There are frequent inquiries as to whether and how pets can be taken to Thailand. Here are some general information about the topic:
Transporting dogs and cats to Thailand is not an all-too-serious problem at first. Most airline companies generally allow the transport of animals. Sometimes smaller animals can even be carried in the cabin if they do not exceed the dimensions and weight of hand carried luggage.
Otherwise, they must be transported in a suitably dimensioned and designated transport box as cargo and together with suitcases and bags in the cargo area of the aircraft.
But be sure to check with the airline before, the rules may be quite different from company to company. To avoid unnecessary stress by transhipping the animals, you may want to consider booking a direct flight to Thailand without stopping.
Entry requirements for animals
To enter Thailand, animals need an official veterinary certificate in English.
Mind you: The veterinarian must be authorized to issue this certificate by the state.
Furthermore, a vaccination certificate is required and the animal must be vaccinated against distemper, hepatitis, rabies, leptospirosis and parvovirus at least 21 days before the journey. (For leptospirosis also a negative test is sufficient, 30 days before the trip)
Upon arrival in Thailand, the animals must be accommodated in a suitable quarantine facility for 30 days.
During this time arranged health checks and possibly also treatments are fully charged to the owner of the pet.
Note to the last point: According to reports of some dog owners, the 30-day quarantine on entry is apparently waived in most cases. (no guarantee).
Thais and Animals
One has to accept that Thais are not quite as close to the life and health of pets as they are in Europe.
An exception may be the lap dogs of some female Chinese immigrants.
Animals of all genera are often offered in far too small cages in markets and on many holiday beaches there are countless stray dogs with obvious skin diseases that nobody cares about.
There are also areas in Thailand, where especially dogs occasionally land in the cooking pot, although this is officially prohibited. In addition, dogs are not particularly popular with the Muslim population in the south of the country (Phuket, Samui, Krabi, etc.) as pets, but are mostly tolerated.
Medical care of animals:
There are veterinarians in most major cities or towns in Thailand. These includes in particular the tourist areas Bangkok, Chiangmai, Pattaya, Phuket, Krabi and Koh Samui.
If necessary, you will need to find out where the nearest veterinarian is located. According to my information, the usual vaccinations and examinations can be carried out in these clinics.
However, I do not know how complex operations and life-sustaining measures on animals in Thailand look like.
The information on this page does not claim to be exhaustive, in particular as far as the entry requirements for animals are concerned. Further information is provided by the Thai embassies and consulates, among others.