Then finally you are home.

Water, love, attention,  food and escape proof surroundings, regular short walks around your new neighborhood are important when bringing dogs to Mexico or traveling with pets from Mexico, in order to make your pet feel secure and happy once again in their new home.

For more great tips on a successful move with your pet, please visit The Humane Society of the United States.

House training is always a big issue, and even well-trained dogs may not know where to ‘go’ in a new home. When you bring them to your new house, make sure that they are taken into a pet pee friendly area, where they can ‘do their business’. It may sound silly, but it is always a good idea to reward them with praise, so that they know they did something good! It may seem odd to your new neighbors that you are congratulating your dog for successfully going to the bathroom , but your dog will think that is the place to "go" and will not mistake other places where you dont want them to "go".

You will want to keep en eye on them to make sure that they are able to find the back door (or front door depending on the home) whenever necessary. Here is a good rule of thumb to remember: let them out after playing for a period of time (15-30 minutes depending on age), after they wake up, and after they eat!

For puppies, the rules need to be modified slightly. You still want to show them where the door is, and give them lots of praise when they go where they should (this should be a very exciting event for them, and remember that the gold medal they are winning can come in the form of a treat!). Be sure to let them outside as often as possible, especially immediately after they eat, wake up, and every 10-15 minutes during playtime! There will be accidents, no puppy is perfect (adorable yes, perfect no!), so be patient and keep it positive!

Another point to keep in mind is that a puppy can ‘hold it’ for approximately 1 hour for every month they are old. For example, a puppy that is only 2 months old, can generally ‘hold it’ for approximately 2 hours at a time! This may not apply to every puppy, as they are just as different from each other as we are from other people, but it does give you an idea of what to expect.

For other great tips on housetraining your pet, please visit The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals or The Humane Society of the United States.

Some other great links for advice on moving with your pet include:

Pets Welcome – a great website for finding pet friendly hotels, for those long distance moves
Air Animal (pet movers) – for the really, really long distance moves
A tlas World Group -- great advice for moving tips 

 

Your team of Real Estate professionals in Riviera Maya
Your team of Real Estate professionals in Riviera Maya
Your team of Real Estate professionals in Riviera Maya
Your team of Real Estate professionals in Riviera Maya
Your team of Real Estate professionals in Riviera Maya
Your team of Real Estate professionals in Riviera Maya
Your team of Real Estate professionals in Riviera Maya
Your team of Real Estate professionals in Riviera Maya
Your team of Real Estate professionals in Riviera Maya