Legislators study plan to abolish quarantine

By Mike Gordon
Advertiser Staff Writer

A community coalition that includes the Hawai'i Chamber of Commerce and the Hawaiian Humane Society hopes to convince state officials to eliminate Hawai'i's 30-day pet quarantine, but the state veterinarian said the proposal could increase chances of introducing rabies into the Islands.

Robert Amell, an animal caretaker at the state Animal Quarantine Station, comforts 1-year-old Nikki, who has just been brought in for her quarantine stay. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

Coalition spokeswoman Chris Quackenbush said the proposal does not differ greatly from existing rules. But doing away with quarantine would eliminate the emotional hardship many pet owners face when moving to Hawai'i.

The current rules, adopted in 1997 after lengthy debate, call for a 90-day waiting period before arrival in Hawai'i and 30 days of confinement once the animal is here. In addition, the animal must undergo two tests for rabies, at least two rabies vaccinations, with the second one given no sooner than three months after the first, and a microchip inserted for identification.

Dogs and cats that do not meet these requirements must stay in quarantine for 120 days.

Health documented

The proposal would eliminate the 90-day waiting period and 30-day quarantine, but retain the use of a microchip. Pets would need a rabies shot and booster no less than three months apart and not more than one year apart. A blood test would be taken after the last rabies shot.

Hawai'i officials would receive a health certificate from the pet's veterinarian at least 14 days before arrival, with all test results and health certificates sent by e-mail to prevent fraud.

Before arrival, animals must pass a blood test, with results e-mailed to Hawai'i officials by the testing lab.

At the airport, animal quarantine officials would inspect every incoming pet, check its chip to confirm its identity and release the animal to its owner if everything is in order.

Difficult to enforce

Mary Vierra, who moved back to 'Ewa Beach from Las Vegas with her 7-year-old Labrador retriever, Kamalii, is caring for the dog herself in quarantine. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

"It increases risk significantly," he said. "I can't speak for the department, but I don't think the department is willing to implement a program that is not only increasing risk, but is set up to be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to enforce."

Foppoli said he disagrees with the coalition argument that the three months between vaccinations is the same as the state's 90-day waiting period.

"I am never going to be convinced," he said. "We have these two things in our program and they don't. How can you say the risks are reduced?"

He said the pre-arrival waiting period is crucial because rabies can incubate in an infected animal much longer than what is considered the norm, about 30 days.

"A vaccination given after an animal is infected does no good," he said. "The incubation period can be a long time. The whole problem with rabies, and the reason for extended quarantine, is you are trying to pick up these long incubators."

Quackenbush believes the shot schedule creates an effective waiting period.

"If you have an animal that is normally cared for with a continuous series of shots, the time between its last vaccination and booster is the time we consider the waiting period," Quackenbush said. "If the animal has survived, it doesn't have rabies. Then you have the blood test."

Supporting evidence

The changes made in 1997 were the first in 85 years. They allowed pet owners to avoid the 120-day "wait-and-see" quarantine in effect since 1912. Animals that do not meet the microchip and testing requirements must endure the longer wait.

The Hawaiian Humane Society supports the coalition proposal, said spokeswoman Eve Holt.

"We have seen substantial evidence from experts that eliminating the 30-day holding period would not put us at risk," she said. "We are on very firm footing. There is an awful lot of evidence to support this."

She said the state is still protected by a 90-day pre-arrival waiting period because a vaccination cannot be given any later than that.

"If the blood test is done on the Mainland, and you can prove it is the same animal, it eliminates the holding period," Holt said.

A joint Senate-House resolution supporting the coalition's proposals is being drafted, and there is talk of legislation.

"I am extremely optimistic," said Quackenbush, who has been talking to state legislators about the coalition's proposal.

Sen. Jan Yagi Buen, D-4th (W. Maui, Moloka'i, Lana'i), who is among those legislators, wants to eliminate the 30-day quarantine, but only if the proposed changes can be enforced.

"It is an emotional issue," she said. "I don't want the families to go through what they have to go through now. But the No. 1 thing is I don't want to see rabies in Hawai'i."

Military interest

The military has had a longstanding interest in quarantine issues, but Marine Maj. Sean Gibson, spokesman for the U.S. Pacific Command at Camp Smith, said the armed services are not part of the coalition, though individual service members belong.

"We do maintain informal contacts," he said. "We do maintain an interest in their work, because quarantine is a quality-of-life issue with servicemen."

Last year, the governor vetoed a bill that would have lowered the cost of quarantine for military personnel.

Reach Mike Gordon at mgordon@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8012.