The Pet Travel Timeline: What to Do 6 Months, 6 Weeks and 6 Days Before You Go

Every week our vets meet pets on the move. Some are heading up the coast for a long weekend, some are flying interstate, and some have just landed in Australia after a 20-hour journey and a stint in quarantine. The pets who travel well almost always have one thing in common: their owners started early.

The problem is that "start early" means very different things depending on the trip. Relocating a dog to Australia takes over half a year of preparation. A road trip needs about a month. So instead of another list of general tips, here is how our vets would plan it, working backwards from departure day.

6+ Months Out: Only If You're Crossing a Border

If your pet is moving to Australia from overseas, the clock starts now. Australia's biosecurity rules are strict, and one date controls everything: your pet cannot arrive until at least 180 days after the blood draw for their rabies titre test (RNATT). Miss a step in the sequence and the whole timeline resets.

The order matters:

1. Microchip (every later document hangs off this number)
2. Rabies vaccination
3. RNATT blood test at an approved lab
4. Import permit application with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
5. Pre-export treatments, tests and the final health certificate
6. Minimum 10 days at the Mickleham Post Entry Quarantine facility near Melbourne

The official requirements live at agriculture.gov.au and vary by country of export, so check them rather than relying on a forum post from three years ago. Some breeds cannot be imported at all.

Planning to leave Australia and come back one day? Keeping a current titre result on file makes re-entry far simpler. Our vets can take the sample at home as part of a titre testing visit.

6 Weeks Out: Vaccinations, Prevention and the Anxious Traveller

This is the window most owners miss, because six weeks before a holiday nobody is thinking about the dog yet.

Vaccinations need lead time. Immunity takes a couple of weeks to build after a booster, and boarding kennels and catteries will ask for proof of a current C5 (dogs) or F3 (cats) at drop-off. If your pet is overdue, a home visit for a dog vaccination or cat vaccination now means no last-minute scramble.

Parasite prevention needs to be on board before you arrive, not after. If your destination is anywhere along the east coast, paralysis tick prevention is non-negotiable. Ticks kill otherwise healthy pets every summer, and prevention products need to be active before exposure.

Anxious and car-sick pets need a plan, not a hope. If your dog trembles and drools in the car, or your cat yowls for the entire trip, this is the time to talk to a vet about it. Modern anti-nausea and anti-anxiety medications are safe and effective, but they should be trialled before travel day, never for the first time on the highway. A TelePet video consult is a quick way to build that plan without adding a stressful clinic trip on top.

Check the microchip registry. Not whether your pet has a chip, but whether the phone number on it is the one in your pocket. If your pet was never chipped, we can do it at home in a few minutes.

2 to 3 Weeks Out: Paperwork and the Pets Staying Behind

Flying? Book the health check now. Airlines require pets to travel in approved crates, and many require a veterinary fitness assessment for young, senior or snub-nosed pets. Flat-faced breeds like French Bulldogs, Pugs and Persians face real risks in cargo holds, especially in warm weather, and some airlines embargo them over summer. Our vets complete fit to fly certificates at home, close to the departure date as airlines require. And a firm word from our whole team: never sedate a pet for a flight. Sedatives interfere with balance and temperature control at altitude, which is why airline and IATA rules prohibit them.

Leaving your pet with a minder? Build them a handover pack. The best minders are only as good as the information you give them. Ours would include: feeding amounts and times, medications with doses and photos of the packaging, your regular vet's details, the nearest emergency clinic, and a signed note authorising treatment up to a dollar figure you choose. If your pet is senior or has a health condition, a pre-trip examination gives the minder a documented baseline, so "he seems a bit off" becomes a comparison rather than a guess.

For cats especially, staying home with a minder usually beats travelling. Cats are territory animals; most would choose their own windowsill over the best pet friendly hotel in the country.

6 Days Out: The Final Checks

• Crate training refreshers for flyers: feed meals in the crate, door open, zero pressure.
• Confirm your accommodation's pet rules in writing (size limits, indoor rules, extra bonds).
• Refill any prescriptions so you carry more than the exact number of days you need.
• Save the numbers: your vet, an emergency clinic at your destination, and a mobile vet service. If something happens after hours, an emergency vet who comes to you beats hunting for an open clinic in an unfamiliar town.
• For road trips, plan a light meal three to four hours before departure and stops every two hours.

Arrival Day and Beyond: The Quarantine Chapter

For international arrivals, the journey does not end at the airport. Dogs and cats from most countries complete their minimum 10 days at Mickleham PEQ, and owners are not permitted to visit. That separation is the hardest part of the whole relocation for most families.

Here is what we want owners to know, because our vets are PEQ-certified and work inside the Mickleham facility: your pet is checked daily by trained staff, and when something needs veterinary attention, whether it is a post-flight loss of appetite, a flare-up of a skin condition, or ongoing medication for a chronic illness, a certified vet attends the facility, treats your pet, and reports back to you. Pawssum coordinates these PEQ vet visits directly with quarantine staff and sends owners full medical notes after every visit, seven days a week.

The most common call we get from PEQ owners is about a pet not eating. It is usually stress and it usually resolves, but in cats and small or senior dogs it can turn serious within a couple of days, so early assessment is always the right call.

Once your pet is released, give them a quiet week to decompress, then book a settling-in check with a mobile vet at your new home. It establishes care with an Australian vet, transfers the quarantine medical notes into a local record, and spares a jetlagged pet one more unfamiliar building.

The Takeaway

Big trips are won six months out, holidays are won six weeks out, and every trip is won by the boring stuff: current chips, current vaccines, tested medications and a plan for when things go wrong. Our vets are happy to help with every step, at your home, on your schedule.

Questions about your pet's travel plan? Book a Pawssum vet or call 0480 030 580, 7 days, 6am to 11pm.