Direct release vs 5 day wait for pets (Honolulu, Hilo: agriculture, travel)

[jojow]

I'm a little confused about the difference in qualifying for direct airport release and the 5-day wait. We have two cats which would have no trouble meeting the 5 day wait, but we'd love to direct release them so they don't have to suffer through the kenel experience (they've never experienced such a thing.) Could someone please explain the difference???

Thanks so much!

[from az]

There's an excellent US Agriculture website that references quarantines for the island. You might want to ck that out. We were considering on bringing our pets when we moved there, but decided not to because of the cost of the quarantines and all the paperwork involved for bringing a pet over.

[Sorcerer68]

I brought 2 dogs and a cat. Just do everything they tell you and you'll get direct release. Make sure you get the OIE FAVN out of the way along with all the waiting. Make sure you have your time tables down.

[Genxor]

Yes, get the OIE FAVN blood test completed . You have 3 months to enter Hawaii after the test is complete. Get pets micro-chipped.
Closing in on your arrival, send documents ( which are standard rabies vaccines previously completed etc. which you would have whether you were moving here or not) send payment , $165 per pet for direct airport release.
Pets health certificates within x amount of days of arrival. Your done.
Do checkout the Dept. of Agriculture website for the details.

[TERRIE]

It's All Very Confusing...i Ended Up Calling The Quarentine Station On Oahu To Have Them Explain It All To Me. (they Will Send You A Packet)...the Biggest Deal For Us Was Having The 2nd Rabies Shot At Three Months After The First One...then After That Is The 120 Days Wait ....i Also Called Right Before We Left The Mainland (quarentine Station) To Make Sure Everything Was In Their Computer....good Luck!

[vlilljedahl]

I just took a dog to Hawaii for a man who purchased her from a friend here in virginia and it was alot of reading and crossing all the t's and dotting all the i's but it was worth it to get direct release at the airport. Getting on the Hawaii agricultural website and printing out the checklist is the way to go.. you can take it to your vet and have them make sure all gets done. The hardest part is getting the rabies shots and favn testing at the right times to limit the length of time that you have to wait before you can take your pets to the island and make sure that you MAIL ALL FORMS TO HAWAII BY CERTIFIED MAIL... they claimed to have lost our paperwork so all had to be copied again and mailed a second time which took longer but all was accepted in the end , there was a small glitch with the second rabies vaccine being given too soon after the first shot (supposed to be done 90 days apart) but the vet at the quarantine let it go through anyway so they aren't too difficult to work with. We left the airport directly with the dog and all is great now... and Hawaii is beautiful. Good luck to anyone travelling with pets.

[wendyfish]

I too plan a move with my dog, 120 day waiting period is over, I'm worried about having to keep Molly in the carrier while we wait 4hrs in Honolulu waiting for our flight to Hilo, anyone with experience with this? I won't have a car in Honolulu, and the information I have indicates you can't let her out of the crate at the airport!

[islandsunshine]

Does any one know if the dogs have to go to Honolulu first or can they fly right to Maui and be checked in there?

[Genxor]

I am a little late posting , but if you haven't found out your info ....

All pets have to go to Honolulu, as that is where the quarantine station/ pets are checked is located .

We were moving to Hilo, so were in the same boat as you Wendyfish.

It is all but impossible for you to be with your dog, check your dog in at the interisland terminal etc., even after your pet has being checked and released from the quarantine dept.

Your airline will take your pet upon arrival in Honolulu to the quarantine facility , this is near the airport , but off airport property. It will take approx. 2 hrs. for the pet to be checked out and authorized for direct release ( if that is what you are doing. This 2 hrs. is all hypothetical, maybe- maybe not.

Pets of any size crate in cargo on Hawaiian or Aloha are not guaranteed for YOUR flight, depends on how packed your flight is.

So thus, you would have to get a taxi at Honolulu to the quarantine facility, wait for your pets, take a taxi back with your pets to the airport, check-in with your pets at Hawaiian or Aloha and hope your pets make your flight.

We chose to go with a handler , who picked the pets up at quarantine, did all of the footwork, paperwork, booked the flights for the pets. The handler charged $85. I have their name and number if anyone wishes to use them.

Your pet will be in a "run" at the airport, they are not left in the crate.

If your pet is larger ( we had a German Shepard) in a series 500 ( or 700) I forget, crate - they can only travel to HILO on the specific cargo plane that arrives in Hilo at 10:30 ( plus or minus).

Those of you traveling from the east coast to Hawaii, have your "ducks in a row" , because if you have a larger pet that can only travel "cargo" , allow time for screw-ups by the airlines - meaning allow a yourself a le-way with your health certificates / documents. We lost a day due to this.

[AKMammabear]

3 months or 3 years after the bloodwork? Moose had his bloodwork / shots a while back and I took him to get it redone (our move did not happen then) and the vet said we had 3 years. We will be arriving in June...