The American Veterinary Medical Association reaffirmed this week that it supports the Healthy Dog Importation Act. The bill was created to reduce the spread of diseases that could be dangerous to human and animal health. The Act gives the Department of Agriculture more resources to check on the health of any dogs entering the United States. The goal is to make sure that no imported dogs are a safety or health hazard to the country.
Representatives Kurt Schrader of Oregon, and Dusty Johnson of South Dakota are co-chairs of the Veterinary Medicine Caucus and reintroduced the legislation. The bill would make it a law for any imported dog to have a certificate of veterinary inspection from a licensed veterinarian confirming the dog is healthy and has received all vaccinations and passed the required USDA tests. Over one million dogs are imported into the U.S. each year, but less than one percent are actually inspected for diseases.
