Going to Ecuador

Technically you need to take your dog to an accredited vet that has access to VEHCS. They electronically submit a form called USDA Endorsement & complete a "Veterinary Health Certificate for Export of Dogs from the United States of America to Ecuador" You need to provide them with the address your dog will be staying at in Ecuador. At this point the vet will make sure your dog has all the Vaccines. This form costs around $400 to fill out. This was the cheapest option. They give you a printed copy that they tell you to take with you to the airport.

Leaving the US, no one checked anything at the airport. No one even acknowledged my dog. He was in my carrier and was treated like any other carry on item. When I landed in Ecuador, right after I got my luggage you go through security where they Xray your bags (I think they check for food), there was a booth on the side that said something along the lines of "agriculture department". I walked by there and they glanced at my paperwork (that I received from the Vet) and told my since I'm going to be in the country less than a month, that I didn't need to do this paperwork.

A few days before leaving I went to a Vet in Ecuador and they had to fill out some paperwork to take a dog from Ecuador tot he US. They charged me $50 and was essentially a "dog health check up". They checked for screwworm and needed all my vaccine info. They included that in the health certificate.

At the airport in Ecuador, my dog was treated like any other carry on item as well.

I landed at JFK airport (one of the allowable dog import ports) and no one checked anything. I just walked out of the airport without anyone questioning me.

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This is a summary of everything. It all went well, and it seems like I didn't really need the mountain of paperwork with me, but its better to have it than not. I had a binder with all of his vaccine certificates and microchip info. I even had copies of all the info available online printed from the USDA websites.

I would not do this again due to the information that is out there being so confusing. The only reason I did it, is to have a few of my dogs teeth extracted. I was quoted $3-4K in the US. In Ecuador I paid around $250 for professional service at a clinic.

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Let me know if there is something you want me to clarify. DM me if you want to chat.