禁漫天堂

Welcome to the forum. I don't think this is the proper place to ask the questions about your disability payments. I suggest contacting the Veteran's Administration.

The cheapest flights probably change daily. I usually used something like CheapOair to search for the flights and when I found one that fit my budget I would try to book directly with the airlines.

@Moon Dog

thanks for your reply

do you know anything about service dogs

All IS VA disability compensation is tax free. I do the same as Moondog during the search for airline tickets, start my search in January and fly Mar or April.聽 Only thing i know about first class is it鈥檚 in the front of the plane and out of my price range. No knowledge pertaining to service animals but i wouldn鈥檛 expect very much. It鈥檚 the Philippines accept her as she is or well you know鈥� Not much for special privledges here for handicaped or homeless or anything or anybody.

Do you have Tricare prime or tricare for life? I have read that VA medical is available but probaly in the larger such as Manila. Do your research before you get here because customer service is not the same as the States. Good luck. The PI is a beautiful place with beautiful and happy people.

聽 聽 thanks for your reply
do you know anything about service dogs
聽 聽

聽 聽 -@kbustin

No but there is an expat on the forum who goes by "eptowing" that brought his service dog to the Philippines. Maybe he could help you out. Here is one of his posts: /forum/viewtopic.php?id=988161

One thing to keep in mind if you've never been to the Philippines, there are no animal control services. The dogs here are feral, mangy, flea bitten, hairless and covered in soars. I brought my dog from the US but had to pay dearly since she is not a service dog. I keep her far away from the local "dogs".

@jcole4455

@kbustin

This will be long.

I am only going to address your pooch as that's the only thing I can really comment on. And my response will probably piss you off. But hear me out with a slightly open mind. You'll need it to understand.

I'll start with the part that will piss you off, and then explain:

1. Your PTSD service dog is not a service dog. He's an ESA at best in the eyes of many. Most importantly in the eyes of exactly who you want to convince to allow him with you everywhere outside the USA.
2. Does he perform a task related to your disability that he was trained for? What task does he preform?

You mentioned flying first class, which I did (actually Business Class EVA Air) last November with my "true service dog". I'm being an arse in the delivery because this is what you need to realize. The people you need to convince are going to be bigger asses because they were raised differently in THEIR country.

If you are planning on taking Fido in-cabin, like I did, you are in for some surprises and possibly some hurdles you will not be able to jump over. The USA recently stopped allowing ESA dogs in-cabin on North American flights. In other words, it's no longer a LAW that the airlines MUST allow Fido in-cabin. True service animals for disabled persons are however still allowed by law. The Fed has actually a reasonable yet not so wide as before definition of a service animal. Even though there is NO GOVERNING BODY to certify a service animal, nor standard. Weird sounding I know. But you need this knowledge to get Fido on board in-cabin. Otherwise, he goes in cargo! (safe temp controlled on plane, but what about airport? Handlers, etc).

You're not flying direct non-stop from NY to Manila or Cebu. This is key also. When your plane lands in some other country for you to transfer to your next plane, guess what? You're under THAT countries laws now!

Here's the process: The airlines, all of them require you to inform them of your service dog AFTER you purchase your ticket. They won't give you a yes or no before you have a confirmed paid-for ticket. Then you will fill out some forms on their website. You may as well search the airlines websites for service animals ahead of time so you have things in order. You may be able to reach customer service via telephone, but it will likely be a 1 hour hold or more to actually get someone. Our pooch is worth it, right? Be patient. Especially with their accents and miscommunication. The customer service reps, just like the social security office will give you different answers. So keep that in mind, and if you make more than one contact, like I did, know exactly what they said and use it or don't use that info strategically.

Once you've filled out their paperwork. You'll send it in via email, where they will then forward to HQ. For EVA Air this would be Taipei, Taiwan. In a few days you'll get an email back. In my experience, it was a "Buddy is welcome on board in cabin on flight xxx to Taipei. He will be allowed to fly free of charge in cargo from Taipei to Cebu" or something like that.

