Cost Of Bringing A Dog To Hawai'i (Honolulu, Kihei: condo, how much)

[Lisa From Maui]

For those of you who are wondering, "How much does it cost to bring a dog, from the mainland, to Hawai'i?" This is a thread for you!

You can get more information at hawaii.gov/hdoa/ai/aqs/aqs Google "Hawaii dog quarantine" or "Hawaii cat quarantine."

If you're gonna live on Maui, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND Karen at South Shore Vet Care in Kihei. They have a vet working there that specializes in helping people bring their dogs and cats to Maui. If you're gonna bring your animal to Maui, CALL THEM! (808) 874-3422 www.southshorevetcare.com

[Lisa From Maui]

I'm trying to be honest and upfront here. Here is a PERFECT examples of how people under-estimate the cost of moving to and living in Hawai’i. If you think it's gonna cost you $300 or $500 to bring your dog to the islands, think again!

$ 0 2004. I gave my dog 2-3 rabies vacines when she was young, so I already paid that cost.
$ 0 2006. My dog got a microchip when she was young, so I already paid that cost.
$ 35 Nov 2008. My husband got a job offer to work on Maui. I went to South Shore Vet Care and had a consultation with Karen. She explained “how to” get the dog here.
$ 200 Dec 2008. I took our dog to our vet, on the mainland, got blood drawn, sent it to Kansas State, probably did something else that I can't remember.
Jan 2009. We moved from mainland to Maui, left the dog with a friend back home.
April 2009. I flew to the mainland, alone, to bring back the dog, and get some other things done.
$ 100 Dog crate. You may find something on Craigslist for $60. I bought one new, $100 from Petco / Petsmart, designed for air travel. I was not gonna buy a crate on Craigslist, get to the airport, have the airline tell me it wasn't approved for travel, and then spend $500 to re-book my flight & my dog's flight. I paid $100 to make sure it would be done right the first time. My dog weighs 45 lbs. I didn't want to buy a small crate for the plane flight, that would be cruel. I spent $20 more at Petco / Petsmart and got a little bigger crate. We still have that crate today, in our bedroom. That’s where the dog sleeps at night.
$ 100 Vet appointment. Vet signed papers, saying that the dog was healthy. Gave the dog anti-flea medicine (Fipronil or something similar.)
$ 300 Dog’s airplane ticket, mainland to Oahu (Honolulu).
$ 150 Dog’s airplane ticket, Oahu to Maui.
$ 150 Extra cost of my plane ticket. I found a flight where the dogs could fly, and then booked myself on the same flight. I didn't get the best deal. I had to pay $150 more for my plane ticket.
$ 165 Money paid to State Of Hawai’I quarantine office for direct airport release.
$ 20 And let’s not forget… Tip for porter at the airport. He helped me with bags, luggage, dog kennel, on day of flying. It’s only $20, but all the costs add up.
$ 1200 approx total for one 45 pound doggie-doggie

Some mainlanders don't believe what the locals say about the cost of living. I wrote that it only cost us $1200 to bring the dog here. It could have cost $2000.

What if I had not put in a microchip when she was young? That surgery alone would have been $400. What if I had made a mistake and not had all my paperwork done right? On the day I arrived, there was a lady in line, at Honolulu, at the government quarantine office, who just brought her cat here. The lady didn’t have ONE piece of paper done correctly. They kept her cat in quarantine. She had to pay $500 to the state to hold the dog in their kennels for 2 more months. She lived on The Big Island, so she also had to pay $ 150 for her plane flight 2 months later + $$ for the cat's plane flight, 2 months later. All because she forgot ONE piece of paper.

So yes, I am glad that it only cost us $1200. It could have been more.

People on the mainland just don’t get it. Vacation to Hawai’I is paradise. Living here is expensive as h***.

[Lisa From Maui]

But wait, there's more! Two months after we arrived, our condo was hit with a HORRIBLE flea infestation.


From wikipedia: Humidity is critical to flea survival. Eggs need relative humidity of at least 70-75 percent to hatch, and larvae need at least 50 percent humidity to survive. Fleas thrive at higher temperatures, but need 70° to 90°F(21° to 32°C) to survive. Lower temperatures slow down or completely interrupt the flea life-cycle.
Translation: Hawai'i has PERFECT weather for fleas to breed, 9 months out of the year!


What we spent to get rid of the fleas:
$ 75 vet bill. Wasn’t sure what the problem was. Was all the scratching caused by something else? Another parasite? Dry skin? Bad food? Wasn’t sure. Now that I know what fleas look like, I won’t spend $$ on a vet bill in the future.
$ 20 put Twenty mule team Borax on the carpet, to dry out eggs
countless hours vacuuming the carpet for two months
$ 100 exterminator, first trip
$ 75 exterminator, second trip
$ 125 carpet cleaner, did a FANTASTIC job, carpets looked new!
$ 300 cost for one year of Frontline, Advantix, or something similar, to prevent fleas from returning ($25 per month)
$ 180 cost for one year of Heartgaard, to prevent heartworm ($15 per month)
$ 875 total cost to treat a flea infestation, plus medicine for one year

Please keep in mind, we probably COULD have spent less money to get rid of the fleas… but I wasn’t gonna do a half-effort job! I wanted those blood-sucking horrible good-for-nothing miserable little parasite pain-in-the-butt creatures to be out of our home! Gone! Gone for good! It took two months, but I finally got rid of those nasty little vermin!

Sorry...had to vent. I'll go back to being a nice person again...

Also, really important, we have a WONDERFUL landlord. The man is a gem. We lucked-out when we found him. He has NEVER hassled me about anything. He has shown me total and complete respect. In return, I respect his condo, respect his stuff! It’s almost impossible to find a landlord that will allow a dog. Maybe we could have spent $200 less, but I didn’t skimp. It was more important to me to have a good relationship with our landlord… to be fair & honest with him, to take care of his stuff, TO GET THE JOB DONE. If he gets frustrated with us, and tells us to leave, it will be next to impossible to find another landlord who will allow us to have a dog. Better to get it done right and avoid the possibility of having to move.

[katiem8]

I am in the middle of this process right now. It is adding up quickly! Went in to the vet to have the blood drawn & sent to Kansas & they found a tumor on her hind leg. Now she has to go in at the end of the month for surgery. I'm glad they found it when they did but this is getting costly! Granted most ppl won't have to deal with this but you never know what they could find and add to the cost.

[hotzcatz]

Don't mainland cats and dogs get heartworm and flea medicine each month?

[KoaKine]

Originally Posted by hotzcatz

Don't mainland cats and dogs get heartworm and flea medicine each month?

Their supposed to

[10,000Lakes]

It's a good heads up, although people with small dogs can fly with them in the cabin on some airlines. Also, microchipping is not $400 if your pet doesn't have it. It's not a surgery, it's a shot.

[katiem8]

NO dog, regardless of size, can fly into Hawaii in the cabin. Hawaii's laws not the airline's.

[10,000Lakes]

^^^Your right. I didn't know they changed it. My dogs are only 5 lbs each!! Oh well. I can understand thier rules though.

[katiem8]

my biggest worry is that the rules are gona change. i wana get everything done before i leave so that my parents don't have to deal with anything they dnt have to. my dog is gona come a few months after me b/c of the heat so i'm worried about some rules changing in the 4 months she waits. fingers crossed that everything goes well!