Arizona screwworm cases trigger pet travel rules

Six confirmed cases of the new world screw worm. The outbreak here is entirely concentrated in the southeastern corner of the state. The latest case was confirmed in a horse near Pierce in Cochise County, which is about five miles from the state's first confirmed case. And Arizona's other confirmed cases involved a dog in Graham County, a sheep and a horse in Greenlee County and a dog and a horse in Cochise County. And some Arizonans are finding that the uptick in cases is affecting travel plans if they are bringing a pet. Yeah, at least nine states are now requiring an animal from Arizona be cleared by a veterinarian a few days before visiting those states. Fox 10's Taylor Wirtz joins us now with more on that. Taylor. Yeah, guys, depending on what state you're going to, you may have to get your pet cleared three to seven days before you leave, and with holiday travel just around the corner, many pet owners are calling this extra vet visit a financial burden. Bob Teixeda says his service dog, Sophie, plays a vital role in his and his wife's daily lives. Both my wife and I are seriously hearing impaired. In fact, I'm hearing through my hearing aids right now. Trained to alert her owners to certain sounds, Sophie gets their attention by barking or pawing at them. We don't feel comfortable leaving home without her. So... It's paramount that when we travel, she comes with us. But recent travel requirements following Arizona's uptick in screwworm cases are complicating holiday plans. Under these new requirements, we're faced with additional veterinary appointments, paperwork permits. Scheduling restrictions and potentially $300 or more in veterinary expenses. At least nine states, including California, Hawaii, and Florida, now require all pets and service animals from Arizona to be vet inspected and cleared before entry, whether traveling by car or plane. We had planned to visit our family in San Marcos, California for the Christmas. This was... A vacation, what happens if the families cannot afford those additional expenses? Are they simply expected to forego visiting their kids and grandkids? While some say caution is needed for traveling pets. Our dogs go to relief stations, they go to dog parks. It's just being a responsible pet owner is kind of becoming the territory. And Tashetta agrees it should be taken seriously. I'm not suggesting that the screwworm threat should be ignored. It's a serious concern that deserves appropriate attention. He feels it shouldn't be a financial burden on responsible animal owners. Protecting agricultural and animal health should not automatically translate into imposing costly and potentially unnecessary requirements on every responsible animal owner. Some states like Hawaii have very strict requirements, so be sure to check the specific requirements for whatever state you're going to on the USDA website. We put a link to that with this story on fox10phoenix.com. In Phoenix, Taylor Wertz, Fox 10 News.