Jeddah - Post Report Question and Answers
Are qualified veterinarians and/or good kennel services available? Do animals need to be quarantined upon entry to the country? Are there other considerations regarding pets that are particular to this country?
Not sure. It was quite rare to see pets outside expat compounds. - Oct 2022
Dogs, cats and rabbits are welcome, but you must register your dog as a “Guard Dog” and you might have trouble with “high bite risk” breads. We used PendorPets in Chantilly to help us ship my two fat, lazy, stupid, ungrateful cats at a cost. - Aug 2022
Yes, there are suitable veterinarian services available for pets, though we did not have any pets. - Nov 2020
We brought our cat. Be aware that it is incredibly difficult to get an animal into Saudi; in addition to the USDA certification, you also need State Department accreditation and a stamp from the Saudi embassy in DC. I did this in four days only because I burst into tears at the State Department accreditation offices. I don't recommend doing it in less than a week. There are plenty of vets in Jeddah as long as you want basic stuff. I had no trouble getting regular vaccinations. There was no quarantine for our cat. Be aware that there are a lot of feral cats around the city; some are straight up feral, most are friendly neighborhood cats. Our cat actually made a couple of friends and fre-nemies while we were there. People also do not like dogs, which are considered working animals and not pets. (The zoo in Taif has dogs in a cage as part of their exhibits.) - Oct 2019
It is a pain to bring a pet to Saudi Arabia, but it is doable, even if you have a dog. You need to block out your last week before PCS for running around to the Saudi Embassy, vet, and State to get the paperwork squared away though. I have heard vets are available but I can't comment on quality; I have not heard any significant complaints, though. If you want a cat, there will always be strays where there are Americans around. I cannot figure out why. - Mar 2019
No quarantine and okay veterinarians. Since we all just live next door to each other, most people just have someone watch their pet when they go on vacation. We have a pet and haven't found it to be an issue. People will say that dogs aren't liked here, but most of the people you'll interact with are incredibly Westernized and love dogs. They're also common enough that people don't seem to mind them. - Jan 2019
No, but there is a LOT of red tape to get your pet into Saudi. Cats are easier than dogs to import. - Apr 2016
There is only one vet who attends to dogs. - Nov 2015
This is expensive. There is only one doctor who treats dogs, and I heard that he charged almost 1800 USD for a dog's surgery. - Oct 2015
You have to bring your pet with you. They don't like dogs here at all. Pet care is available but very expensive. - Oct 2015
Yes, there are restrictions, but not familiar about the rules. - Aug 2015
There is a good Spanish vet who speaks English. Note that you cannot let your dogs run free at the compounds. - Feb 2014
