A pet on a yacht, now it is no longer possible to surprise anyone with dogs and cats on board a ship, moreover, the practice of taking these animals with you on board was generally accepted long before people began to go on tourist tours on yachts. So here we go over some basic guidelines for pet owners looking to take them on a cruise.
Immediately, we note that the process of preparation and organization will require quite a lot of time and effort, but if for some reason you cannot leave the animal at home, for example, you do not have a person to whom you can entrust supervision, you can take your cat or dog with myself.
Documents
So let’s start with the docs, as this is the most basic requirement to fulfill first. First, you will need to undergo a medical examination, get vaccinated (their list and number will depend on which region you are going to, in any case it will be a vaccination against hepatitis, rabies, leptospirosis, and other diseases that are listed in the veterinary passport.
In addition, they need to be done no later than a month before departure, and no earlier than a year, so you will need to take care of this in advance), then you need to undergo sanitization against parasites. After that, you must obtain an international veterinary passport. It is this document that allows you to cross the border with your pet, and without him you will not be released abroad.
The veterinary passport is issued by the customs control service at the time of crossing the border. And to get it, you must first get a “veterinary certificate No. 1”. This document is issued at the veterinary station in the presence of a veterinary passport, after passing the examination. Up to this point, you should have already made all the necessary vaccinations, and the animal should be clinically healthy. It will also be necessary to implant a special chip, which contains basic information about the animal and its state of health. All this will need to be done at least 3 days before check-out.
International veterinary control
Immediately, we note that in different countries the requirements for veterinary control may differ slightly, but in any case, you must have a veterinary passport in your hands, both for traveling on a yacht, and for flying by plane, and for traveling by train across the border, in a word , the veterinary passport should always be.
So, before starting your trip, you will need to inform the manager of our company that you are going to travel with an animal. As practice shows, they almost never object, but at the same time you should understand that compliance with the rules of veterinary control is yours, not their responsibility.
To save yourself from potential problems associated with the transportation of your pet, we recommend that you first contact the consulate of the country where you are going to go and clarify if they have any special requirements for this procedure. For example, here are some regional rules that apply in different countries.
Sweden. All animals that enter the country must be tested for the content of antibodies to the rabies virus in the blood (in addition to the veterinary passport).
Great Britain. The rules for transporting animals are especially strict here. So, any animal must be quarantined at 6 months in a veterinary dispensary. Also, for the transport of cats and dogs, a special license will be required here, which, according to local legislation, is issued by consulates and embassies.
France. Local rules and regulations suggest that no more than 3 animals with one person can be imported, and all of them must be older than 3 months.
Tunisia. Here, to transport animals, you need to provide a certificate of vaccination against Carré’s disease, in addition to the standard set of documents.
Uruguay. This country prohibits the transport of any birds, so you will have to leave your parrot at home.
India. Here, all animals undergo a veterinary examination, and if they reveal any deviation in health, your cat or dog will be immediately sent to quarantine for a period of 1 week. In this case, certificates and the presence of a veterinary passport no longer matter, although they must be there.
Further, when you get to the yacht across the country, by any transport, be it a plane, train, bus, you are subject to the local rules for transporting animals in transport, you must also familiarize yourself with them so that there are no misunderstandings. As a rule, they do not require anything new from you, and more often than not they simply determine the order of transportation, for example, on trains for transporting cats and dogs, a special cage is needed.
Yacht travel
And now that you have already reached your yacht, you will need to take care of the safety and comfort of the animal on board. Here you will need to do the following:
Getting used to the conditions of the boat. You should understand that for any animal, being on board a ship in unusual conditions, in fact, in a confined space, will be a difficult test, and in order not to shock him, we recommend that you first visit the ship at anchor several times so that your pet gets used to the new conditions. You may need to stay nearby and calm him down for a while as you travel.
Seasickness. Motion sickness is not limited to humans. Animals can experience it no less acutely than we do. And just like humans, the response to swaying on the waves is individual. Dogs are more susceptible to this, but the vestibular apparatus of cats is naturally stronger, however, there are exceptions here.
Of course, this option needs to be foreseen and the veterinarian should be consulted about this issue. As for humans, they have special pills that can minimize or even neutralize this unpleasant phenomenon in an animal. It is better to trust a professional in this matter, and not experiment yourself in order to avoid even worse consequences.
Food and toilet. Naturally, the kitchen that the cook on the yacht will offer you is not suitable for the animal, and it will not use the toilet in your cabin either. These questions will need to be resolved before you sail. A familiar food and tray will help your pet to cope with the stress of a change of scenery easier. With cats, the toilet issue is solved much easier, you just need to take with you the usual “container”, but with a dog it is more and more difficult – it is better to take a small container with earth.
Remember that the toilet must be in an accessible place for the animal so that it can use it at any time. Some people practice training an animal to go to the toilet just overboard. We do not recommend doing this, as it is quite dangerous and can end tragically. If you are planning a one-day tour, it is possible to use diapers specially made for animals.
And most importantly, remember one important point – the more carefully you prepare, the more you provide for all the little things, the easier it will be for you and your pet to survive the journey. We recommend that you take your trip planning seriously and thoroughly.
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