BRINGING YOUR FURRY
FRIENDS TO GUAM
U.S. Coast Guard Sector Guam
Personnel Programs Liaison
Roberta Stevens
PAGE 2
GUAM HAS BEEN DECLARED RABIES
FREE SINCE 1972
PCSing to Guam with a pet is not easy and can be costly. United Airlines or an International
Pet and Animal Association agent can fly pets to Guam. Pets coming from the United States
may spend a night at the Honolulu Airport in Hawaii before coming to Guam; note there is
a fee associated with the stay.
Most cats and dogs are allowed to fly to Guam, but Guam's tropical climate with high
temperatures and humidity throughout the year may not be ideal or recommended for
them. Pets that are very old, very young (not less than 9 weeks), chronically ill or
debilitated, or pets that experience difficulty in hot climates, should not be imported into
Guam. Pregnant animals past 45 days of gestation are prohibited entry into quarantine.
QUARANTINE EXCEPTIONS
All dogs and cats brought into Guam from other than rabies-free areas of Hawaii, Australia,
New Zealand, Japan and the British Isles must undergo one of three quarantine periods
consisting of 120-days, calculated quarantine, or up to five days at a Department of
Agriculture-approved animal quarantine facility.
Information regarding the quarantine process can also be obtained by contacting the Naval
Base Guam Boller Veterinary Treatment Facility at phone number 671-333-3225. The clinic is
open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. ChST, and Fridays from 9:00
A.M. to 12:00 P.M. Their Facebook page is also a valuable resource Boller Veterinary
Treatment Facility | Facebook.
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APPLICATION FOR ENTRY PERMIT
Pets’ owners are responsible for all applicable expenses (veterinary examinations,
vaccinations, microchip implantation, hospitalization, testing, etc.).
Pet owners (or their authorized representative(s) – authorization letter must accompany
application) are responsible for submitting a completed application with a non-refundable
fee payment of $60.00 per animal permit, plus $5.00 per pet license per licensed year. Money
orders or certified checks should be made payable to “Treasurer of Guam”. Please do not
send cash. Puppies and kittens must be at least 9 weeks of age prior to any request for an
entry permit. If an animal produces a litter while in quarantine, the offspring shall remain
with the mother for the duration of her quarantine period, and additional fees may be
charged by the commercial quarantine facility.
VACCINATIONS REQUIREMENTS
All dogs and cats entering Guam are required to be vaccinated against rabies and other
common infectious diseases prior to release on Guam (this also applies to animals arriving
from exempt areas – see ‘Quarantine Exceptions’ section above). These vaccinations should
be completed prior to arrival.
A document attesting to the administering of the vaccinations must include the name
and address of the pet owner, name and description of the animal (indicating its age,
sex, breed, color, body weight, and markings), dates of vaccinations, (rabies
certificates must include: manufacturer, serial/lot number, expiration date of the
vaccine) and must be certified with the name and legible signature and address of the
veterinarian who administered the vaccinations. Please note: health certificates or other
documents cannot be substituted for the actual Rabies Vaccination Certificates.
Your pet requires a certification of current rabies vaccination with an approved
monovalent inactivated rabies vaccine administered not more than 365 days prior to
the animal’s release from quarantine on Guam (18 months if vaccinated with an
approved 3-year vaccine). Please note: do not vaccinate your pet for rabies after blood
is drawn for the FAVN test (if performed). Also, the use of a modified live rabies
vaccine is strongly discouraged and can require extended quarantine periods as long
as six months following the vaccination.
All animals must have completed at least two rabies vaccinations prior to release from
commercial quarantine.
For the other required vaccinations, the attending veterinarian must sign a letter or other
document that details the date and types of vaccinations administered.
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OTHER DOG VACCINATIONS
Dogs shall be vaccinated not less than 10 days and not more than 365 days prior to
arrival against:
Canine Distemper Virus;
Canine Infectious Hepatitis Virus or Canine Adenovirus-2;
Canine Leptospirosis;
Canine Parainfluenza;
Canine Parvovirus;
Canine Bordatella bronchiseptica (kennel cough).
