International moves become a big part of RV Vet practice in 2025
Chelsea Miller and Lori Childers
BSP Reporter and Staff
Rondout Valley Veterinary Associates has been flooded with requests for international pet relocations. These requests went from busy to something that really stood out to Dr. Kathleen Laux, the practice's owner. Their office handled 13 requests in 2024 and the number increased to 46 in 2025, with most of the requests coming since August. "The volume in the last two months exceeded anything she had seen before," she said.
"There were a lot of people reaching out [previous clients and new clients] about moving out of this country and needing help with international health certificates... There is a lot of research that goes into each international health certificate as each country has different requirements and we need to make sure that each pet traveling meets those requirements."
Over 90% of the work goes on outside the exam room. "Doing all the research, setting up appointments, tests and dewormings at appropriate times, and doing all the paperwork accurately is the most time consuming."
James Parker and his husband decided to retire from Accord to Barcelona, Spain with his Corgi Cricket and Chiweenie Lucia he says for "the climate, the people, the weather, the food, the architecture, the excellent healthcare, the lower cost of living, the easy access to the rest of Europe and Scandinavia. I love the lifestyle I have now."
Laux says many of her clients are relocating to Europe and the UK and that each country has different travel requirements.
Parker makes no bones about it, "Europe leans heavy into their paperwork and bureaucracy.
To bring domestic animals into Spain, you need to go through a process that involves utilizing a USDA Certified Veterinarian in the U.S. to fill out and file the necessary paperwork which is quite extensive. I was fortunate in that Rondout Valley Veterinary Associates had been my practice of choice since I moved into the area and both Dr. Laux and Dr. Hartelius, as well as being exceptionally good veterinarians, are both USDA certified. Together with the fantastic staff at the practice [with a very special hat tip to Sharon] they were able to guide us through the entire process smoothly.
The one hiccup that occurred was that my travel date fell within the window of the federal government shutdown earlier this year. You have to file your paperwork to the USDA 10 days prior to travel, and they sign and stamp it and Fed-Ex it back to you.
I was nervous that with the shutdown this process would be delayed or completely stalled. The clinic reached out directly to the USDA on my behalf and confirmed that the department handling this specific issue was one of the few still operating within the U.S. government.
They filed the paperwork on the precise date required and I got it back from the USDA one day prior to departure.
Dr. Hartelius managed to keep me from having a compete emotional breakdown over imagining worst case scenarios due to that shutdown. Rondout Valley Vets made the process smooth and as stress free as possible from start to finish. I would not be sitting here in Barcelona right now with my two girls curled up against me on the sofa if it were not for Dr. Laux, Dr. Hartelius and their exceptional staff."
Administering international travel requests has become a focus. "True animal health emergencies always come first, but health certificate forms that must be completed and FedEx return labels that must be ordered for return of materials do get moved up the list when it is necessary," said Laux.
She said, "there is a great variety in how people reach out to us. Some people contact us 6 to 3 months ahead of time to make sure everything is in order. Many contact us two weeks before and if all testing and rabies vaccination is valid we can make that happen and a few people reach out four days ahead. This leaves us in a position that it is almost impossible to help the individual. There are times that humans need to leave and then return for their pet when everything is in order."
Rebecca Schoenauer moved to Germany with her adopted dog Oscar and cat Domino. She moved to the area with her husband and after a divorce after a time decided to return to Germany. While here she attended Marist College and "found a great job" and stayed in the area after the divorce. She is a medical laboratory scientist and will continue with a new job in Germany and is starting med school in April. She credits her success to her pets, helping her get through and persevere.
"Oscar and Domino are a very integral part of my life and my family, and I could never imagine a life where I would leave them behind. They helped me through my divorce, the stress with juggling a full time course load and a full time job. They're my babies and I would never want to be without them," she says.
She said Germany wasn't too bad. "We also had no issues at all at the airport. Planning a move across continents is such a stressful time, and I am so glad that Rondout Valley Vet took a huge burden off my shoulders via their competence."