Author: YuMiZu

Hi, I am Yi Jie, the owner of 3 adorable dogs - Yuyu, Yumi & Yuzu (@yu.mi.zu). Look forward to in-depth analysis of different aspects of pet ownership from us!

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Community Stories

Flying with a Dog/Cat in Cargo as Checked Baggage

This is a follow up from out post about flying in-cabin. If you wish to read more about flying in-cabin, please click here.

For all the pets who do not qualify for flying in-cabin, you will have no choice but to fly your pet as excess baggage in-cargo.

I have flown with pets in-cargo many times and always fly them as excess baggage with Singapore Airlines because it is the cheapest method so far.

Please note that when I am talking about in-cargo, I am specifically referring to your pet travelling on the same flight with you as checked/excess baggage. If your pet was not flying with you, but flying individually as a cargo, you will have to check with the airline/your agent for the exact details.

Flying with Nina and Yuzu

Upon arrival at the airport, you will need to bring the pet to your check-in counter, to handle check-in for your pet. Be sure to arrive in advance to give them ample time to handle everything.

I have flown several times, but only have the video of my travel with Yuzu and Nina. Yuzu flew directly from Shanghai to Singapore; while Nina flew from Chongqing to Singapore, with transit at Guangzhou. Every airport has a slightly different policy when it comes to pet travel, so please check with the airport you are flying out of, on what requirements they have.

Nina flew from Jiangbei Airport in Chonqing and the airport required double nets on the crate for safety.

As Jiangbei is a domestic airport, they only served short flights and does not allow for a water bottle.

Yuzu flew from Pudong Airport in Shanghai and the airport only requires the standard straps on the crate. I wrapped her crate with a layer of cotton blanket since she was flying in the winter, and I was worried it will get too cold.

After handling the check-in, we then handed over the dogs to the ground staff. I went through my standard security checks and boarded the plane.

When flying with Nina, we had a transit flight in Guangzhou, so after arrival in Baiyun Airport, I picked her up along with my luggage before checking in again for my second flight.

Give some food and water to replenish their energy, but be careful not to give too much in case they need to go to the toilet. It’ll make their trip miserable.

Also, if you transit time is longer, or if the next flight will be long, then be sure to let your pet out for a toilet break. But because the transit time and the second flight was short, I did not take her out.

And finally… HOME SWEET HOME!

For more information on the procedure for arrival in Singapore, please click here.

– Continue in page 2 –

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Community Stories

Flying with a Dog/Cat in the Cabin

I’m sure that everyone misses travelling this year and just can’t wait to visit other countries again. However safety comes first, and we just gotta put the travel plans aside for now and save up for a trip!

But, this might be the perfect time to start preparing all the necessary documents, health check-ups and planning for the trip if you wish to bring your pet overseas for travelling when borders are open again!

Today I’m gonna share about how you can travel with your pet along with our personal experience (because I have travelled with pets way too many times).

First thing first, air travel is split by in-cabin and cargo for pets. In-cabin means your pet is flying with you inside the aircraft. Cargo means the pet will be in the luggage holding area. I’ll split the two forms of travel into two different posts as the post will get pretty long. To find out about flying in-cargo, please click here.

The flight with Mitsuko

I’m sure this is everyone’s preferred way of travelling with pets, to bring your pet into the cabin with you. But do note that there is quite a bit of restriction and costs for flying in-cabin, so do read the following information carefully.

I’ve only flown in-cabin once with this little cutie called Mitsuko. We flew from Shanghai, China to Jakarta, Indonesia; with a transit stop at Seoul, Korea.

Mistuko in Pudong Airport, Shanghai, as we are sorting out check in for me

It was really cool to fly with your pet in-cabin to be honest. I’ve always enjoyed flying, and having a little dog with me just made it even better. Plus, I was lucky to have been met with a really nice passenger beside me who absolutely loved Mitsuko.

P.S. So technically you are not supposed to bring your pet out from the carrier, they are expected to be kept inside the carrier at all times. But the passenger who sat beside me loved Mitsuko so much, she told me to bring her out and will warn me when an air stewardess was coming so we could hide Mitsuko under my blanket. I had a really nice chat with her throughout the flight as we spoke about Korea and Singapore.

