Department of Agriculture

MORE THAN HALF OF ARRIVING PETS HAVE QUALIFIED

UNDER NEW RABIES QUARANTINE RULES

HONOLULU – The new 5-day-or-less rabies quarantine program is only one month old, but off to a strong start. The Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA) reports that since the shorter quarantine program became effective on June 30, more than half of the 600 pets that have entered the state have qualified for the program. Further, of the 320 pets that qualified under the 5-day-or-less program, 260 pets (81 percent) qualified for direct released upon arrival at Honolulu International Airport.

The following are quarantine statistics for cats and dogs arriving between June 30 and July 30, 2003:

· Two rabies vaccinations, with the last vaccination administered no more than 12 months prior to arrival if it was a one-year vaccine, or no more than 18 months prior to arrival if it was a three-year vaccine. (The two vaccinations may not be administered within 90 days of each other; and the last vaccine must be administered no less than 90 days prior to the pet’s entry into the state);

· Microchip implantation for identification purposes;

· Blood serum test results with sufficient level of rabies antibodies;

· 120-day pre-arrival waiting period between the time the lab receives the blood sample and the earliest date the pet may enter the state under the new program. (The pre-arrival waiting period is necessary due to the long and variable length of rabies incubation, where the virus may hide in an animal before clinical signs of the disease become apparent.); and,

·

Pet owners must also submit required paperwork at least 10 days prior to the pet’s arrival. </hdoa/ai/aqs/info>An informational brochure, checklists, forms and “Frequently Asked Questions” are available on that webpage.

For more information, contact:

Janelle Saneishi
Public Information Officer
Hawaii Department of Agriculture
Phone: (808) 973-9560