London, United Kingdom–Dr. Eytan Kreiner, head veterinarian at Animal Airways: “The internet is the main platform for diverse markets and it was only natural that it would become the main platform for pet products, pet services and of course for pet sales. While customers are tempted to purchase pets online most of them are unaware of their countries’ rules and regulations which are mandatory to import and are unfamiliar with the necessary procedures for shipping pets abroad safely to their new homes”.

According to Animal Airways’ statistics department between 5 to 10 million pets are sold through online channels annually and over 10% are shipped abroad to their new homes. Dr. Kreiner: “According to our research, about one million puppies are shipped internationally as part of the pet online sales. Dogs are most commonly purchased online (60%) followed by cats (30%) and ferrets, birds and hamsters (10%). Animal Airways economists estimate that over 75% of pets sold online are pedigree while 15%-20% are considered “exotic” among western countries.

Animal Airways offers professional guidance and advice focusing on the regulatory aspect as every country has different policies (for example: most countries require specific vaccinations while some require even blood tests for rabies, others insist on pet quarantine and pet shipment by cargo only).

Dr. Kreiner: “Animal Airways has set new standards in the field of international pet flight. Once recognizing the new trend – online pet sales – we decided to take matters into our hands and provide our customers worldwide with professional solutions to ship pets legally and safely to and from every country worldwide. We can assist customers to select a pet by first of all informing them regarding which species are not allowed in their countries, advising them where pets will acclimate in their region while taking into account parameters such as climate and even the size of their homes or gardens.”

According to Dr. Kreiner the main challenge in serving clients that purchase pets on line is assisting them with the forms required by their countries for pet imports. Another challenge is finding the most convenient and most “pet friendly” airline or cargo operator to handle the international shipment. Last but not least is the veterinarian aspect involved in pet imports. Animal Airways is a veterinarian institution and our veterinary division specializes in supporting our clients worldwide throughout the process, providing them with information regarding: pre-flight checks, health certificates, vaccinations, prevention treatments, pet passports, microchips and more.

For more (free) tips and advice by professional pet flight managers and flight veterinarians, contact us at: [email protected].