So once we in the air, Mitsuko sat on my lap throughout the flight. In the very beginning, Mitsuko was really nervous and was shaking quite a bit. But she soon calmed down after 30 mins and was sleeping comfortably or moving around our seats the rest of the flight. I was able to feed her some treats on the flight, brought her to the toilet to pee, and she basically got to enjoy herself on the flight.

Then we landed in Seoul to transit to Jakarta. It was supposed to be a relatively tight schedule, but our flight got delayed so I could end up taking my own sweet time in Incheon Airport to shop and walk around with Mitsuko.

The first thing I did after arrival was to bring Mitsuko for a toilet break, then gave her some food as it was her usual mealtime. After her tea break, it was time to go shopping.

She was most nervous during take-off and landing, plus the crowded airport did not help. So it took her a good 10-15 mins to calm down and stick her head out from her carrier. I pushed her around on the trolley as I went around shopping, and she got so many compliments along the way!

Finally, it was time for our connecting flight to Jakarta, and Mitsuko and I went to security to get ready for flying. She had to go through a round of check, and all the security guards were so cute when they saw her. They crowded around her as we were doing security clearance to play with her haha. At this point, Mitsuko was comfortable and enjoyed all the pretty security guards pampering her lol!

It was pretty late by the time we were on the connecting flight, and I got pretty hungry by then. But the good news was there was no one sitting beside me, so I got both seats to myself and Mitsuko.

Once again, Mitsuko took a while to relax before enjoying herself on the flight.

On a side note, the dinner on Asiana Airlines is honestly really good.

Then we finally reached Jakarta and I handed her over to the mum. Didn’t take any photos here because I was busy sorting out the paperwork for her entry into the country. But anyways the procedure for this will differ for every country, so it will not be too helpful to share the experience in Jakarta.

For all entering Singapore with pets, please click here to see the step-by-step procedure for what you do after your pet arrives in Singapore.

– Continue in page 2 –

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Community Stories

A Mincer that Actually Workers: Taobao Recommendations

Hey Raw Feeders and Home Cooked Food owners, HEADS UP!

In the past 2 years that I’ve used the mincer, I’ve gotten many questions on the mincer I use, so let’s just one shot answer all the questions that you have!

Also, this mincer does not only mince meat and bones. You can use it to make sausages for yourself or your pet. But most importantly, you can also purchase the meat slicer component to slice or cube the meat if your pet does not want only minced food.

This is a looooong post, so please bear with me and skip to whatever is necessary for you.

To prevent having to read through everything, you can skip to the necessary pages here
About the mincer I bought and what can it mince: Page 1
Buying the mincer (Standard combo): Page 2
Buying the mincer (Customsing components): Page 3
Slicing/Cubing the meat: Page 4
Shipping from China to Singapore: Page 5

About the Mincer I Bought

Cost of mincer: ¥950
Shipping fee: ¥180*
Total charges: ¥1130 (approx $226)

* Please note that recent shipping rates are much much higher due to a shortage of containers. See page 5 for more information.

The combo I purchased is 套餐三 (combo 3), and it comes with three sizes of cutting die and a sausage maker kit. The material that I chose is stainless steel for extra durability. I’ve used the mincer for 2 years and it is still functioning well.

What can it Mince?

Meat? Of course!
Chicken/duck neck? Yes.
Chicken/duck feet? Yes.
Chicken/duck carcass? Yes, but you need to cut it into smaller pieces first, which I found to be too much work, so never again.
Pork bone? No.

Simply put, you can only mince boneless meat and poultry bones. The only thing I will say you have to take note of is tendons because if the tendon is very long, it does not get minced up and ends up getting caught in the machine, which will cause it to stop. So if you are mincing tendons, I suggest mixing it with other meats to make your life easier.

Now, for some satisfying (yet kinda gross) ASMR of our past mincing videos.