Yea, they (if you have excellent paperwork) will allow from the US on the first leg out of country, but after that, the transfer of planes is under new jurisdiction and they don't want that mutt in-cabin. This is why you really need to be ready with a proper response and polite letter. In my case they even wanted to get my doctor to fill out some form with details about my disability, mobility, etc. Think of it like they were accepting (or not) a patient in a hospital bed. This is where reading EVERY SINGLE WORD, AS WRITTEN on their forms is key. The forms will not have 100% proper English and will not use the appropriate wording for what they truly mean. But you can give them exact definition of what they write and "catch them".聽 You are not immobile. You are not blind using an obvious seeing eye dog. So you need to convince the airlines that your dog is needed for some other true disability or illness (non contagious) that he is needed to provide a service for. Dogs can be trained (not all) to do amazing things! In my case, I'm a life-long smoker. And I hack my lungs up daily. I got a prescription for asthma inhaler, and my doctor friend wrote a letter without stating my disability, stating I was under his treatment and I required a service animal with me at all times. My Belgian Malinois is very well trained. He's off-leash trained and will look the part of a service dog perfectly when needed. He heels calmly right by my side. For me, he was "working 24/7". If the air was "bad" or I needed my medication, my inhaler, it was his job to let me know before an "attack". There are dogs that know when our blood sugar is bad. That may be an option. I don't know. But I know I responded properly, convincingly, and concisely to the letter saying he'd have to go in cargo from Taipei to Cebu. In the end, I won. Taipei sent me a letter and a very nice one at that, and changed my confirmation notices on the e-tickets to include in-cabin Belgian Malinois service animal approved for both legs of the trip from LAX-Taipei-Cebu.

I arrived VERY early, probably 5 hours? I was the first customer served in the Business class check-in. And immediately questioned about my 65lb service animal and "where's the crate?" lol. They even went to a supervisor after I pointed out the ticket confirmation for him and the email letter from Taipei HQ and the LA reps. They welcomed me and gave me my boarding pass.

The flight and pre-flight preparation: Very important for your dog. I will post that separately.

You are going to have a bunch of paperwork and online forms to fill out obtainable through the Philippines Consulate website under Notarials in the services section. There is a link for Pet Importation. This was very frustrating because you have a very narrow window. Can't send too early, and too late you won't have the approval before your flight! I ended up having two phone calls to the Philippines by getting the number from the Consulate for the gov entity, which led me to the private contractor that does the approvals online. Be perfect and exact on their forms and use a laptop or desktop. Stuff doesn't show up correctly on your phone to fill out and get the approval.

Assuming Fido is approved for in-cabin flight. Planning his bodily function is extremely important. LAX has pet potty areas all over the airport wings so I wasn't worried about there. But Taipei does not, and most international airports outside the USA do not. So basically we had to plan for a 19-21 hour trip without taking a dump, and miniscule if any need to pee. My flight was a midnight flight from the west coast. It takes 8 hours to digest food and become a turd. I was not going to feed him anything on flight day, except a couple tiny treats occasionally. I mean kibble size treats. I fed him well the night before the flight.

As a trucker dog, he's used to long times between outside breaks. We took care of business in the morning. He had plenty of water in the morning, then I started reducing his intake. We had a 4 hour drive to LA and we had familiar spots we've stopped in the semi where I let him out to pee-poop if needed. But no water once we were 60 minutes away. After checking in we proceeded directly to TSA checkpoint and because they often have sniffer dogs, they don't want the animals to get all crazy, they sent me to a semi-private TSA location that's mostly for crew and special stuff, but where they have no dog. Your dog needs to be good with sitting alone while you get x-ray, then come to you only when called, and POSSIBLY be patted down. So hopefully he doesn't freak. I brought a muzzle, and hung it on his vest just in case. Yes, I got my dog a service animal vest. Buddy was perfect. No issues. Though he was a little bit antsy when I was being patted down and manual scanned after the xray. Seems foot powder for smelly feet I put on under my socks sets off warnings of bomb chemicals or something. They went through my carry-ons inch by inch.聽 Once cleared, I asked where and they told me where the pet relief areas were. We used them and went to the lounge. He got a sip or two of water there, then one more visit to pet area before boarding. I boarded as a "disabled" to get him settled before the crowd. The crew probably appreciated that too.

