From: American Veterinary Medical Association
Being AVMA President certainly has its perks, including the title of Santa’s Official Veterinarian. In addition to providing regular preventive care to Santa’s reindeer, this means examining Rudolph and each of the others in preparation for their special flight around the world.
Just like you and your pets, Santa’s reindeer need to be examined and issued health certificates in order to travel between U.S. states or across national borders. Thankfully, they’ve never had a problem being certified for flight, due in good measure to the regular examinations and preventive veterinary care they receive from AVMA’s president to keep them healthy.
AVMA’s current president, Dr. Joseph Kinnarney, examined the reindeer shortly before their 2015 Christmas flight and gave them full “RTF” (“Ready To Fly!”) status, so IT’S ON!
- View the official Certificate of Inspection for Santa’s reindeer (PDF).
- Read answers to kids’ questions about the reindeer and the role of Santa’s Veterinarian.
- ?Watch the video of Dr. Kinnarney examining the reindeer team at the North Pole to certify them as ready to fly.
- Want to track Santa and his reindeer? You can, thanks to NORAD’s Santa Tracker!
Be sure to keep your own pets safe during the holiday season, by following our holiday pet safety advice and avoiding these holiday pet DON’Ts.