Taking a dog to India?

lallii

hi there,
i took 3 dogd ( 2 german sheppard 1 cocker spaniel) from germany to Delhi.
There is no problem at all!!!

crvlvr

forget public transport id you are taking anyhtiong mpre than lap dog. Many muslims in India consider it haraam to touch a dog, and will raise a hue and cry if your dog touches them.

anar

growing up in bombay, i had a pet dog who, to my consternation, began getting fatter by the day. the local vet gave her an examination and decided she needed more exercise. my family were convinced she was pregnant. she was! six pups dropped out of her one after another early one morning (the servant who took her for walks didn't confess about the 'rape' until after (what seemed to me like) the 'virgin birth' - it wasn't funny at the time).

my only and main worry would be: if your dog became ill, would you be able to find a decent vet to take care of it? the hotels, the transport, the food - all that can be dealt with and managed (contrary to popular belief, there are huge numbers of animal lovers in india). in a big city, notwithstanding my experience above, you wouldn't have trouble finding a decent vet, but what about some obscure rural spot or even small-town india? i refuse to keep a dog any more - because there are no proper vets around where i live (they deal in cattle and elephants!). i couldn't handle not being able to provide my pet with appropriate medical attention when necessary. (my last dog died of old age, she was 16 - she travelled to india when she was 14, she not only made the transition from the uk to india but positively thrived here - i only put her through the trauma because i was moving to india for good - everytime i visited india before then on holiday, she stayed with friends or in kennels).

i'm sure your dog would be better off back home - depressed is better than dead (or worse). sorry for the harsh words but you are in danger of losing a loved one and don't seem to have realised this.

and if you go against good advice, and decide to bring your dog to india, please make sure your vet there innoculates the dog against 'distemper' (it killed an italian friend's dog within three months of arriving in india - she was told by her vet in italy it wasn't necessary).

anar

almoraboy said "any problems, then u can get hold of many vets in even mid sized towns."

good joke!

Almoraboy

well dude, i have found decent vets in kathgodam, nainital, tezpur, kanpur, allahabad, patna and varanasi.

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lallii

sorry i can not agree!!
we have some very fine vets over here.
first i stayed in Delhi and had great vet for my 3 dogs.
now we shited to noida ( U.P.) and we found a great vet too!!!

raj1210

HI,

Would appreciate if you could give me the contact details of any good vet in Noida, I have a 3.5 years old female doberman having skin problem and I dont know much about NOIDA, recently shifted here.

manreet_16

i want Pug (female)good breed and overall well built puupy from outside India..Can someone guide me and help me out..I know its very common In India theses days to import Puppies..

ravic15

Can someone help me as I am relocating from Delhi to B'lore and want to take my 2.5 yrs dog along in the flight? Would appreciate if I get some info on the process of getting ticket for him and other related activities.

Noodle

You don't get tickets for animals, they usually are charged by weight, just like excess baggage. Most dogs have to travel in the luggage compartment, only very small dogs (under 5 Kilo) are allowed by some airlines (not all though) in the passenger cabin. Check with the airline of your choice, or your travel agent. The airline needs to be informed beforehand that you will travel with a dog, and usually you have to provide a crate that fits the requirements they will tell you. Make sure the crate is large enough for your dog, so he can stand abd turn, and that there is some kind of water supply that doesn't spill easiy.

Also, let your vet decide if he's fit to travel by air, since he will most probably be very anxious and nervous. Is his heart in good condition, no breathing problems such as asthma etc. Maybe your vet will recommend a tranquiliser.

There are other members here who have more experience than I, they might give you more detailed advice on which airline is best etc.

My personal opinion is that I would rather travel by train than fly, since flying is much more stress for animals.

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If in hole
stop digging.

Indian saying

birds

Hi,

I moved my dogs from Bangalore to Goa last August. We looked at the options:

- by road in a truck but the disadvantages were: possible long waits at state borders, lots of potential hassle with paper works from state border officials and heat.

