Bringing a Pet from the States If you are bringing your dog or cat from the states keep in mind that Dominica has specific rules that you must follow, these are listed on the RossU website and can also be found here:Bringing US domestic pets to Dominica
Please bring at least three copies of ALL of your paperwork with you on the day you travel.
Your pet must be up-to-date on all of its vaccinations.
An export permit must be completed via the USDA protocol.
This permit must be secured from a U.S. government veterinarian. If you are unsure of where to go, your local veterinary college always has a U.S. licensed government veterinarian on staff. You will have two appointments to complete the proper paperwork. The first appointment will be to send out your rabies titer. Every animal over the age of 3 months is required to be vaccinated for rabies, and if your animal was vaccinated more than a month prior to your travel date, this is a required component of your exit permit. It takes 2-4 weeks to receive titer results, so please plan ahead. Once your titer results have been received from the APHIS center in Kansas, you will have a second appointment to finish the paperwork with the veterinarian. You must then take the exit paperwork and rabies titer to your local USDA office to secure their approval and stamp for finalization.
Import and exit permits must be obtained for EACH COUNTRY YOU TRAVEL THROUGH TO GET TO THE ISLAND. If you set foot in a country, you need and import and export permit. This includes short layovers!
You will need no additional paperwork other than your import permit for Dominica if you are flying direct to from Puerto Rico.
Do not fly through: Trinidad/ Tobago or Barbados. These islands do not allow foreign animals, even if you are in transit. Martinique and St. Maarten have additional requirements for in transit animals, like microchipping.
Antigua is a commonly used island for transit. Their requirements are listed below.
IGA carries Pedigree puppy and adult dog food, as well as Purina Puppy Chow. There is also a small variety of canned dog food and they will also occasionally stock dog treats as well as grooming supplies and vitamins.
IGA alaso carries a variety of cat food, dry and canned, as well as vitamins and litter.
Save-A-Lot in Roseau has a larger variety of food, toys, treats, and accessories as well.
4D is Roseau/ Canefield also carries a lot of pet items, as well as food.
You can always ship a barrel with your favorite dog food, or make food yourself.
Where can I get my dog/cat vaccines, rabies shots, or spayed/neutered?
Each semester we will have a Vet Day where the vets come to do general vaccines, rabies shots, and exit paperwork.
An average house call for either vaccines or a check-up from Brian run around 110-120 EC.
There are multiple veterinarians to choose from on the island, but PAWS recommends Drs. Paul and George for spay/ neuter. They run their practice out of Roseau. They will come to pick-up of your pet, do the surgery, and hold them overnight for post-surgical monitoring before returning them to you the next day. Their office phone number is 767-277-4811.
There is a tablet that can be purchased in Roseau, you can also ask Brian to pick it up for you, that is given monthly and it runs about 8EC. But it is suggested that you either bring or ship something like Nexguard, Trifexis, Frontline or Advantage from the states.
There are also flea & tick shampoos carried at IGA
**Heartworm has recently been introduced to the island, please keep a close eye on your pet and take preventative measures.
What sort of diseases should I be aware of on the island?
Mange is a very common disease in dogs and cats on the island. It comes in two flavors:
Sarcoptic Mange (Scabies) which is extremely contagious to other animals and to humans, which will usually show as a 2 week rash on people. On animals this is seen with constant scratching, often the animal will have bleeding or bald patches around the face, neck, and shoulders. This can be treated with a call to Brian and a series of weekly shots.
Demodectic Mange, or chronic mange, which is caused by a sensitivity to and overpopulation of mites that live on dogs if the animal's immune system is unable to keep the mites under control. Demodectic Mange is genetic and not contagious. It often flares up after vaccinations. This can be treated with a 10 day regimen of an oral tablet and a regular wash that can be gotten from Brian.
*You can request a skin scrape be done to determine which type of mange as Demodectic Mange will show while Sarcoptic Mange will not. Worms
Fairly common in animals, if your animal is showing signs (worms or proglottids in their feces) you can get an oral treatment from Brian, for extreme cases there is also a shot available.
Heart Worm
While heartworm has only been introduced to the island in the past 2 years, please be aware and take preventative measures.
Yes, you can get a kennel from 4-D in Roseau for $350-650 EC depending on size, and availability. Kennels that are to be used for flying must have attached food and water bowls, orientation stickers, and live animal stickers on the sides. These all must be brought from the states or Canada, as these items are not available on island.