Pets

Official forms, fees, and services for pet owners that go with Chapter 14. A place to start, not endorsements. Checked October 2026.

In the book: Chapter 14

The chapter covers moving with pets and living with them in El Salvador:

• Getting your dog or cat into El Salvador, and the paperwork agriculture officials check at the airport
• What flying with a pet in the cabin and in cargo was really like for us
• Caring for a pet in the heat, and the health risks vets see most in El Salvador
• What we learned when our senior cat got sick, and the compassionate options that exist in El Salvador
• What to know before you take a pet back to the US

Bringing a pet in and taking one out (as of October 2026)

• Ministry of Agriculture (MAG): pet import authorization: $9.04, valid 30 days, one use.
• Ministry of Agriculture (MAG): export health certificate: $16.95 per pet.
• US CDC: bringing a dog into the United States (in English). El Salvador is on the CDC's high-risk list for dog rabies.

24-hour emergency vets (greater San Salvador, as of October 2026)

Each clinic's own website says it takes emergencies 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Regular appointments keep shorter hours.

• Hospital Veterinario Chivo Pets: the government's veterinary hospital in Antiguo Cuscatlán. Call center: 195. Emergencies 24 hours; appointments 7:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. daily.
• Veterinaria Los Héroes: Boulevard de Los Héroes, San Salvador. Emergencies: 2226-1062. 24-hour pharmacy.
• Veterinaria La Mascota: Calle La Mascota #230, San Salvador. Phone: 2298-4230. Emergencies 24 hours; open Monday to Sunday.

Check a vet's license

• Consejo Superior de Salud Pública: license search: veterinarians are licensed through the Junta de Vigilancia de la Profesión Médico Veterinaria.

Cremation and burial

• Montelena Mascotas: individual cremation
• Kipets (Grupo Resurrección)
• Cementerio La Bermeja, San Salvador: accepts pet burials (as of January 2026).

Official pages are in Spanish unless noted.