CFIA commercial dog import restrictions: what changed and what clinics should do

What the CFIA commercial dog import restrictions say

In short: no new permits, and no commercial dogs from high-risk dog rabies countries, whatever their age. The CFIA announced the measure on June 28, 2022, and its notice to industry covered the changeover this way:

• Import permits already issued stayed valid to the end of their validity period.
• Permits issued on or after June 28, 2022 expired on September 27, 2022, whenever they were issued.
• From September 28, 2022, World Rabies Day, no new permits are issued, and all shipments of commercial dogs, regardless of age, from countries at high risk for dog rabies are prohibited.

The CFIA's current pet import tool still describes the prohibition as in place until further notice, and the Canada Border Services Agency says it'll deny these dogs entry.

Since September 28, 2022, commercial dogs of any age from CFIA-listed high-risk dog rabies countries can't enter Canada, and no import permits are issued for them.

Who counts as a commercial dog

The CFIA defines a commercial dog by its purpose, not by whether money changes hands. A dog is commercial if it's brought to Canada for any of these, profit or not:

A personal pet dog is a different thing. It lives with its owner, the owner is the importer, and they can show they owned the dog before it entered Canada. Personal dogs from high-risk countries still come in under the personal rules, which for dogs three months and older centre on a valid rabies vaccination certificate. The CFIA has said it's exploring ways to strengthen the requirements for personal pet dogs and assistance dogs from these countries, so watch for changes.

Why the CFIA acted

The CFIA acted because dogs carrying canine rabies were getting into the country. Its notice explains that Canada had no active cases of dog rabies, the canine-variant strain that's different from the rabies in Canadian wildlife like skunks, foxes, raccoons and bats. Then in 2021, dogs carrying it were imported, and the Public Health Agency of Canada and provincial public health authorities asked the CFIA to step in.

The stakes, as the CFIA lays them out, are stark. Rabies is over 99% fatal for humans and dogs once symptoms start, and nearly 100% preventable with proper vaccination of animals. A single rabid dog could pass it to people, pets and wildlife. And dog rabies kills 59,000 people a year in more than 100 countries the CFIA considers high-risk.

That list covers countries across Africa, the Americas and Caribbean, Asia, the Middle East and parts of Europe, including Brazil, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, India, the Philippines, Türkiye and Ukraine. It can change, so check the current version instead of going from memory.

What your clinic should check when an imported dog arrives

Start with the rabies paperwork. Toronto Public Health's guidance for veterinarians on animals imported into Canada is a solid base, built on Ontario's requirement that dogs, cats and ferrets over three months be vaccinated against rabies:

1. Get a copy of the animal's previous vaccination record or health certificate, and read it closely.
2. Confirm current rabies vaccination for any animal over three months old.
3. If the documents or the vaccine are in doubt, revaccinate as soon as possible and issue a new certificate.
4. Treat vaccines not licensed for use in Canada or the US as invalid in Ontario, as Toronto's guidance says.

Then add a few questions of your own to the intake form: country of origin, date of arrival, who imported the dog and why, and whether it travelled with its owner. If a dog described as a personal pet was really brought in for adoption from a listed country, that's a matter for the CFIA, not the clinic. The history still belongs in the record.

If an imported dog shows neurological signs or behaviour changes, follow your rabies protocol and contact public health and the CFIA promptly. Rabies is reportable.

Talking to clients who want to adopt from abroad

Clients often ask their vet before adopting from overseas, and the most useful thing you can do is explain the one distinction that trips people up. A dog they'll own and live with is personal. A dog brought in by a rescue for adoption is commercial, and from a listed country, it can't come.

Point them to the CFIA's pet import tool and its country list. The CFIA also publishes questions to ask before buying or adopting any dog, from where the dog really comes from to its vaccination history. For a plain-language version clients can read at home, share PetGrid's owner guide to bringing a dog into Canada.

Keeping imported dogs' records straight

Foreign certificates show up as phone photos, PDFs and crumpled paper in several languages. In PetGrid, patient records let AI read an old record and suggest entries the vet reviews before anything is saved, and paperwork produces the rabies certificate PDF when you revaccinate. Owners using the free app can send the documents they kept, and your team checks them before they reach the chart; the client app page shows how.

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En resumen

The CFIA commercial dog import restrictions shut the door on commercial dogs, rescues included, from countries at high risk for dog rabies, while personal pets still enter under their own rules. For a clinic, the real work happens at intake. Read the records closely, confirm rabies vaccination, revaccinate when in doubt, and write down where the dog has been.

Want to see how PetGrid reads foreign records into a chart your vets approve? Book a demo with the PetGrid team.