I brought with me a few leak proof disposable pee pads for emergency in my carry on. But there was no need. Buddy relaxed in out lie flat or on the floor the entire trip. It was new, but he was used to engine sounds from the semi, so it didn't freak him out. First leg was roughly 14 hours. With a 90 min layover I needed to make everything work. Upon arrival Taipei I went straight for a smoking area that was outdoors. This allowed me to give him a pee chance. No pet areas in Taiwan. Upon arrival Cebu, we had to clear pet importation first. And they had a fee from that form online through the Consulate. But I didn't have any PHP yet. They let me go to the forex past immi without my bags obviously. Pay the fee, blast through customs and immi, and out the door. Nice thing about Cebu was I new there was a open field right outside the exit 50 yards away. I took him straight there and cut him loose off leash for a few mins. I few good pees and he was good to go. Just a three hour trip to our new home now!

I hope this long winded dribble helps you in figuring out what you need for Fido. Feel free to ask if you need any help.

Excellent post Larry. I looked into how I could fake my dog as a service dog but a 20 lb. Schnauzer/Poodle would be one for the books if I were able pull it off. I gave up on all that and hired a pet transport company out of Atlanta, GA. That worked well because I was living in Georgia.

In case you want to go this route I'll give you a brief rundown. I did this in July 2021 so Covid increased the price considerably. The cost was over $5,000. The transport company was excellent and took care of every detail, even contacting my vet to make sure the paper work was in order. We timed it so the dog would arrive a day or two before our 10 day quarantine was finished. They ship the dogs at night during hot weather and only use KLM. Our Tikla flew from Georgia to Amsterdam and spent a day at the pet spa then on to Manila with a stop in Singapore. We had it arranged for my wife's friend, who lives in Manila, to pick up the dog and keep her until we were out of quarantine then meet us at the airport with the dog.

I needed some paperwork to get her on the flight to Tacloban. This is when I learned the dog had to spend 30 days in quarantine at the final destination. I messed up when I put Manila as the final destination. I emailed the pet movers and the lady came through for me again. She hooked me up with a Filipino who cut through all the red tape and got the dog on our flight to Tacloban for $600. He kept her for the 2 or 3 days until our quarantine was finished, sent photos every day, and even kept her in his office during the day.

When we arrived at Tacloban I went right to the freight office to pick up the dog. They had me sign papers and said the dog would be brought up shortly. I could see her crate on the tarmac, and it was hot. I started freaking out, why was the dog the last luggage to be brought in? Welcome to the Philippines. The guy who crated her made one mistake, he put one of those hamster water things on the crate and the dog had no idea how to use it so she was thirsty when they finally brought her in. The cage had a bunch of wire tires I has to break by hand since I had no tools. She seemed a bit delirious when we finally got her out of the crate but as soon as she recognized my wife it was a sight to see after 10 days of separation. After reading Larry's post this may be your only option if you can't get genuine service dog status for your dog.

@Larry Fisher

Larry

thank you for the detailed response It gave me lots of good info which i will need

My dog is a true聽 certified service dog聽 trained for my ptsd conditition to preform certian acts to pick up

on and help with anxiety attacks etc. Just beeing near be 24-7 is a big help

I thought as youb said it wouldn not be easy to get both of us over there

Im coming from the east coast of the US not sure what air line yet still checking prices for march - April 2024

What area do you recomend to settle down in

I will be looking for just me and my dog 1 -2 bed condo rental

my monthly budjet would be around 5-$6.000.00 US dollars all in

IM over 65 so im not looking for a party life

Ken

@kbustin

Ken,

What breed is your Fido?

I'm in Cebu and I flew LA-Taipei-Cebu via EVA Air which I highly recommend. Prices are ok, service is excellent. And I was able to get my Buddy in-cabin with me full flight. You're going to want to fly same airlines on your foriegn legs. You absolutely do not want to change airlines on your foreign legs. This will only make it harder to bring him on board.

