Moving Diabetic Ferrets to Cairo, Egypt?
Diabetic Ferrets to Egypt?!
Sure, we can do it! We were contacted by a client who wanted to get her two diabetic, yes diabetic, ferrets to Cairo Egypt from Baton Rouge LA. As with most diabetics, these ferrets needed medication administered every 8 hours.
As you can imagine, getting live animals from Louisiana to Egypt is one thing - but a diabetic animal that needed medication every 8 hours is another! Getting these animals to Egypt was the easy part, however breaking up the flight times into such intervals and making sure we had the right trained technicians in place was the fun part! Yes FUN, we love these types of moves as it gives us a true challenge in doing the profession we love to do - pet transportation!
The good news is, the medication could travel with the animals - but only the allotted amount for travel, plus additional doses for any unexpected delays.
Our next step was making sure we had the right import requirements for moving these ferrets to Cairo, Egypt. We concluded that the following was required in order to best clear these animals through customs in Egypt:
* An import permit from Cairo was needed listing the types of animals and approximate date of arrival.
* APHIS Form 7001 within 10 days of departure endorsed by the USDA and also endorsed by the Egyptian Consulate
* Proof of vaccines (rabies, DHLLP, FVRCP, etc) ŖFerrets were exempt from this requirement as they do not carry the above diseases, however it is best to label the health certificate as such!
After getting the required documents in place, we then set out to get the proper flight routing in place that will not only be up to the level of care we require, but also had the required timing needed to administer the required medication for the ferrets.
After we booked the right flights, its was show time!! We picked up the ferrets from the customer's home the morning of their flight. After we did our International Check in with the airlines, the ferrets were ready for take off! The Ferrets first flew with Continental Airlines from Baton Rouge to Newark, New Jersey (EWR). In New Jersey, we had our agent pickup the animals and board them for two nights - this way we could monitor their conditions and plan for the next leg of the trip with as little stress as possible!
During their stay in New York, we were able to administer the medication they needed. In addition, we then had to work on obtaining the Egyptian Consulates endorsement on all the health documents mentioned above. These two days were crucial is making sure the rest of the trip would go as smooth as the first leg!
After a few days rest and a must have with regards to the Egyptian Consulate's endorsement, the ferrets were then ready for their trip to Cairo! We arranged to have the Ferrets flown from JFK airport to CAI, Cairo Airport with Lufthansa Airlines. With the medication and their well being in mind, we worked with Lufthansa on arranging a rest stop in Frankfurt, Germany. Here, the ferrets were given the attention they needed prior to their arrival in Egypt.
They finally arrived right around midnight and after a few hours of customs clearance and local bribery, we cleared the ferrets and delivered them to their owners waiting arms!
It was a great experience and allowed us to keep our motto strong: Any Pet, Anywhere, Any Time!
Happy Pet Travels!