Pets in Guyana

A companion animal is an animal kept for companionship, protection, assistance or personal interest. In Guyana, private pet keeping does not operate through one verified nationwide registration or licensing system. The formal framework is supplemented by local council rules, council pounds, private veterinarians, shelters and non-governmental organisations, so available services and procedures can differ by area. The Animal Welfare Act 2018 addresses unnecessary pain and cruelty, suitable living conditions, health and safety risks, controlled reproduction and responsibility for offspring and related costs. The Act was published on 7 September 2018, but the research did not locate the current ministerial order bringing it into force. The exact enforceability of individual provisions should therefore be confirmed with the competent authority rather than assumed from the Act's publication alone. The competent authority is the Head of the Animal Health Unit or an authorised official. Owners should provide adequate food, clean water, shelter, suitable conditions, veterinary care and humane treatment. They should control movement where necessary to prevent injury, disease or risks to people and other animals. There is no verified national routine fee table for ordinary veterinary care or pet keeping. Private costs depend on the animal, treatment, provider and region, so a registered veterinarian should confirm them in advance. Keep vaccination and health records, use parasite control and seek a registered veterinarian or the GLDA when an animal is ill. No reliable nationwide routine vaccination duty for every privately kept animal was established, although rabies vaccination and control programmes exist. The Guyana Livestock Development Authority, or GLDA, regulates animal health, veterinary drugs and animal import and export. The Ministry of Agriculture publishes a register of registered veterinarians. GLDA Veterinary Services can be contacted at 220-6557. Veterinary access and routine ownership support are not evidenced as equally available throughout Guyana. Breeding and commercial sale have additional requirements. Breeding at least three companion animals for sale requires permission from the competent authority before breeding begins and registration as a breeder. A pet shop offering companion animals for sale requires approval, may sell only animals from a registered establishment, must use trained sales staff and must provide written care instructions. Selling a companion animal to anyone under 18 is prohibited under the stated legal framework. These requirements concern commercial activity and do not create a general nationwide pet licence for ordinary private ownership. Municipal and District Councils may regulate animal keeping and movement and establish pounds. Stray animals on private or public land may be taken to a council pound by an owner, the police, town or rural constabulary, or local-government officers. Georgetown has additional Control of Stray Dogs By-Laws. Council practice should be checked locally because these rules do not prove identical coverage across Guyana. A person who loses an animal should report it to an animal shelter within three days under section 36 of the Animal Welfare Act. A finder who believes an animal is abandoned or lost should also inform a shelter. A shelter may collect, house and feed the animal, arrange veterinary treatment, keep a register and publish lost or abandoned animal information. Reclaiming an animal can involve housing and feeding costs. If nobody claims the animal after 15 days, the shelter may sell it or arrange foster care; after 60 days without return, sale or foster placement, humane euthanasia may be possible under the stated framework. A single nationwide shelter service has not been established. GSPCA Animal Clinic and Shelter and Rosewood Foundation Guyana provide documented shelter or adoption functions, but intake conditions, availability and costs must be confirmed directly. Wild animals are not ordinary pets. The Wildlife Conservation and Management Act and the Guyana Wildlife Conservation and Management Commission apply to wildlife. Selling or keeping capuchins or jack monkeys as pets has been prohibited since 2022. Existing animals require registration and a microchip through the Guyana Wildlife Conservation and Management Commission. Wildlife permission should be confirmed before acquiring or keeping any wild species. Importing a dog or cat into Guyana requires a GLDA import permit, health and vaccination records, a health certificate from the veterinary authority in the country of origin, advance information to the Animal Health Unit at least 24 hours before arrival and veterinary inspection at the port of entry. The permit is generally single-entry and valid for three months, and quarantine may be required at the importer's expense. A landing permit is required when the compliance conditions are met. Published processing time is about three working days. Dogs must be at least four months old, microchipped and vaccinated against canine distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis, parainfluenza and parvovirus. Cats need complete vaccination against calicivirus, feline panleukopenia and rhinotracheitis. Dogs and cats must be in good health, free from infectious or contagious disease, meet the relevant origin and six-month disease-status requirements, receive rabies vaccination at least one month before export where required and receive internal and external parasite treatment 72 hours before export. The published import permit fee is G$20,000 per cat or dog. Quarantine and other fees may apply, and charges should be reconfirmed with GLDA or the Guyana Revenue Authority because schedules can change. Transit through Trinidad and Tobago requires a separate in-transit permit, usually processed in about four working days. Guyana requires notice at least four working days in advance, does not permit unloading on the ground, requires waste to remain on board and applies IATA animal-transport and veterinary-arrival controls. The transit permit is generally single-entry and valid for 14 days. Exporting a pet requires an export permit, a health examination, compliance with the destination country's import rules, health records and test results. Dogs and cats generally need rabies vaccination 30 days before travel and may need a titre test. The International Export Health Certificate is published with an approximate four-working-day processing time and requires the relevant veterinary and GLDA signatures. Airline rules and destination-country requirements apply in addition to Guyana's procedures.