TABLE 3.

Estimated costs associated with ill or dead dog importations (2021 USD)

Item/expense	Cost per activity/item	Cost per year †
Airport investigation upon arrival
CDC quarantine station staff investigation time ‡ (1–3 staff GS9/11; 1 GS13)	30 min−8 h per animal § ($83–$2619)	$1577–$49,761
CDC Zoonoses Team consultation time ¶ (1–2 staff GS13/14)	15 min−8 h per animal § ($26–$1811)	$494–$34,409
Consultation time with state or local public health or animal health officials †† [1–4 staff per event consulted (state epidemiologist, state public health veterinarian or state veterinarian)]	0 min−3 h per animal § ($0–$1078)	$0–$20,478
Total initial investigation costs	$109–$5508	$2071–$104,648
Examination and treatment for ill dogs ‡‡
CBP‐bonded transportation to veterinary clinic by carrier Arrangements: cargo manager (1–2) and staff (1–2 staff) §§ Driver (1–2 cargo staff) §§	1−4 h to identify vehicle and make transportation arrangements ¶¶ ($119–$954) 30 min−3 h ¶¶ (transport time to and from clinic) ($30–$358)	$1071–$8586 $270–$3222
Emergency veterinary examination	$100–150	$900–$1350
Veterinary diagnostics	$530–1050	$4770–9450
Veterinary treatment (including hospitalization for 1–2 days)	$2200–7200	$19,800−64,800
Total cost for ill animal	$2979–$9712	$26,811–$87,408
Post‐mortem evaluation for dogs †††
CBP‐bonded transportation to veterinary clinic by carrier Arrangements: cargo manager (1–2) and staff (1–2 staff) §§ Driver (1–2 cargo staff) §§	1−4 h to locate vehicle and make transportation arrangements ¶¶ ($119–$954) 30 min−3 h ¶¶ (transport time to and from clinic) ($30–$358)	$1190–$9540 $300–$3580
Necropsy (with brain extraction for rabies testing) †††	$150−615	$1500−6150
Shipment of sample to state public health laboratory, including shipping supplies (rabies testing only) †††	$75−125	$750−1250
Rabies testing at state public health laboratory †††	$49−194	$490−1940
Shipment of sample to CDC rabies laboratory (including shipping supplies) †††	$75−250	$750−2500
CDC confirmatory rabies testing (staff, equipment and supplies) †††	$104	$1040
Total cost for dead animal	$602–$2600	$6020–$26,000
Total cost for ill or dead animals per year (investigation costs + ill animal + dead animal)	–	$34,902–$218,056

CDC = Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; USD = US dollar; GS = general schedule; CBP = US Customs and Border Protection.

^† Average of 9 illnesses and 10 deaths per year based on 2010–2018 data from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Quarantine Activity Reporting System.

^‡ For the lower bound we assumed 30 min of General Schedule (GS) level 9, step 5 (9–5) staff time and 45 min of GS 13–5. The upper bound estimate included an assumption of 24 h of GS 11–5 staff time and 8 h of GS 13–5 staff time. The wage rates for federal employees were estimated using the federal government's General Schedule for the Atlanta, GA area. Source: Office of Personal Management (2021) General Schedule Hourly Salaries and Wages. https://www.opm.gov/policy‐data‐oversight/pay‐leave/salaries‐wages/salary‐tables/21Tables/html/ATL_h.aspx. Accessed April 9, 2021. The hourly wage rate was multiplied by two to account for non‐wage benefits and overhead. All estimates assume 19 events per year.

^§ Time estimates for case investigations were based on data recorded in CDC's Quarantine Activity Reporting System (QARS). QARS captures all written and telephone correspondence between the importer, broker, airline and federal and state partner agencies for each case. Emails to federal and state partners, airlines, brokers and importers were estimated to take 15 min each. Veterinary clinic and pathology laboratory consultations, importer telephone communication, legal correspondence and state or local health department phone consultations were estimated to take 30 min each.

^¶ For the lower bound we assumed 15 min of GS 13–5 staff time. The upper bound estimate included 8 h of GS 13–5 staff time and 8 h of GS 14–5 staff time using the same assumptions as for CDC quarantine station staff wage rates. Source: Office of Personal Management (2021) General Schedule Hourly Salaries and Wages. https://www.opm.gov/policy‐data‐oversight/pay‐leave/salaries‐wages/salary‐tables/21Tables/html/ATL_h.aspx. Accessed April 9, 2021. The hourly wage rate was multiplied by two to account for non‐wage benefits and overhead.

^†† The consultation with state of local public health or animal officials were assumed to include an equal distribution of three occupation types: veterinarians, epidemiologists, and registered nurses. The lower bound estimated included an average of 10 min of local government staff time per event and the upper bound estimate included 12 h of local government staff time per event. The wage rates for each occupation were estimated using the average hourly wages for occupation codes: 19–1041, 29–1131 and 29–1141 available in the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. These hourly wage estimates were multiplied by 2 to account for non‐wage benefits and overhead. May 2020 data set. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics (2020) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2020 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates United States. https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm. Accessed April 9, 2021. To adjust into 2021 US dollars, we used the average annual wage increases from the 2018, 2019, 2020 data sets to estimate an average wage increase of 3.2% for these three job categories.

^‡‡ Ill animal cost estimates available at: https://emergencyvetsusa.com/average‐cost‐of‐emergency‐vet‐visits/ . Veterinary diagnostics can include bloodwork, point‐of‐care diagnostics, cytology, culture, radiographs and ultrasound. Veterinary treatment can include hospitalization with intravenous fluids, antibiotics or other pharmaceuticals, nutritional support and oxygen therapy.

^§§ The lower bound estimated included an average of 10 min of aircraft cargo handling supervisors’ time per event and the upper bound estimate included 12 h of local staff time per event. The wage rates for each occupation were estimated using the average hourly wage for occupation codes: 53–1011 available in the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. These hourly wage estimates were multiplied by 2 to account for non‐wage benefits and overhead. May 2020 data set. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics (2020) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2020 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates United States. https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm. Accessed April 9, 2021. To adjust into 2021 US dollars, we used the average annual wage increases from the 2018, 2019, 2020 data sets to estimate an average wage increase of 4.0% for this job category.

^¶¶ Time estimates for the transportation of sick or dead animals to veterinary facilities was estimated from email communications between airlines and cargo warehouse staff and CDC.

^††† Dead animal cost estimates available for 1. necropsy: https://www.vet.cornell.edu/animal‐health‐diagnostic‐center/laboratories/anatomic‐pathology/services, tests & fees (wsu.edu), CAHFS–Test & Fee Finder (ucdavis.edu); 2. rabies testing: https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/rabies/testing.htm, Catalog (k‐state.edu), Emily Pieracci (personal communication with CDC Poxvirus and Rabies Branch) and 3. shipping: estimates obtained from a representative service (www.fedex.com).