Chile Forum

Dear all,

I am new to this forum and am about to move to Santiago with my cat but wasnt aware of the 3 month wait after the rabies test, which is obviously creating problems. I am sure this topic has been covered before but I want to be 100 % sure before facing issues due to insufficient research.

On the SAG website there is a note saying you need to have had a blood test for rabies antibodies done at least 3 months before the trip in order to be able to bring the cat into the country. Has anyone got any experience with this? Is this true? The vet was very surprised when I told him here in Spain but this is what I understand from the below text.

"La mascota fue vacunada contra la rabia, como mínimo 1 mes y como máximo 12 meses antes del embarque o se le efectuó un examen para determinar anticuerpos contra el virus de la rabia (con resultado mínimo de 0,5 UI/ml), entre tres y 24 meses antes del viaje."

Hope someone is able to help me!

Kind regards,
Maria

My Spanish is horrible, but doesn't that say 1 month? I seem to remember it being 1 month for my dog, about a year ago.

Oops, read it again. It sounds like it's 3 months if you just do a test for it. But I think it's only 1 month if your cat gets vaccinated.

The important detail is "o" (or). The way I read it you need either that the cat has been vaccinated at least one month and less than 12 months before the date of travel OR a blood test. If you have a vaccination certificate that fits the timeframe stated, you shouldn't need a blood test as well.

We just came this year with our pet. If you vaccinate, it only has to be done a minimum of one month before departure. But the 12 months on the other side is important, especially if you live in a state that only requires every 3 years now. In other words, you can't be more than a year over your last rabies vaccination. The alternative test that is referred to is what is commonly called "titers" in the US, since many people are opting for titers to see if the animal is still protected rather than vaccinating every year. If you are doing titers ONLY, then the between 3 months and 2 years provisions kicks in.

Picalina and gringalais are correct in all the info provided. We brought multiple species w/us (mostly cats) recently from the US.

Amazing, thanks so much all, you have been really helpful! I completely missed the "or" but now it makes so much more sense..

What about horses, we have 2 cats and 2 older horses ... thanks