Pet Travel Expert

We got a question in the comments section of this post about horse pet transportation and thought it deserved some more information.

Faith wrote:

I am shipping a horse from Florida to Cananda and other than coggins and a health certificate I am not sure what else may be required. He is vaccinated but I am not sure if Canada requires any extra vaccines that Florida does not require. I have shipped many times out of state but never out of the country.

Below are the requirements for importing horses into Canada from the US. 

IMPORT OF HORSES INTO CANADA FROM US (pdf)

For Live Horses: (including Canadian horses returning to Canada)

No import permit required (except for certain categories of horses from the State of Florida because of Equine Piroplasmosis - see below).

The following additional certification will be required on all U.S. export certificates issued after January 19, 2009, and for Canadian horses exported to the U.S. and returning on a Canadian health certificate issued after January 19, 2009: 

• The horse(s) have not been on a premises where T.equigenitalis has been isolated during the 60 days immediately preceding exportation to Canada or a premises currently under quarantine or investigation for CEM. Any female(s) in the shipment have not been bred naturally to, or inseminated with, semen from a stallion positive for CEM, or a stallion resident upon a positive premises or under quarantine or investigation for CEM.

AND 

• Showed no clinical signs of CEM on the day of inspection. 

AND

• During the previous twenty-one (21) days, the animal(s) in this shipment has/have not been in the state of Florida.

Note: For Canadian horses returning to Canada on a Canadian health certificate issued after January 19, 2009, a supplemental certification document with the above mentioned requirements will be provided by the CFIA endorsing office when advised of intended return. The supplemental certification will need to be attached to the Canadian health certificate and endorsed by USDA before return of the horse(s) to Canada. 

Import Permit Application:

The Application for Permit to Import is completed by the importer (you or your PetRelocation.com Specialist). In order to apply for an import permit, importers in Canada will have to contact one of the following CFIA area offices:

For the Atlantics 
Dr. Allan McLean
Animal Health Staff Veterinarian
Atlantic Area
Telephone: (506) 851-7871
Fax: (506) 851-3700
mcleanaw@inspection.gc.ca 

For Québec
Dr. Alain Lajoie
Program Specialist- Importation
Program Network-Quebec
Telephone: (514) 283-3815 (4210)
Fax: (514) 283-6214
lajoiea@inspection.gc.ca 

For Ontario
Dr. Susan Wray
Program Specialist-Import
Program Network-Ontario
Telephone: (519) 826-2810
Fax: (519) 837-9771
wrays@inspection.gc.ca  

For the West
Dr Gary Kruger
Veterinary Program Specialist
Program Network-West
Telephone: (403) 292-5825
Fax: (403) 292-6629
krugerg@inspection.gc.ca  

The completed application must be faxed or mailed with payment to the Import Office in the province you reside in or into which you will be importing the commodity(ies). You will be contacted by the Import Office within three (3) days of receipt of the application form with information on how to proceed.

Import of Horses from Florida into Canada:

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has imposed import restrictions on horses from Florida entering Canada due to a 2008 outbreak of equine piroplasmosis in the state of Florida.

Effective immediately the following conditions for horses from Florida for all end-uses, other than Canadian horses returning to Canada, will require an import permit. A veterinarian must inspect the horse(s) within 15 days preceding the date of importation.

The horse(s) must be certified for equine piroplasmosis as follows

o the horse(s) have not been on a premises where equine piroplasmosis (clinical or serology) has occurred during the 60 days immediately preceding exportation to Canada, nor has this disease occurred on any adjoining premises during the same period of time, and

o they must have tested negative using a cELISA test or, where applicable, an alternate test acceptable to CFIA for equine piroplasmosis, during the fifteen (15) days prior to the date of importation into Canada. 


All the above-mentioned conditions, except for the import permit, will be certified by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).