Duck neck goes down quickly

My number one regret: Trying to mince a whole duck. It was too much work chopping the duck into smaller pieces, so I honestly do not recommend doing it because it is really tiring, unless you have a big meat cleaver to first hack the carcass into smaller pieces. But, the mincer can indeed mince a whole duck carcass.

More mincing, and honestly minced organs always looks horrible dripping from the mincer

And when you mincer them into a big bowl, it looks like ice kachang haha!

Make your meal prep easier!

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Community Stories

Seriously, it is Alright to Feed Kibbles and Raw Diet Together.

I’ve always seen this question and always hear this answer in response:
“No! You should never mix kibbles and raw meat together. It will lead to problems because kibbles and raw meat have different digestion speeds and require different pH levels, so you can’t eat them at the same time. You should feed a fully raw diet, none of that kibbles cr@p. That’s like feeding McDonald’s to your pet every day.”

It has also gotten really annoying to see raw feeders with a holier-than-thou attitude bashing on or criticising other pet owners for feeding kibbles or mixed diets. Let’s just start off by saying this:

Feed the pet in front of you. What works for one may not always work for the other. There is no one RIGHT or WRONG feeding, and you should do what is right for YOUR PET. No one has the right to criticise another individual for their decisions.

Of course I’m not referring to people who are just feeding their pets the most blatantly obvious and unbalanced meals, those should be called out. I’m talking about most decent and thinking pet owners in this situation, who does not deserve being called out for their decisions on feeding their pets.

I can’t emphasise this enough: EDUCATE people, not put them down. When we all first started, we all know what it is like to be in a position of confusion with so much mixed information available on the Internet. Why not take the time to share your experience, your learning resources, and allow them to then make a decision for themselves on what is right for THEIR FAMILY.

Raw feeding may be cheap or expensive depending on the country. The owners may or may not have the time to prepare a nutritious meal. There are many factors that go into why someone decides on feeding raw/kibble/HCF/any of the above combinations.

Also, just to address that whole idea of kibbles being MacDonald’s. That is not exactly right. Kibbles are essentially balanced meals that provide the necessary nutrition for the pet to live. MacDonald’s are unbalanced fast food that is poor in providing many essential nutrients.

Rather, try thinking of kibbles as army rations.
Does it taste good? Probably not.
Does it look or smell appetising? Not really.
But does it hit the minimal daily nutrients requirements? Usually*, yes.

* Disclaimer: I am referring to kibbles that are of decent quality which abides by nutrition guidelines in these situations.

This seems to have turned into a rant (lol). Now that the rant is over *sorry for ranting*, let’s get back to the point of this post.

What you see in a bowl is NOT representative of everything that goes into my dogs’ diets. Please do not replicate without knowing what is necessary for your pets.

So, it is not true that you cannot mix kibbles and raw meat. Yes, the digestion speed will definitely be slightly different, but this does not mean that you cannot feed at the same time. Do you have to wait a few hours before eating meat when you eat grains?

Note: Some pets may have diarrhoea when eating kibbles + raw meat, but this is not because of digestion problems, but because the stomach is not used to it. Any change in diets usually causes some problems (even among different brands of kibbles if you have a pet with a sensitive stomach).

Remember, your stomach does not have a pH level button, it will not change stomach acid when digesting kibble or eating raw meat.

Breaking Down “Digestion”

Geddit geddit? Breaking down? Digestion? (Okay sorry I’ll just show myself out.)

Digestion is the process of extracting nutrients from food and then transporting the released nutrients from the gastrointestinal tract to the body, where they are used for energy and tissue growth. The stomach and small intestine are the main parts of digestion. The stomach does not absorb nutrients, it releases them from food and destroys pathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella. The longer the food spends in the stomach, the greater the amount of digestion (this is good).

It is the small intestine, not the stomach, that absorbs nutrients. The nutrients released from the food are absorbed into the blood through the intestinal wall. The speed of food passing through the intestine will affect the number of nutrients that the small intestine can absorb. Fast-moving food cannot absorb too much nutrition. (Note: This might be where the misinformation starts.)

