Pet Passport Changes- latest

[vicky payne]

The European Council and European Parliament have agreed that dogs entering UK, Ireland, Finland and Malta must be treated against tapeworms, by a vet, 24 to 120 hours before travel.

Tick control is no longer required but is highly recommended.

Though we haven't had anything rubber stamped through the post on the rest it seems almsot certain that from Jan 1st (why....as most Government offices are closed so there will be almost no-one to deal with questions);

Pets from listed countries and the EU will be able to enter the UK 21 days after a rabies vaccination.
Pets from unlisted countries can enter 3months after vaccination and a succesful rabies antibody titre.

None of this means you can't have blood tests done pre-travel for your own peace of mind and I'm sure most vets will be happy to discuss and additional precautions recommended with owners of travelling pets.

[Gignesthai]

So if we leave and then want to return to Uk we need to have tapeworm treatment, can this be bought from a vet here, carried with us and then used within the timeframe required, or do we have to go to a vets abroad and have it certified as given? thanks

[vicky payne]

A vet must certify it given as now, just the timeframe has been extended.

[Gignesthai]

Thank you.

[Bogtrotter]

can this be bought from a vet here, carried with us and then used within the timeframe required,

Yes, you can take it with you, but you still have to get the "foreign" vet to certify its administration (and you will have to pay for the signature although not for the "medication" if you've bought it with you from your own vet

[Rookie]

None of this means you can't have blood tests done pre-travel for your own peace of mind and I'm sure most vets will be happy to discuss and additional precautions recommended with owners of travelling pets.

As a practice we will still be advising that owners seriously consider blood testing because, up until now, we have seen a reasonable percentage of rabies failures. We even had one dog that didn't respond well enough to it's second rabies vaccination and needed a third dose. With the benefit of hindsight, we had a very probable explanation as to why this had happened but had it not been for the requirement to blood test after the first dose of vaccine we would have packed it off on it's holidays unaware that it was not adequately protected against rabies.

[vicky payne]

The 'failures' are almost cerainly still protected! The bar was set rather too high when the initial pet passport regs were drawn up and some dogs have never showed a decent titre but are still immune from infection when challenged (drug company studies). But people need to atke rabies and the other diseases seriously before nipping off on hols....

[vicky payne]

Based on the DEFRA website, and after talking to a confused guy at DEFRA this is the advice I'm giving my clients. Check out the DEFRA site too,but theirs is worded much mroe for importing animals than for holidaying. Blood testing is needed for some countries but not others so mass confusion is bound to ensue!

Obtaining a PETS Passport
The Pet Travel Scheme (PETS) allows dogs, cats and ferrets to travel to foreign countries and return to the UK without quarantine. From January 1st 2012 all pet dogs, cats and ferrets can travel from the UK to any country in the world without quarantine on return provided they meet the rules of the scheme, which will be different depending on the country or territory the pet is coming from; http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/p ... countries/
For travel from UK to the EU and listed non-EU countries
• Have your pet microchipped – Before any of the other procedures for pet travel are carried out, your pet must be fitted with a microchip so it can be properly identified.
• Have your pet vaccinated– A single vaccine is recommended for healthy adult dogs but two are recommended for pets <6months. The length of the waiting period before re-entry to the UK is 21 days after the first vaccination course. Rabies boosters must be kept up to date.
• Blood testing is no longer mandatory but is recommended to ensure your pet is protected.
• Get pet travel documentation –We will issue an EU Pet Passport.
• Tapeworm treatment – (dogs only): before entering the UK, all pet dogs (including assistance dogs) must be treated for tapeworm. The treatment must be administered by a vet not less than 24 hours and not more than 120 hours (1-5 days) before its scheduled arrival time in the UK.
• There is no mandatory requirement for tick treatment however it remains vital to discuss treatments to prevent your pet catching diseases while abroad.
• Arrange for your animal to travel with an approved transport company on an authorised route
For travel from UK to unlisted non-EU countries
• Have your pet microchipped – Before any of the other procedures for pet travel are carried out, your pet must be fitted with a microchip so it can be properly identified.
• Have your pet vaccinated – A single vaccine is recommended for healthy adult dogs but two are recommended for pets <6months. Rabies boosters must be kept up to date.
• Arrange a blood test – After your pet has been vaccinated, it must be blood tested to make sure the vaccine has given it a satisfactory level of protection against rabies. The blood sample must be taken at least 30 days after vaccination.
• Get pet travel documentation –We will issue an EU Pet Passport.
• Tapeworm treatment – (dogs only): before entering the UK, all pet dogs (including assistance dogs) must be treated for tapeworm. The treatment must be administered by a vet not less than 24 hours and not more than 120 hours (1-5 days) before its scheduled arrival time in the UK.
• There is no mandatory requirement for tick treatment however it remains vital to discuss treatments to prevent your pet catching diseases while abroad.
• Arrange for your animal to travel with an approved transport company on an authorised route
For Import to the UK from unlisted non-EU countries
Animals which start their journey outside the UK, EU or listed non-EU country must wait 3 calendar months from the date on which a satisfactory bloods sample was taken and will require slightly different paperwork; a Third Country Official Veterinary Certificate.
If you need more information on the Pet Travel Scheme try the DEFRA website http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/p ... /#from1jan

© Vicky Payne 2011

[scotsgent]

Yes, you can take it with you, but you still have to get the "foreign" vet to certify its administration (and you will have to pay for the signature although not for the "medication" if you've bought it with you from your own vet....

Only if the vet agrees to use the medication you have bought.

Last year, In Northern Spain, the vet agreed to use the worming and spot-on medication I had brought with me but explained that it put him in an awkward situation. He went on to explain that counterfeit drugs were available on the net and its perfectly possible that an owner supplying their own stuff could have got it from that source although under the impression that it was authenticated.

The stuff he would use can be guaranteed to be from a proper supplier. Since his signature 'proves' that not only was the drug administered, but that it was also the right stuff, then using owner supplied stuff puts him in a bit of a bind.

I thought his argument was sound. For a couple of quid for a worming tablet, (since tick treatment can now be self administered), I will let the overseas vet use his own surgery supplied worm tablet in future.

Cheers, Terry