Arriving in Z with dog

You need a valid certificate from your vet in Canada with information on rabies and fecal test. When you arrive you have to fill out a form that says you are bringing in an animal. Present it to customs and they will check it and give you your papers for here. Be prepared to be one of the last people to leave the airport from that flight as it takes a while,

When I traveled with my cat I needed a valid USDA Health Certificate issued within 10 days of my arrival into Mexico, and documentation showing my animal had current vaccinations (such as rabies), and was parasite free. It didn't take me a tremendously long time to get through Mexican Customs, but they did check my animal and all of my paperwork.

If you enter MX via Mexico city, add an extra 60 minutes to make your connection to your Zihua flight. (We would normally give it an hour without dogs). They don't have their act together regarding how to handle dogs, and even with the correct paperwork in hand, it will take you at least an extra 45 minutes for them to get things ironed out, which includes palpation of your perro to make sure he's not a mule. Drop me a note if you're coming in through Mexico city, and I'll walk you through the particulars.

I have never gotten a USDA stamp before going to Mexico, Europe yes, Mexico no. Current rabies, internal and external parasite test, and a letter stating your pet is healthy, it's easy.
Check out http://jaltembabaylife.com/pet-travel#mexico-pet-regs, has lots of info or Bringfido.com either has all the info you'll need. I usually end up with about 7 pages of stuff from my Vet, but they are extremely thorough about paperwork. Last year there was another woman entering Zihua from the States with a large dog, she had one little piece of paper, looked like it had been in her pocket for a week and they let her in.

They do check when entering in Zihua, I agree, be prepared to be the last one out of customs. Make copies of your forms and have them somewhere safe, they check on the way of the country.

Thanks everyone for your very helpful replies. A couple of more questions

Any problems getting a taxi with a dog and 4 suitcases?

Anyone bring in dog food? I saw on the Senasica website that you are allowed 20 kg unopened bag yet other places say not allowed. My dog food has ingredient listings in Spanish (along with at least 10 other languages). So confused

We've never had the slightest issue bringing our dog. We have all of our paperwork in order (certificate of good health, separate rabies certificate and a fecal float report) and the gentleman has always been super nice to us. Yes, it takes a few minutes for him to type everything up, so you'll be one of the last ones out but it's not a big deal at all. We kind of dig it, all the craziness (time share salespeople pouncing on the newly arrived) is out of the way once you are leaving. We take an unopened bag of food with us and we've never had a problem bringing it back with us thru Houston.

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~kristi~