I am going to be 64 next month and not into the party life either. I live in Argao, Cebu. Basically about 3 hrs (80km lol) south of Cebu City on the coast. I like this province life. But I have a 54 yr old fianc茅 here and the home is paid for, so no rent. Cebu City is a nice location. There's enough good quality stuff, including housing and food readily available. Your budget will allow you nice accommodations. I would suggest looking at getting a small hotel for a month or two upon arrival to look around and find what you really want. I know Alpa City Suites offers a monthly rate and it's a decent hotel. The food in the restaurant is tolerable. Not great. And it's not in much of a walking area. But taxi service is easy. It's also only 10 mins from Lander's which is like a Costco back home and has a lot of US name brands. The area around Landers is IT Park and Ayala Center. These will be key locations I think for your condo search. Plus there's good restaurants nearby. I know Alpa City allows pets. Few hotels do.聽 And Alpa probably won't cost you but $500-700 for the month. But don't quote me on that. The room will have a kitchen sink, refrigerator, and possibly a microwave. Plus a weird little hot=kettle for making coffee. I stay there whenever I make an overnight run to the city.

I saw a youtube video about some high end condo and living, shopping community in Lapu Lapu (which is the island the Cebu City international airport is on across the harbor from the city. I haven't been there but it might be a possibility that interests you.

The island of Bohol is about a two hour ferry ride from Cebu and very nice imo. We only saw a small part of Bohol when we went there in May but I liked it. The roads are better, the streets are cleaner in general. But there's less public transportation too. The southern tip is where we went for a beach 2 day retreat and relaxation. But because I have a car we drove from the ferry stop about an hour north and this gave me a reasonable view of the surroundings. We really liked it. Even had an opportunity to meet up with Henry (youtube Reekay) for lunch and get a little bit better lay of the land. This area may be an option for you and certainly worth a check. Across the water south from there is Dumaguete and an area many expats love. I haven't been there. But you should know about it in your search.

I had no intention of being anywhere near Manila. I don't like Manila. It's too crowded for me. It's too dirty. It's too expensive. But that's just me. I'm sure there are plenty of expats here that live outside of Manila and love it. I would never live in it or very close to it. I also hate their airport. Cebu is far more efficient and cleaner and certainly safer (think pickpockets, thieving taxis).

I've heard Olongapo city is getting nicer since Subic Naval base closed. As well I have heard the same about Angeles City. They still have their girly bars if that's your thing. But apparently they are improving the housing infrastructure in both areas quite a bit.

I would spend some time searching youtube and such then backing up your video searches with google and area checks to get an idea what looks attractive to you.

What breed is fido? Will he pass the visual "service dog" test for those folks that know nothing about them? Mine being a Belgian Malinois fit's that bill easily so it wasn't too hard to convince.

Larry

thanks again for聽 the reply聽 and all the great info

my dog is a 75 lbs Doberman聽 mix聽 nutured female

I have read on this site many posts not to bring you dog but to leave it home is no going to work for me

they are saying that because of local dogs are many and not friendly and most are carrying some kind of disease and are loaded with fleas bugs, etc. because veterinarian care is not available or affordable for locals

How is getting dog food for your pup and med supplies if needed or getting a veterinarian if you should ever new one

Ken

Everything is dependent on where you choose to live. our place is very rural and yet we have a vet 12 miles away. The dog food available here is questionable. But if you choose to feed a raw diet you choices are very good and as close as your nearest wet market. We feed Chicken and rice and fish an rice. People across the street have a full blooded Dobi, a few houses down a pair of beautiful German Shepardsand same neighborhood a huge Husky. All beautiful animals and well cared for.

I buy IAMS dog food on Lazada. I only buy on LazMall so I can be confident it is the real stuff. It costs around P2,000 for 8 kgs. My last order was on May 22 and I will have to order again in a couple weeks so looks like almost 5 months per sack. She eats a cup a day plus snacks.

