Traveling with your Pet to the US with Dr. Gary Richter

Your pet is a member of your family, and when you’re starting a new chapter of your life abroad, you want to make sure that your pet is fully supported and taken care of during that transition. But let’s face it, there are a lot of things to have in mind when you’re traveling with your pet, from their nutrition quality to pet compliance and paperwork. So, tune into this week’s episode to make sure you’ve got everything covered.

In this episode of the Navigating Love and Immigration podcast, Megan welcomes Dr. Gary Richter, a doctor of veterinary medicine. Aside from owning a veterinary practice in California, he's also the author of the international best-seller, The Ultimate Pet Health Guide, and the owner of a company called Ultimate Pet Nutrition. Dr. Richter starts off the episode by explaining his unique approach to pet care, combining traditional medicine with a holistic approach. Then, he shares a checklist for couples moving abroad with their pets. For instance, if you want to mitigate your pet’s stress and anxiety, you need to get them accustomed to the travel carrier and prepare them in advance for the moving day. Finally, Megan and Dr. Richter conclude the episode by pointing out the importance of advance planning when moving abroad with your furry friend. As you will hear today, as with so many of life’s events, if you want to make sure that everything goes smoothly with your move, the key is to plan ahead. 

Episode Highlights:

• The importance of nutrition for pets
• Helping pets gradually adjust to a new environment
• Preparing for travel and relieving your pet’s stress
• Pet compliance and paperwork
• Do you need a pet passport?
• The importance of advance planning

Quotes:

“Traveling, moving, new environments - that in and of itself is a stress for pets. It's a stress for everybody.”

“Travel days are not fun for anybody, and particularly for an animal who does not cognitively understand what's going on. So, anything that you can do to just sort of get them accustomed to the movement, the sounds, the whatever it may be, it's just going to take the edge off that much more.”

“advance planning is a real big thing here because you can't just pop them in a carrier and call it good. It's a slow acclimation process.”

“You cannot DIY it because, at some point, a veterinarian signature is going to be required.”

“Plan ahead; that's the biggest thing, both from the standpoint of the paperwork, of the regulations, but also from the perspective of getting your pet accustomed to travel.”

“We support them. They support us. It's unconditional love. It's the best thing ever.”

Links:

Immigration for Couples on LinkedIn

Immigration for Couples Website

Megan Pastrana’s LinkedIn

Dr. Gary Richter’s Website

The Ultimate Pet Health Guide