A recent experiment was conducted to observe the digestion speed of dry food and raw meat (see picture below). The researchers used X-rays and barium (a radiopaque liquid mixed with food) to trace dry food and raw meat through the gastrointestinal tract. Although only one dog was examined, its original digestion rate was slower than that of kibbles, which overturned the general statement that “raw meat digests faster than dry food”. In fact, liquids are emptied from the stomach faster than solids, and carbohydrates are excreted faster than protein and fat.

On the left is the x-ray of the dog eating kibbles, and on the right that of the same dog eating a raw meal.
The first two rows on the left is that of a kibble diet, the right and the last row is that of a raw diet. You can see that kibble was digested quicker than raw meal.

The above images were taken from The Raw Feeding Community, a great online source for raw feeders. I highly recommend heading on over to their post for a detailed explanation on the hour by hour breakdown of the meals being digested. Click here to be brought over to the original post.

Back to the explanation, when food enters the stomach, it will be soaked in stomach acid. Then, depending on the degree of swelling, the stomach will release an appropriate amount of gastric acid to control the dilution, so the pH can be maintained at a high acid level initially. Dilution is part of the digestion process. It occurs gradually through the digestive tract. What you don’t want to do is to have undiluted acid coming out the other end. Just thinking about it is painful.

The stomach has an excellent design and has served dogs and cats for thousands of years. As an example, when calcium is felt in the stomach, more stomach acid is released because bones are expected to appear due to the calcium content. More digestive juices are needed to break down bones than meat. There are more “sensors” and feedback mechanisms in the digestive system, which can effectively extract nutrients from various diets ingested by animals in different foods. We are at a time where we have access to a lot of information, let’s not fall for false information. Detailed research on pets has shown that mixing raw food and kibbles does not produce toxins or digestive challenges.

People have been feeding their pets a mixed diet for decades. Only recently has the trend of avoiding mixing become popular under the influence of false or wrong news. Studies have indeed shown that mixing some fresh raw food with kibbles is much healthier than kibbles alone. Complete + balanced raw meat is one of the best things you can feed your pet. But there are exceptions. Some owners may not have the time or money to feed raw meat, so we should not blame others for their choices. We all want the best for our pets, so please also give other pet owners the same respect, and do not fault them for a decision that they may have also made with the same best interests at heart (within reason of course).

Seriously though, please do not take my words out of context. What I’ve shared above is information from research that I have done. You should absolutely do your own research, start by reading up the blog I linked above to read about the experiment in detail. Then, come to your own conclusion on what is right for YOUR PET. You know best from experience and trials what works for YOUR PET.

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Community Stories

My China Adoption Story: From the Streets to the Sheets

May the story of Yumi bring you the positivity and strength you need to get you through the most difficult and tiring of times.

Meet Yumi, the strongest and cutest fatty adopted from China. It was his Gotcha Day recently so I finally got some time to sit down and write his story, about how he overcame all odds and came out a happy little warrior despite all he has faced.

From the Streets to the Sheets

Yumi is the only dog in our house that wants to sleep with humans. The poodles like to sleep by themselves in their crates or on their own beds, but Yumi will always want to climb onto our bed and plop his fluffy butt against me and sleep. No matter how I sleep, he will always make sure to have one part of his body touching me. When he sleeps on my bed by himself in the morning after I wake up, he will move up onto my pillow and sleep on that instead. While it may not seem like it, Yumi is actually a very needy dog, that craves the constant accompany of us.

Backstory: Health and Burns

Yumi was rescued from the streets of Shanghai, China, and when he was found he was in extremely bad condition. He was found covered in fleas and ticks (suggesting he has been on the streets for a very long time), starving badly to the point where you could see his bones, his teeth were mostly gone, his legs were all injured resulting in him not being able to walk normally and most scarily, he had two big burn marks on his back.

No one knew where he came from and what has happened to him. Was he abandoned? Did he run away from his previous home? Was he a lost dog who never found his owner? All we knew was that we had a badly injured dog that needed to be taken care of.

These two burn marks covers approximately 20-30% of his entire back.

The vet said that Yumi’s had suffered 4th-degree burns, and he could never be able to recover in those areas. After all, it was literally “griddled” and the skin felt like a piece of plastic that was completely rid of any fur.