- by train but it turned out that on the Bangalore-Goa section there were no animal suited wagons. I had to move seven dogs so they could not stay in my compartment but perhaps it is possible with just one and other passengers do not object.

- by plane the disadvantage was the stress for the dogs but the advantage was that it just took three hours in total (getting them in cages to the airport, the flight and getting them from the airport to our new house in Goa). Jet Airways offers this service if you move only one or two adult dogs, Indian Airlines if you have more like I had, something to do with the amount of air available in the cargo area.

The experience by plane was pretty good, even with Indian Airlines .

I wrote about some of my experiences on:
http://indiamike.com/india/showthread.php?t=35274

I am just back from a business trip and have lots of stuff to catch up with so no time to write a long, detailed response but feel free to PM me if you have specific questions.

Nattusbs

Noodle

Please, no tranquilisers for dogs in airplane cargo hold. They lose their natural reflex action and this can actually be dangerous - told to me by my vet in California.

Cheers

Nattusbs

PS: My german shepard has adjusted very well in Hyderabad with my parents dogs - they are havingfun, playing together and getting tired, resting with A/C and then eat, more play! What a doggy life.

Noodle

Thanks for the advice, nattusbs, and nice to hear your shepard is doing so well!

Just wondering - how exactly is it for dogs to fly? I mean, we have to use the seat belts, and sometimes it can get a bit rough and the belts help us not to slip out of the seat etc. Do the dogs simply tumble over in their crates? I can't imagine how they can be really safe down there ...

anjuna mark

My wife and I have been traveling to India with our dogs for 21 years.
If we travel, we all go; we once left our dog behind for a 6 month journey, and despite being well cared for and even loved, he was very traumatized. It all depends on the strength of the bond between human and animal.
About dog health; Good vets are like good doctors, hard to find anywhere. Look for a wealthy looking local or expat who has a foreign breed dog. Ask for a recommendation.
IN GOA; Marilyn Ribiero in Porvorim is responsible for keeping all the foreign dogs alive, I recommend her unreservedly. Any Goan taxi driver should know her clinic.
Try to order this book; dog owners home veterinary handbook by Delbert Carlson and James Griffin.
Everyone has been going on and on about rabies, but that isn’t a worry for your dog as he will be vaccinated. What you do have to worry about is heartworm and Erlichiosis.
Have your dog checked for heartworm before you travel, and then treat him with Stronghold drops every month. That will also take care of ticks and fleas.
Against Erlichiosis there are 2 regimes; daily doxicycline 100mg as a preventative, or test every 2 to 3 months so that you catch the disease early enough for treatment to be effective.
Erlichiosis is the main killer of imported dogs into India, and is why imported dogs need special care. Local animals have considerable resistance, but will succumb when old or weakened.
Many Indians are afraid of dogs, and no one will enter your room without knocking.
Getting hotel rooms can be hard. I have only 1 in Bombay that lets us in, we found one in Delhi as well but that was about 10 years ago. Best to find your hotel before you travel.
As for flights; I don’t think the animal is any more stressed than a human is. I am 100% sure my dog is less stressed by flying in the hold than he would be if we left him behind.
Food; Can be difficult. Depends on how flexible you and your dog are. We usually feed ours freshly cooked chicken. Sometimes we ordered room service! We used to travel with a cute little pump up camping stove [if you get one before you travel, you can get one that doesn’t leak in your bag]. Now we travel in our own truck with a kitchen, so there’s no problem.
You can get Pedegee brand dry food now, in wealthy areas at least [Goa and big cities].
Traveling with your dog is difficult and expensive, but great fun for him and you. The things they smell there!
The way they smell there....
REMEMBER ABOUT THE ERLICHIOSIS!! THAT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION IN THIS POST!!
And enjoy your journey.
Regards, Mark

Noodle

Hi Mark!

Thanks for the great post!

One question: what kind of disease is erlichiosis?