The real bargain is Heartgard Plus heartworm preventative. I paid $60 for a 6 month supply in the US. A 6 month supply is less than $20 here on LazMall.

I buy Blue Buffalo at Landers. Costs about $120 for a 35# bag! In the states that same food I bought for $60-65 for three years.

I also have flea-tick 90 day pills that work. I bought a 2 yr supply and he hasn't had flea or tick 1 while the other dogs around are always getting ticks and fleas. But they stay off my Buddy!

Being near or in the city it's not hard to find a good vet. I found one in Cebu City. Which reminds me it's that time of year for vaccine renewals. Glad my USA vet sends me those reminders!

You can find almost any thing on lazada.

LarryFishersaid . . . Being near or in the city it's not hard to find a good vet. I found one in Cebu City.

*

Some 45 years ago I had a really sick Great Dane. In the Chicago Metro area it seems most vets were clippng dogs & cats toenails.

.

I took my dog to a country vet who dealt with farm animals. Animal owners appreciate a good Vet vs a good MD. Animals can't talk, so the Vets are sharper.

.

The average Great Dane lives to about 6, my guy lived until he was 10.

@Moon Dog

Thanks Moon dog for your reply

I聽 have the US Service Dog certification papers for "Tova" My part Dobbie girl I just hope they are or will

be approved by all, getting from the plane in the us all the way through to and out of customs in the

Philippines.

It good to hear that there is food and vet care there for her if she should need it

@kbustin

There's no true service dog certification. No governing body in the US for service dog training or certification. There's no certification for TRAINERS!

HOWEVER, that does not mean having a "certificate" (our trainer made one for my needs) will not help you with the airlines. Biggest thing I can say is make sure Tova is able to off-leash heel at your side. Even at the dog park (which I don't recommend going too). He needs to be a perfect model citizen/service dog in public and around people. Even with the airlines giving you the 'OK" on your ticket, the flight crew gets the last word. If they don't feel comfortable, Tova ain't going in-cabin.

@Larry Fisher

good to know thanks

You can get your meds from the US through a military Retired Affairs Office (RAO) which you can use because you are rated at 100%. There are offices in Manila, Angeles City, and Olongapo City. All packages must weigh 1lb or less.

@kbustin

As far as the PTSD. Are you service connected veteran.聽 If so. Your disability check is not taxed. And there is a veterans medical clinic in Manila.聽 You can get your medication from there. As well as blood work,聽 physical ect. I been doing it for several years.聽 But, you need to be service connected.聽

@kbustin Hey bro. First (you鈥檙e probably tired of hearing this) Thank you for your service! I鈥檓 sure you got a lot of thorough advice already, mostly about service dogs.

Here鈥檚 the sitrep about your V.A. benefits鈥� You won鈥檛 be taxed on compensation for both U.S. & in the Philippines. For treatment at the VA, they only treat you for 鈥漵ervice-connected鈥� disabilities here. Even if your rating is 100%, the VA Manila Healthcare system only treats what鈥檚 covered by your rating. If you鈥檙e 100% for ptsd, then you鈥檒l only get seen for that.

For anything else, the VA has 鈥滷oreign Military Program鈥� (FMP). If you go to a civilian hospital or a provider outside of the VA, then the VA will reimburse you. Surgeries & emergencies I think are different.

There鈥檚 a big U.S. Veterans community in Angeles City, next to Clark Air Force base. The American Legion, VFW, DAV & a few other veteran service organizations there. They have VA benefits advisors on staff & they have everything down to a science! Get connected with them & they鈥檒l help you out.

@kbustin P.S. the V.A. in the Philippines will send you your meds or you can pick them up at the pharmacy there.

聽 聽 Can I still聽 receive my disability pay with out being taxed
can I still get my meds from the us bu mail
is my ptsd service dog wellcome buy law every where
do I still need med insurance or get some reduced payment for being 100 %
what is the cheapest airline to fly 1st clas from New York and what is the cheapest time to fly there
聽 聽

聽 聽 -@kbustin

The last time I looked the only nonstop from New York is Philippines Airlines, 16 hour flight, certainly not the cheapest.