Coming Home

This was right after arrival at Changi Checkpoint as he was clearing entry. He was still really confused and worried at this stage.
This photo was taken right after Yumi arrived in Singapore at Sembawang Quarantine Centre and he has pretty much settled down by then.

My mother spent about 6 months nursing him back to health while arranging for his immigration to Singapore. On 29 August 2016, he was brought to Singapore to start his new life. He was finally allowed to go home on 27 September 2016 after clearing quarantine.

Bringing him to the vet confirmed all our suspicions about his legs, Yumi had Grade 4 luxating patella in both knees and his front paws had healed at the wrong angle after being broken (probably due to the lack of medical care when he was stray). What we were told was that we had to be prepared for arthritis to take a toll on him once it sets in. We also had to be super careful about not worsening his conditions.

Aggression and How We Dealt With It

Being a previously abused dog, Yumi inevitably had signs of aggression. He has specific triggers which set him off, causing him to go into a panic and snap at whoever is near him. However, it was through his reactions that helped us to determine his triggers and slowly mitigate his fear.

For example, he does not like any form of sticks, be it long or short. As long as he sees a stick, he will run away and bark fiercely at it after finding a secure spot that protects his body. We try to have him get used to it slowly and help him to understand that not all sticks are a threat to him, but it’s not been an easy process. Unfortunately, some fear is just super-strongly ingrained, and there’s minimal which can be done to make him no longer fear it. But thankfully, our efforts did pay off slightly, as he is now relatively calm with a few items, and can be relaxed even beside them.

In addition, probably as an effect of his days of being a stray dog, Yumi resource guards. He does not allow others near him when he is eating and used to give off warning growls when we approach him during meal times. Thankfully, after years of coaxing, he is now able to eat beside the other dogs without worries and is even willing to share with Yuzu sometimes.

Yumi is very close to Yuzu, and he is always very gentle with her and watchful over her.
Despite being an abused dog, Yumi still gets along very well with everyone.

Still a Happy Little Boy

Despite the adversaries he has faced, Yumi is still always a happy and cheerful dog, and is always happy to meet new friends where he goes. We know that he isn’t young anymore, but he always exhibits puppy-like behaviour with his excitement and curiosity. He is very protective of his family and does not allow anyone to threaten us (human or dog). If the humans got into a fight, he will come in the middle to break up the fight (forever the peacekeeper of the family).

Despite being abused, he does not let his past demons stop him from being friendly with people. He is still quick to warm up to people and is absolutely loyal and loving to the very core. In fact, he won the hearts of all the staff at the quarantine office in his 30 days because of how loving he was towards him. No matter where he is, he always has fun.

Quarantine life? So what! I can still have fun no matter where I am.
Day 1 of meeting his new sister and boom, best friends!
Just keep smiling, no matter what happens. One day, everything will be better.

What I’ve learnt from Yumi is that no matter what happens, always stay happy. Despite having so many injuries on his body, he is still smiling and having fun every single day. He never lets his trauma deprive him of his happiness every day, and continues running around despite his joints aching.

I recall once seeing him at a dog party when he was running with some Spitz when he suddenly just buckled and fell to the ground. I panicked and was about to run over to pick him up when he just got up and continued running around with the other dogs happily. I was worried, and still am constantly worried about his joints, but I never want to deprive him of his happiness and interactions with other dogs. All I can do is to do it in a controlled environment, where he can safely play without getting injured.

A funny story about Yumi which I just remembered. I once thought he went missing at a pet cafe. One second he was running around and the next he disappeared. I kept calling for him and went around looking for a tiny white Pomeranian before suddenly hearing the party beside us ask me “Is this your dog?” while pointing to the fat little Yumi who was hiding among a bunch of Samoyed, stealing some of the birthday cake from that party… He just invited himself into the party and the Samoyed accepted him. *speechless* Cut the story short, he ended up celebrating the birthday for the Samoyed and was even in their group photo lol.

The forever tamjiak Yumi with his pawtner-in-crime hiding behind him.