OTHER CAT VACCINATION
Cats shall be vaccinated not less than 10 days and not more than 365 days prior to
arrival against:
Feline Panleukopenia Virus (feline viral enteritis);
Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis (feline herpesvirus-1);
Feline Calicivirus.
PAGE 5
AFFIDAVIT FOR EXPORT
–
Pet owners with animals originating directly from a designated
rabies-free area (see Quarantine Exception section) must submit
an
affidavit for export or certificate of origin
. The affidavit certifies
that the dog or cat was not outside the area of origin during the
4-month period immediately preceding the date of shipment.
In addition, the affidavit shall certify that the animal has not
been vaccinated with a modified live rabies virus vaccine
during the 4 months immediately prior to the date of shipment.
Affidavits of this nature are generally issued by a government
entity (i.e. state or national
Department of Agriculture
veterinarian or U.S. Army veterinarian) in the jurisdiction of
origin.
HEALTH CERTIFICATE
A health certificate issued by an accredited veterinarian within
10 days prior to arrival is required. (Check with the specific
airline regarding their health certificate time requirements.)
The health certificate must be written in English, and it
must be an original document (facsimile or photocopy
will be accepted for processing, however the original
document shall accompany the animal).
The health certificate must bear an original or stamped
signature with legible name, address, and telephone
number of the certifying veterinarian.
The health certificate must contain the following information:
A complete description of the animal, including age,
markings, sex, breed, body weight, and any additional
identifying characteristics. “Mixed” or similar wording is
not acceptable for breed. Please indicate the nearest
approximate breed.
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HEALTH CERTIFICATE CONT.
Veterinarian’s statement certifying the following:
o The animal has been treated to remove internal (helminths and
heartworms) and external parasites (fleas and ticks) within 14 days of
arrival on.
o The date of any parasite treatment.
o The name of the products used.
o Please Note: the external fleas/ticks treatment must use Fipronil or
other long-acting product. (Revolution is not acceptable).
Certification that the animal is free of any evidence of infectious or
contagious disease (to include heartworm testing/treatment information).
Certification by the issuing veterinarian to the accuracy of the information
stated on the health certificate.
The microchip number and the date of implantation (not required for 120-
day Commercial Quarantine).
The name, serial or lot number, expiration date of the lot, and date of rabies
vaccination must appear on the health certificate.
PAGE 7
QUARANTINE REGULATIONS: HOW LONG?
If your pet is not coming from a country recognized by Guam as rabies-free, then
your pet will have to complete 120 days of commercial quarantine on Guam.
The entry requirements must be completed prior to arrival and the animal may be
allowed to leave the airport with you.
Even if your pet is coming from a non-exempt country, you may still be able to
reduce the duration of commercial quarantine potentially, if you have the time and
the resources to meet the requirements. This is the least expensive way to bring a
dog or cat to Guam (more information in the next section).
Pets that have not initiated the laboratory testing prior to arrival on Guam must
begin the full 120 days of commercial quarantine; however, this period can be
shortened if the FAVN testing and other requirements are completed during the
commercial quarantine. Animals participating in the full 120 day commercial
quarantine on Guam will not require laboratory testing and must show proof of at
least TWO completed rabies vaccinations(lifetime) prior to release from
quarantine, and the most recent one must still be current at the time of release.
More details on vaccinations to follow.
PAGE 8
QUARANTINE PROGRAMS
1. Full 120-Days Commercial Quarantine: If your pet is not arriving from an
exempt area and fails to pass or complete any testing and/or requirements
(see the vaccination requirements section), then your pet will have to
complete the 120-days commercial quarantine on Guam described in the
prior section. There are no other options or exceptions.
2. Calculated Quarantine: If your pet has completed all of the requirements
AND has a rabies FAVN titer of at least 0.5 I.U., then they will have to
spend only as many days in commercial quarantine as required to reach
120 total days since the FAVN blood sample reached the laboratory.
3. Home Quarantine on Guam: If your pet is coming from the United States
or an overseas United States military installation AND has completed all
other requirements AND has a rabies FAVN titer of at least 1.0 I.U. then
they may qualify for home quarantine until 120 total days has passed since
the FAVN blood sample reached the laboratory.
