Health certificate for guide dog

I am a bit confused as exactly what travel documentation would I need for traveling with a guide dog. We booked a cruise with Norweighen to Alaska with one port of call in Canada. NCL told me I would need a USDA health certifcate. When I contacted my Vet, he questioned me whether we really need an USDA health certificate. He said the USDA health certificate is mean for international travel, it would cost a lot more and take longer time to process. He said we probably just need a "regular" health certificate to travel to Alaska. Any one has first hand experience as I would need to travel to Alaska on NCL cruise ship? One more question, is a rabies certificate same as health certificate?

Because you are going to Canada, which is not in the United States, you will need the International Health Cert. It has to be filled out by a Vet who is a USDA certified Vet. It is not the same as the rabies cert.

I am a bit confused as exactly what travel documentation would I need for traveling with a guide dog. We booked a cruise with Norweighen to Alaska with one port of call in Canada. NCL told me I would need a USDA health certifcate. When I contacted my Vet, he questioned me whether we really need an USDA health certificate. He said the USDA health certificate is mean for international travel, it would cost a lot more and take longer time to process. He said we probably just need a "regular" health certificate to travel to Alaska. Any one has first hand experience as I would need to travel to Alaska on NCL cruise ship? One more question, is a rabies certificate same as health certificate?

Did you tell the VET you were visiting Canada ? Perhaps you only told him you were taking an Alaska cruise and the Vet did not understand that your were taking a excursion crossing the international border into Canada. Canada is considered International Travel.

After some more digging, looks like I don't need an USDA health certificate for a guide dog. May be the health certificate just a NCL's requirement

Info on the Canada Consolate service:

If you bring a pet dog or cat at least three months old from the United States, you must have a certificate to show that the animal has been vaccinated against rabies within the last three years. The certificate has to be dated and signed by a veterinarian, and it must identify the animal by breed, age, sex, coloring, and any distinguishing marks. Animal tags are not acceptable in place of certificates.

If you bring a pet dog or cat under three months old from the United States, or a guide dog from any country, you do not need a certificate, but the animal has to be in good health when it arrives

Here is the Canadian consul's link http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/anima/imp/petani/canine.shtml

I did not have an international health cert. to drive into Canada from the US to leave on a cruise from Vancouver.

Have a great cruise.

Hi--I do a lot of international travel with my SD. We have been to countries where they don't even know what they ought to ask ;-). I routinely travel back and forth to Canada. The information posted above is correct for pet dogs. SDs are exempt.

"Assistance dogs are exempt from import requirements, including rabies requirements, when the person assigned to the dog accompanies it to Canada. This includes dogs certified as vision or hearing dogs." http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/anima/imp/petani/canqueste.shtml

That said, I would obtain a health certificate from your veterinarian (not the USDA international health certificate). You won't have to have this but it will be convenient should you need it. It also sounds like the cruise company wants to have something like it. The certificate is only good for 10 days so it won't help you a lot if they want it before--and you don't want to pay twice to see your vet! I would fax or email them a copy of your vaccination certificate and see if that works. It has been really easy for me on Regents and Holland America.

Usually when I go through customs in Canada they smile and look at my paperwork and send me on my way. Recently I was inspected as if I were bring a pet dog. I did not say anything since (a) I had all the paperwork and (b) I wanted to see what it was like!

I have posted other information on health certificates on the Cruising with an SD list but for some reason I cannot get onto the board. For days I have gotten a 404 error. I hope this helps.

P.S. Because of all our travel my SD actually has a passport from the EU :-)

I have been advised to get an international health certificate when we travel out of Vancouver for our Alaskan cruise this summer. After our experience in Mexico, I am taking the advise of the poster on the cruising with guide dog thread and having a letter drawn up, or at least making sure that all the info in that letter, is on the health certificate or any other paperwork we bring with us on the trip. It is worth my peace of mind to have a detailed paperwork with me.

When are you going? We leave June 21 on the Disney cruise to Alaska.

A few years ago when we were at our local USDA office gettting an international health cert. signed and sealed for our upcoming cruise, we asked about what would be needed to cruise from or to Canada. We were told by them that we would need the same international health cert. that we were there to get. That's good enough for me.

You should get the int'l health certificate for getting into Canada and getting back into the U.S. (not to mention getting on the ship - the cruiseline might not let you on if you don't have it), but it doesn't "take time to process", as you won't need to get it endorsed. Your vet just fills it out and it takes just a few minutes. Sounds like your vet is not familiar with filling out the certificates and/or with travelling dogs. If he isn't a USDA-certified vet, he can't give you the health certificate.

Do bring the rabies certificate (no, they are in no way the same thing) with you, too, just in case. (The rabies certificate just says when the dog was vaccinated for rabies and when that expires. The health certificate lists what the dog looks like, dog breed, dog's microchip number, dog's vaccinations/titers, etc. plus has an area for the vet to check off that says the dog is in good health, is good to travel, etc. Then the vet signs it and puts their license info. on it and all. For where you are going, you do not need to get it endorsed by the USDA area vet; once your vet fills it out, you're good to go. Make sure you do it just before you leave as it does have an expiration date.)