Domestic Pets Transport – Interstate Animal Transportation

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Domestic Pet Transport

Interstate Animal Transportation, Domestic Pet Travel Service can fly your pets to all major South African airports or safely transport them by road if there is no airport at your destination.

You do better when you know better…. Read the below points to Know Better.

Adhering to veterinarian travel requirements.

Domestic airlines request that your dog & cat has an up to date rabies vaccination. This mean rabies vaccination has to be older than 14 days and younger than 1 year. Three year rabies vaccinations are not readily accepted for local pet travel.

If your pets rabies vaccination has expired or your pet has never received a rabies vaccination then a new rabies vaccination has to be given and the pet can only travel 14 days after the new rabies vaccination has been administered. In the case of kennelling we also require Feline or Canine vaccinations to be provided.

Understanding your domestic pet travel quotation.

Airfreight is calculated on how much space your pet’s travel crate occupies in the airline’s cargo hold and unfortunately these prices are never discounted by the airlines. Airline fuel fees, administration fees, crate charges and additional kennelling (if required) have to be taken into consideration.

We will tailor your quote to suit your needs and requirements, but if you find that the quote is above your budget please let us know and perhaps we can advise you on how to reduce costs.

Accepting our quote for your pet’s travel services.

Please let us know that you are accepting our quote so our Admin department can supply you with your invoice. You can either pay the required non-refundable deposit or the full amount. Once your payment reflects in our account, your file will be allocated to your dedicated consultant.

Working with your dedicated consultant.

Your dedicated consultant will contact you to establish a relationship with you and your pets and at the same time collect all the travel information specific to your pet travel relocation needs.
You will be asked to send us copies of your pets’ veterinary documentation so your consultant can establish your travel preparedness and advise accordingly.

You will be asked to complete our Required Information Sheet with your contact details, collection / delivery addresses and your pet’s measurements and weight. It is important that you do this immediately, because if there is anything wrong with your paperwork, your consultant will be able to pick this up and guide you accordingly.

Supplying wooden travel box or plastic crate.

We run a loan travel box system between our two branches:

Our manufacturing team will build your pet’s wooden IATA approved travel crate to the highest safety and durability standards. We can also supply you with a top quality plastic VARI-KENNEL.

If you purchased the Traveller Comfort Pack then we will bring the travel kennel to your house two weeks in advance. If not, we will bring the travel crate with us to your residence when we collect your pets on the day of their departure.

Your pet’s travel crate will contain two water bowls, absorbent water pad, labels and airline stickers. If you purchased the Traveller Comfort Pack we will supply superior quality Pet Travel bedding.

It is worthwhile to put one of your used t-shirts or at least something with a familiar smell or their own doggy / kitty blanket into the travel crate.

Wooden travel boxes are theoretically for one use only and some countries will insist on incineration like in China. However due to crate’s robust construction if you store them properly they could be used again.

To view gallery of our boxes and read more about the box compliance with the IATA standards or How to measure my pet – please go to our Travel crate section.

Booking your pet’s flight.

We can fly your pets to all the major South African airports or even transport them by road if there is no airport at your destination.

Your consultant will send you your pet’s flight itinerary along with their ticket number (Air Waybill Number – AWB).

Suppling own pet’s travel crate.

If you are supplying your own travel crate please send us a picture so we can check that it complies with airline requirements to avoid any last minute delays. We also recommend that as far in advance as possible you make sure to clean your pet’s crate, assemble the pieces together and check door’s mechanism. This will prevent last minute surprises.

You should also provide a water bowl and a blanket.

Ordering a Traveller Comfort Pack.

We offer this special package to ease your precious pets travel experience. We would deliver it to your residence weeks before your pet’s departure.

The Traveller Comfort Pack includes:

We will deliver your pet travel box a few weeks before its departure date. That way, your pet can get familiar with the smell of the travel crate and perhaps you can also start Crate Training. Please read more on travel crate training here.
We will supply you with a Calming Collar for dogs. This pheromone collar mimics the pheromone that the mother produces to calm and reassure her babies. It mimics the natural way to help them cope with new and fearful situations. It can work for up to 30 days! Please read more on calming collars here.
We will supply you with a Calming Paste for cats. This product promotes relaxation and it is often used in stressful situations because it relieves the anxiety that is caused as a result of separation, boarding in a cattery and fear of travel. Please read more on Calming Paste here.
We designed and we manufacture our own Pet Travel Bedding for the comfort of your pet while in transit. Please read more on travel bedding for your pet here.

Departure day process.

Our Animal Handler will collect your pets from your residence on the day of their departure (unless kennelling is required prior to travel).
Do not feed your animals a large meal on the day of departure; a small snack or treat is more suitable. This is because they will be in their travel crate for an extended period and will need to toilet at some point. A large meal equals a large toilet and this can lead to a very messy dog and travel crate. Alternatively your pet may constipate and if they have been fed a large meal this could lead to some discomfort. So please feed them well the night before and give your dog a long walk before our collection.
We all know how intuitive cats can be and they are famous for doing a disappearing act on the day of collection or even the evening before, so please keep your cats securely closed in a room from the evening before scheduled collection so there are no last minute surprises.
Your pets must be booked in, at the airlines, several hours (generally 2 hours) before their time of departure. Our Animal Handler will inform you once your pets have been booked in for their flight.
Your consultant will follow up with you upon your pet’s arrival and again a few days later to check how your furry friend is settling into its new environment.

Arrival at destination.

You can either collect your pets from the airport yourself OR we can arrange it all and have them delivered to your residence. Please read further info on both choices below:

Departure day steps.

You can either collect your pets from the airport yourself OR we can arrange it all and have them delivered to your residence. Please read further info on both choices below:

Owner collecting pets themselves after arrival:

At least 20 minutes to an hour after the flight has arrived, the consignee (person collecting the pet) must go to the airline cargo section at the destination airport and show the person at the counter the Air Waybill number and their ID or passport.

Our Agency or partnered travel agency clearing and collecting the pets after arrival:

Our Animal Handler will collect your pet from the airline and he will clean its travel crate if necessary. They will then contact you to let you know time of arrival at your residence.