We are accredited with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and are able to offer Coggins (EIA) testing and health paper certificates for export to the United States.
Coggins Testing
For coggins testing please ensure you have filled out our required paperwork prior to your appointment, including the coggins info form as well as the coggins electronic consent form.
You will be required to create a ‘My VetLink’ account to access your coggins results electronically. Your coggins will be created under the email we have on file for you, so please ensure your information is current with us.
Coggins testing usually takes 2-4 business days to process and is valid for 6 months.
Health Papers
If you are exporting to the USA, a negative coggins test result is required to complete a health certificate.
Once the negative coggins test is completed, a veterinarian can examine your horse and issue them a certificate of health
For health paper completion please ensure you have filled out our required paperwork prior to your appointment, including the rural address of where the horse is currently located as well as the US destination address.
Health papers take 5-7 business days to process and are valid for 30 days from the date of veterinary examination to date of crossing the border.
Please skip the section labeled “Coggins Information” if not needing a coggins test completed at the same time (this would be because the horse already has proof of negative coggins that is less than 6 months old prior to date of border crossing). All other sections must be completed in full.
If booking an appointment to have both a coggins test and health certificate completed, to allow time for shipping of samples and processing of paperwork, please expect 10 business days from your appointment to the time you will have the documentation.
FAQ’s regarding Coggins Testing and Health Certificates
WHAT IS A COGGINS TEST FOR?
A coggins test is for the diagnosis of Equine Infectious Anemia.
WHAT IS EQUINE INFECTIOUS ANEMIA?
Equine infectious anemia (EIA) is a potentially fatal viral disease affecting horses and other members of the equine family such as donkeys and mules. EIA-infected animals remain carriers of the virus for life and can be a source of infection for other animals. Transmission of EIA occurs mainly through the transfer of contaminated blood from one animal to another, so insects such as horse flies, stable flies, and deer flies aid in the disease spread. Transmission may also occur when blood-contaminated objects (e.g. needles, syringes, or surgical instruments) are used on more than one animal. At this time there is no cure for EIA, nor is there a vaccine that will prevent an animal from becoming infected. Therefore, infected animals are subject to either life-long quarantine or humane euthanasia.
WHAT CAN I DO TO PROTECT MY HORSE FROM EIA?
The control of the disease is based on voluntary testing by owners, identification and destruction or life-long quarantine of infected animals, mandatory testing of imported equines, and efforts to prevent the spread of the virus by controlling insect and mechanical vectors. Equine owners can also take the following precautions to reduce the risk of infection:
use strict hygiene practices when vaccinating or collecting blood samples from equines;
use disposable needles and syringes, and do not use the same needle on more than one equine;
implement insect control measures;
test equines as per equine industry standards (e.g. race tracks, shows, events, breeding stables) and whenever equines from different sources will intermingle;
isolate all new equines until they have been tested for EIA;
do not breed EIA-positive equines;
abide by the national EIA control program; and
consult your veterinarian if you suspect your equine may be infected with EIA.
Is EIA a risk to human health?
No. There is no human health risk associated with EIA.
Information taken from the official website of the Government of Canada, click here to read more.
What is a health certificate?
A health certificate is documentation of a clean bill of health from a licensed and accredited veterinarian, deeming the animal fit for travel. After examination from your regular veterinarian, the health paper must be checked and signed by a veterinarian from the CFIA. There are two types of health certificates - temporary export and permanent export.
Once my health certificate is completed, how long is it valid for?
For any health certificate, once it is signed by the CFIA veterinarian, you have 30 days to cross the border from the date of the examination with your initial veterinarian. For temporary papers, the health certificate is valid for 60 days once you have crossed the border. If you plan on staying in the US for longer than a 60 day period from date of border crossing, you will need to get a new health certificate completed by an accredited veterinarian in the US before returning to Canada.
To learn more about our other available services, please click on the links below.