4. Exempt from Quarantine: If your pet is coming from an exempt country
(such as Japan or Australia) AND has been there for at least 120 days, then
there is normally no commercial quarantine required on Guam. The entry
requirements can be completed prior to arrival and the animal may be
allowed to leave the airport with you. Your veterinarian can help you with
the pre-arrival requirements as detailed in the below section (p. 9).
PAGE 9
REQUIREMENTS FOR CALCULATED AND HOME QUARANTINE:
o ELECTRONIC MICROCHIP – All dogs and cats attempting to
qualify for calculated and home quarantine are required to have an
implanted electronic microchip. The microchip must be U. S. made
and readable with an AVID universal scanner (i.e. AVID chip, Home
Again chip). The microchip number must be included on the results
of the pet’s rabies antibody test.
o OIE-FLUORESCENT ANTIBODY VIRUS NEUTRALIZATION
TEST (aka OIE-FAVN Test/Rabies Antibody Test) – A rabies blood
test (requiring 1 to 3 ml of serum) to determine if dogs and cats have
responded adequately to the rabies vaccination is required prior to
arrival as the first step to qualifying for the 0-5 day quarantine
program. The testing laboratory must submit the test results directly
to the Animal Quarantine Program at the Department of
Agriculture, in Mangilao, Guam.
The OIE-FAVN test must be conducted no more than 12 months
prior to arrival into Guam. A result of 0.5 I.U. of rabies antibodies
or greater per milliliter of blood or is required (1.0 I.U. required for
the Home Quarantine). The day that the laboratory receives the
OIE-FAVN sample counts as the first day for the 120-day
countdown.
To be considered valid, the test results must include the number of
the implanted microchip and a complete description of the animal
(sex, breed, age, color or color pattern, any visible unique
identifying characteristics, etc.)
If your pet passes the pre-arrival OIE-FAVN test and all other
requirements at least 120 days prior to arrival, they will then be
considered as having met the prequalification requirements for the
calculated quarantine (home quarantine just requires a higher titer).
Please Note: no quarantine of less than 5 days can be guaranteed,
based on the availability of a veterinarian to perform the arrival
quarantine examination.
Note: if documentation is incorrect or incomplete, arriving animals will be
sent to a commercial quarantine facility while awaiting proper
documentation. The costs for this holding period will be paid by the owner.
If documentation is incomplete to meet the requirements a less than 120-
day quarantine program, the full 120-day commercial quarantine program
will go into effect.
PAGE 10
POST ARRIVAL REQUIREMENTS
Any dog or cat eligible for less than 120 days of quarantine shall be
transported directly to a commercial quarantine facility where a post-
arrival examination by the Territorial Veterinarian or a licensed
veterinarian approved by the Director must be completed.
This same examination must be completed for all dogs and cats arriving
from exempt areas as well, but in that case the examination can be
arranged and completed by the owner/agent within 72- hours of pet
arrival, and any veterinarian licensed on Guam can complete this
examination.
No animal can be sold until this examination and any required treatments
have been completed. Failure to comply can result in the full 120-day
quarantine at the owner’s expense.
The veterinarian responsible for the post-examination must submit a
health examination certificate to the Department of Agriculture verifying
the health of the dog or cat, and provide their recommendations for the
animal’s early release or continued quarantine status as deemed necessary.
No animal can be released until this examination has been submitted.
A certificate of completion must be obtained from the Department of
Agriculture prior to release.
For more information,
Contact the Department
Of Agriculture at:
(671) 300-7965/66
Helpful links:
USDA APHIS |
GUAM – USDA
Endorsement
Office
Guide To Moving
To Guam With
Pets | Animal
Medical Clinic
(amcguam.com)
Pets | PCS to
Guam | Go Guam | COMSUBPAC (navy.mil)
* ANIMALS ELIGIBLE FOR CALCULATED OR HOME
QUARANTINE THAT ARE HELD BY THE
EXAMINING VETERINARIAN DURING POST-
ARRIVAL EXAMINATION DUE TO ANY HEALTH
ANOMALIES MUST BE CLEARED FOR RELEASE BY
THE TERRITORIAL VETERINARIAN OR A LICENSED
VETERINARIAN APPOINTED BY THE DIRECTOR
