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dcason's avatar
dcason
Explorer
Dec 22, 2022

Taking dog to alaska from NY...food questions

Planning Alaska trip with dog...have heard beef is a no and chicken is a no...was thinking that dehydrated honest kitchen would be a good choice. Any ideas on dog food...about a good week to get to border in Montana so no problem there. Then Canada for as long as a month but probably not. Then AK....lots of borders.

What have people done with pup food?
  • We had a problem once going into the US. We had taken the cat food out of its bag and put into a plastic container. Customs did not like as they couldn't establish the contents. We now take it in a sealed original bag and only have enough loose for the trip. (We're only half a day from the border.)
    We've had a few problems with human food as well.
    Coming into Canada, we were once asked for rabies vaccination proof.
  • Thanks all. She usually eats raw food that I make but not bothering with that with border changes. I can convert her about a week before trip (to say honest kitchen dehydrated), bring enough for usa part. Buy more in canada enough to hopefully use up and not throw out. Hit up anchorage/fairbanks for hopefully enough to last most of the trip (3 months?). I can make phone calls to see what they carry. Hopefully that will do it for us.
  • Bringing Pet food into Canada:
    Pet food into Canada

    Human Food

    Requirements for pet to enter Canada.

    We travel across into the USA and back in to Canada all the time camping, as we have relatives in Washington, Oregon and Arizona and have been doing it since the 60’s.
    What we always do, is never pack, meat, vegetables, Fruit and booze. However my uncle in Oregon had his own personal bar in his work shop, and we always had to bring down some particular type of Rye and Beers for him. But we know the volume amounts permitted and that was all we brought. Now since he has passed away, we don’t take booze across in either direction either.
    We travel with our cat when we are camping and she has been everywhere in both countries.
    She eats hard food so cat food type is a non issue for us, however read and understand the Canadian Govt links I posted above , and if they are unclear just called them they will be more than happy to help.
    And you require proof of vaccination for your dog to enter Canada, as per the link above.
    Have a fabulous trip
    Soup.
  • FWIW, for the Alaska part of your trip, while I'm not sure of your itinerary, the towns of either Squarebanks or Los Anchorage are a day or two drive from the Canadian border and have all sorts of pet stores, feed stores, etc.

    Never having traveled with a dog (horses yes),nevertheless I suspect that bringing a day or several days worth of dog food into the U.S. will not be scrutinized as much as going into Canada, so I'd just suggest having a few days supply as you cross into Alaska and then re-stock in due course.
  • dcason wrote:
    Planning Alaska trip with dog...have heard beef is a no and chicken is a no...was thinking that dehydrated honest kitchen would be a good choice. Any ideas on dog food...about a good week to get to border in Montana so no problem there. Then Canada for as long as a month but probably not. Then AK....lots of borders.

    What have people done with pup food?


    processed food,, can be carried into Canada.

    many fresh vegetables are forbidden also. (potatoes specially)

    Canadian government has a web page listing these items.
  • Buy some dogfood when you get into Canada. The have grocery and pet stores.
  • Here’s a thought, if you are feeding your dog fresh ingredients then buy local, otherwise I don’t see a problem.
  • Depends on the dog. Ours likes change, and does not get the runs, so changing food is not a problem.

    If yours is the opposite, look for a food that you can buy at home, in Canada and Alaska. Some good quality computer time should get your answer, plus a few phone calls to verify. Then, if they make you throw it out, okay, just buy it after the border crossing.

    Also check to see if the rumors you heard are true. About 3 years ago my son and I killed a moose in Newfoundland and had no problems bringing it back. Nobody checked the moose at all. They also never looked at the rifles, we just did the paperwork and paid the service charges. So much depends on the agent.

    I would make sure that you have the rabies vax and certificate for doggie. I carry the paperwork inserted in my passport. I have been asked, but I have never seen an agent open the paper.

    Just be a polite guest and do as you are told. The Canadians seem to be nice folks. No need for a $20, $50 or $100 like parts of Africa.