Nowadays, Yumi is getting older and is no longer as puppy like or moves as much as he used to. He still has random bouts of energy but he no longer keeps up with the other dogs. It’s a truth we have to accept, that our pets will grow old and eventually leave us one day. But until that day comes, I will make sure that Yumi lives everyday of his life happy and loved.

Just to add:
Please do support adoptive causes and adopt instead of buying if possible. Put a smile on a dog’s face, and allow him to feel happy and have a home again. If you wish to buy a dog, please do make sure you’re purchasing from an ethical breeder, not a pet shop or puppy mill. A pet is for forever.

For more adorable Yumi photos, check out his Instagram at @yu.mi.zu

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Community Stories

What to Do After Your Pet Arrives in Singapore

If you have not read my previous post on the paperwork for importing your pet, please do take a look at it here, before coming back here.

Up to the final paperwork, you can find all the information available on the Nparks website, but here are the bits that first-time importers may be unsure about. What happens after my pet arrives in Singapore?

After touchdown in Singapore

In Changi Airport
Welcome to Singapore / Welcome home!

Go through the arrival process as per normal and get your passport stamped. After picking up your luggage, go to the lost and found office at your arrival hall to submit the import licence and fill up a GST form. If your pet is in the cargo, they will then inform the staff to send your pet directly to Changi Animal and Plant Quarantine Station (CAPQ). If you are flying with your pet, you will handover your pet to the staff.

After leaving Changi Airport, head to Changi Airfreight Centre
Tip: There is no need to rush, grab a meal first if you are hungry

At the pass exchange counter, present the import licence and your IC to exchange for a pass. Make sure that your name matches that on the import licence as the importer.

Drive into CAPQ and make sure that your pass is displayed at all times.
Tip: To facilitate your entrance and exit, do not remove the luggage tags from your luggage so that the security knows it is yours, and not brought out of the checkpoint – trust me, I’ve done this 5 times.

At CAPQ, sign in and hand ALL original documents to the staff there. Depending on the speed of the staff, your pet may or may not already be there waiting for you. If they have yet to send the pet to the inspection office, then simply wait a little while.

After your pet arrives at the inspection office, it will be brought into an isolated room and you can go in to visit him/her while waiting for the paperwork to be processed. This will be a good time for you to rehydrate your pet, give it some treats/food, and let him/her do its toilet business.
Tip: If your dog/cat requires quarantine, you can also bring along a bed, a water and food bowl and pee tray. Whatever is left in the room will be brought together with the pet to Sembawang. As the room at Changi is a little cold, you might want to bring a small blanket for your dog/cat to snuggle up in if necessary.

If your pet requires quarantine, you will have to leave once everything is sorted out. Your pet will be transported to Sembawang Animal Quarantine Centre at 10am the same day/next working day. If your pet does not require quarantine, you can bring your pet out of CAPQ and go home.

Quarantine

At Sembawang Animal Quarantine Centre
On your first visit, there is some administrative work to be handled. You will need to sort out the check-in paperwork and make the balance payment. After you are done, they will tell you the kennel or cattery number your pet is in, so head on down to visit once you’ve sorted out the administrative work.

Be sure to bring along your pet’s favourite treats and toys, whatever he/she is comfortable and familiar with, so that the stay in quarantine is comfortable.
Tip: It will be good to use things that they are familiar with which you will want to dispose of, especially if you are staying in the non-air-conditioned rooms, as it can get pretty dirty (yes there are ticks too). Anything I can’t clean completely is thrown away after quarantine.

Visiting hours
Mon-Fri: 4pm – 6pm
Sat: 2pm – 6pm
Sun & PH: No visiting allowed

Walking Fields
Walking fields are open until 30 mins before the end of visiting hours. Please let the staff outside the kennels know when you wish to go for a walk so that they can schedule you a slot.

Shower Rooms
To reserve a shower room, let the counter staff know that you require a shower room and book a slot.

After Quarantine
On the day of release, you are able to pick up your pet from 10am to 12pm. They will hand you everything you have inside the room. You will wait outside the office as they bring your pet to you.

