Pets in Antigua and Barbuda

The Animal Health Act 2017 requires suitable food, clean water, behaviour-appropriate shelter or housing, veterinary care and humane treatment. It prohibits torture, beating, injury, mutilation, neglect, cruelty and overloading. The Dogs Act also requires food, water, shelter, exercise, attention and veterinary care. An outdoor dog needs a weatherproof enclosure; tethering should provide at least 3 metres and must not use a choke collar or a chain or rope attached directly to the neck. A vehicle carrying an animal needs adequate ventilation and secure confinement or a suitable harness. Dogs must be microchipped, registered and licensed from six months of age or from permanent canine tooth eruption. After acquiring a dog, reaching the applicable age, or importing the dog, the application should be made within 10 working days. Owners must keep dogs on their property or under direct control; a dog running at large can be seized and impounded. Keeping more than five dogs, or boarding, breeding for sale or selling dogs, requires kennel registration, licensing and inspection, with hygiene and safety duties. The Dog Registration & Control Authority handles dog control and registration. The Antigua & Barbuda Humane Society is a designated registration agent and operates a shelter and rehoming service. Its published dog-licence fees are EC$20 for one year or EC$45 for three years for sterilised dogs, and EC$50 for one year for intact dogs. The current statutory fee table should be confirmed before payment. The Humane Society lists adoption fees of 100 for dogs and 80 for cats, although its page does not specify the currency. Adopted dogs are dewormed, treated for fleas and ticks, and spayed or neutered; cats and kittens are dewormed, treated for fleas, litter-box trained and spayed or neutered. Animals that are too young for surgery return for the procedure later. Cats are covered by the general welfare, disease and movement rules, but no national microchip or licensing duty for cats is currently evidenced. Companion-animal care is fragmented between the Veterinary & Livestock Division, private veterinarians and the Humane Society. The Veterinary & Livestock Division provides national animal-health, welfare, certification and import or export inspection functions, while the available evidence does not establish a complete public directory or a 24-hour companion-animal service. The Humane Society describes canine parvovirus as very widespread in Antigua, so preventive vaccination and prompt veterinary attention deserve priority. Anyone bringing a live animal into Antigua and Barbuda needs an import licence from the Veterinary & Livestock Division before travel. Applicants should contact the Division at least two weeks in advance; after approval, preparation of the licence is stated to take up to 48 hours. Requirements depend on the country or territory of origin and can include an ISO-compliant microchip, valid rabies vaccination, an accepted rabies FAVN result from the previous 24 months unless annual rabies vaccination is current, updated vaccination records including leptospirosis and parvovirus, and animal-specific testing. Dog requirements may include tests for Lyme disease, heartworm, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis and leishmaniasis. Cat records may need FeLV, FIV and FIP history. A government health certificate can be no more than seven days old, and internal and external parasite treatment must normally take place within seven days before export using a listed product. The Veterinary & Livestock Division should receive the estimated arrival time at least 72 hours ahead. After-hours, weekend and public-holiday inspections can incur overtime charges, and non-compliant animals may be refused entry, quarantined or returned. No local pet-passport equivalent is currently evidenced. For export, the Veterinary & Livestock Division issues an Export Health Certificate. Transit applications generally require the client or agent, breed and microchip details, departure and final destinations, airline and flight information, and departure and arrival dates and times. The published origin categories include the United Kingdom, the Americas, the US Virgin Islands and British Virgin Islands, Cuba, Hispaniola, Saint Martin and Sint Maarten, Montserrat, Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago, Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao. There is no current evidence of a unified national owner-surrender service or public pet-benefit scheme. The Humane Society provides temporary shelter and rehoming for abandoned dogs and cats. Impounded dogs are held at the Humane Society shelter in Bethesda according to the Dog Registration & Control Authority. The Authority describes a seven-day holding period, while section 31 of the Dogs Act provides at least two working days, excluding the day of impoundment and days when the shelter is closed, for reclaiming a dog. Because these statements differ, an owner should confirm the operational deadline directly. Release can require payment of daily costs and overdue licence fees. An unredeemed dog may become the agent's property for adoption or euthanasia, and a registered veterinarian may authorise euthanasia when an animal is injured, ill or presents a safety concern. For current assistance, the Dog Registration & Control Authority lists 268-562-7277, the Humane Society lists 268-461-4957 and antiguaanimals@gmail.com, and the Veterinary & Livestock Division lists 268-460-1759, 268-562-1814, 268-562-7592 and vld.ab.gov.ag. National law applies in Barbuda, but a current Barbuda-specific public procedure or office is not evidenced.