Things to take note of

Try to make sure that you are touching down in Singapore between 7am and 8pm from Monday to Saturday on non-public holidays. This is because the inspection office is closed from 10.30pm to 8am and on Sundays and public holidays. So if you arrive outside of the opening hours, your pet will be kept in its carrier at the inspection office till the staff arrives.

It is also better to travel during your pet’s natural sleeping hours so that they will feel less stressed during the flight.

It is important to crate train your dog/cat if you are flying in cargo. This can help to prevent unnecessary stress on your pet in the process. Same goes for during quarantine, do try to ensure your pet is crate trained as it will help prevent separation anxiety.

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Community Stories

So, I got a pet from overseas, how do I bring it back to Singapore now?

I will be creating a series of posts detailing the breakdown of the process, including the paperwork and the experiences with some tips. I’ve done this paperwork 7 times, so I am pretty familiar with it by now.

Let’s break this down for you, there are essentially three parts – export, flight, and import, and it is easier than you think.

Export

The export paperwork will differ depending on the domestic policy of the exporting country, but they usually require a health checkup and that is all you need to be awarded an export licence. However, please check with the local guidelines on how to bring your dog/cat out of the country.

Flight

Next step, you will need to handle the flight, you can choose between your pet flying in-cabin with you, or in the cargo. However, take note that there are size/weight restrictions for flying in-cabin. From my experience, I have taken Asiana Airlines, Korean Airlines and Singapore Airlines for travelling with my pets. (I will be making a detailed breakdown into the air travel portion soon, for this post, I’ll be focusing on the import paperwork).

Import

And for the domestic paperwork which seems to scare many, here is a detailed breakdown on how and when to sort out all your paperwork to bring your pet into Singapore. The following instructions are for Category D countries. Please refer to the end of the post for the link to a detailed breakdown for the other categories.)

>6 months before import:
Step 1: Microchip your pet (All vaccinations and health documents MUST carry this microchip number)
Step 2: Get rabies vaccination

4 – 5 months before import:
Step 3: Send your pet for serology test (>30 days after rabies vaccination)

<3 months before import:
Step 4: Send pet for vaccination
Dog: Canine Distemper, Canine Hepatitis & Canine Parvoviral infection
Cat: Cat Flu (Feline Calicivirus and Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis) & Cat Enteritis (Feline Panleukopaenia/ Feline Parvovirus) 
Step 5: Reserve quarantine space (only if your pet is flying from a Category C/D country)

<1 month before import:
Step 6: Apply for a dog licence (for dogs only)
Step 7: Apply for an import licence
Step 8: Book inspection with CAPQ
Note: Be sure to inform the airline that you have a pet and will need to reserve a space

2 – 7 days before import:
Step 9: Send pet for external and internal parasite treatment and fill up the veterinary certificate (See the end of the post for the link)
Note: You may need to send the veterinary certificate and the import licence to your airlines, be sure to check with them. This is also the time to receive the export licence and health clearance declaration from the exporting country.

Just before departure:

Step 10: Submit a declaration of facts to Singapore Customs (for GST)

What’s next?

Click here as we bring you through the step by step guideline of receiving your pet in Singapore.

Common FAQs

How long do I need to handle the paperwork to bring in my dog/cat?
Category A: at least 6 weeks
Category B: at least 2 months
Category C: at least 4 months
Category D: at least 6 months

How much does it cost to import a dog/cat?
This will only include the import licence and quarantine (if required)
Category A: $50++
Category B: $50++
Category C: $307++
Category D: $693++
The prices above are exclusive of the cost of dog licence (for dog owners only), airfare and all costs in the exporting country (i.e. vaccination costs, etc)

For more information

Click here for the detailed breakdown for the respective categories of exporting countries. The veterinary certificate is on page 7 to 9 of the links.
Category A – Australia, New Zealand, Republic of Ireland, United Kingdom (Great Britain and Northern Ireland)
Category B – Cayman Islands, Denmark, Germany, Hong Kong SAR, Iceland, Japan, Jersey, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, USA (Hawaii and Guam only)
Category C – Austria, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Italy, Latvia, Netherlands, Slovakia, Spain, Taiwan, USA (except Hawaii and Guam)
Category D – All other countries not listed above