Pet Passports

The Government has introduced an import without quarantine scheme - erroneously referred to as a "Pet Passport". This allows dogs and cats fulfilling certain criteria to be returned to England from abroad without quarantine from certain countries ~ not all worlwide. It does NOT allow you to take your pet in and out of the country at will, as any pet being exported still has to fulfil the import requirements for any country in to which it is travelling, in effect you may need a visa from the country(s) to which you are going before they will accept your pet, be it for permanent residence or a day-trip.

Criteria

1. Animals may only be returned from certain countries - currently most, but not all of the EU and most "rabies free islands". If you travel to other destinations or go outside those countries while abroad, your pet will still have to undergo quarantine on return.Refer to the DEFRA link below for the most up to date list of countries and ports in the scheme.This list is constantly changing.
    
2. Your pet must be:
   
   - Microchipped (electronically tagged)
   - Vaccinated against rabies
   - Blood tested 21 days later and reach a specified level of antibodies to rabies (re-vaccinated and retested if it does not)
    
3. These criteria must be completed  before the document is issued by a Veterinary surgeon at a the same time as final examination of your pet
   
   
4. You must then wait six months before you can use this passport  it to re-import your pet from abroad - though you may take he or she out of the country abroad in the meantime provided that you do not wish to bring yuor pet back  before that six month waiting period has elapsed.
    
5. Not LESS than 24 hours and not MORE than 48 hours before returning to England, your pet must be treated for ticks and Echinococcus (a type of tapeworm transmissible to Man) with a recognised treatment by a local veterinary surgeon and a certificate to that effect issued by that veterinary surgeon.
    
6. Only certain routes to England are to be used, though any route may be used for the outward journey.
    
7. Providing rabies injections are kept up to date, a  passport can be renewed  when each booster rabies injection is done. If you allow the rabies injections to lapse (and it is vital to check with the country that you are going to be actually in  at the time of boosting what the maximum interval can be as this will vary between countries and may be required every 12 months in parts of Europe unlike the UK that is currently 3 years), then a further blood sample will be needed and a further 6 month delay will occur ~ in effect you have to start again vrom scratch.
    
8. It is also worth noting that the passport only covers return to Britain. Some countries will have extra requirements, eg a Ministry Health Certificate prior to allowing your pet into their country. Do check with the appropriate Ministry at least one month before you plan to leave that no other criteria have to be met.Refer to the DEFRA link below. 

Health Risks

Your should be aware that there are diseases present on the continent that are not currently present in Britain that your pet may contract while abroad - this is particularly true of the Mediterranean region. The current scheme was arranged solely to deal with Rabies (against which your pet should be reasonably protected by virtue of it's vaccination) and takes very little account of these other diseases.

The major ones are Leishmaniasis (a malarial type disease) and Dirofilariasis (Heart-worm - which results, as the name suggests, in the growth of parasitic worms within the heart and vascular system), Babesiosis (which causes anaemia) and Ehrlichiosis. These diseases are transmitted by blood-sucking parasites present in warmer regions; it is possible to pick these diseases up abroad and bring them home - the risk of spread within Britain in future is unknown but there are obvious insect vectors present here already and with global warming others may become resident.

Problems Associated with Obtaining "PETS" Documentation

1. Cost - up to £200.00
    
2. A single rabies vaccine may not achieve the required blood antibody level.
   A second vaccination and further blood test will then be required at additional cost. We advise a second vaccine two weeks after the first and before the blood test to increase the chance of a satisfactory antibody level, but this is not currently the manufacturer's recommendation.
    
3. Number of visits to vet:
   
   - Chip and vaccination
   - Blood test
   - Re-examination and documentation
   
   +/- repeat vaccinations and blood tests
   +/- Export documentation immediately before travelling abroad
    
4.  "Booster" Vaccination. To continue to qualify, your pet MUST be boosted at the manufacturer's recommendation. With the current rabies vaccination given in the UK that is every 3 YEARS if you are actually in the UK at the time of needing a booster (EVERY YEAR when given in some other E.U. COUNTRIES) and that is TO THE DAY - there is no allowable lee way as with a routine vaccination and any pet who goes over the date will be required to undergo the whole process of vaccination and blood testing again at additional cost.If in doubt on this point please telephone the surgery .
    
5. Microchip function. Electronic tagging seems to be a very reliable system BUT if your chip fails, you will not be allowed to bring your pet into the country without quarantine. The only way around this to date appears to be to double-chip your pet if you are thinking of going abroad, as it is unlikely that two are going to fail in the same pet on the same day you want to re-import it.

Before Leaving for Abroad

You may  need to obtain import permits for some of the countries to which you will be travelling. Usually that requires you to obtain the permit from the Ministry of Agriculture (MAFF) 2 - 4 weeks before you leave, full vaccination (not just rabies) and a Health Certificate signed by a vet 48 hours before travelling. Always check the exact requirements of MAFF well in advance as they vary from one country to another.

Returning to England

You will need to book your return journey with one of the approved carriers on one of the prescribed routes ~ refer to the DEFRA link for the most current list.

24 - 48 hours before travelling home, you will need to visit a local vet to have your pet treated against ticks and tapeworms. Vets in major holiday regions are becoming organised to provide this service and local travel representatives may be able to point you in the right direction, but currently, the system is likely to be hit and miss and it may be as well to contact vets at the embarkation ports who are more likely to be familiar with the system. REMEMBER that you need to allow 24 hours to elapse between treatment and booking into the terminal, so you will need to book an overnight stay if you are arranging this at the port or Chunnel entrance.

On arriving at the airport, port or Chunnel entrance, you will be separated from other returning travellers and your documents checked. You will be given the microchip reader and required to read your own pet's chip before handing the reader back to the staff member dealing with you. You will then be required to fill and sign a Declaration stating that you pet has not been taken outside the qualifying countries during your trip. If everything else is in order, you will then be allowed to proceed. If there are omissions or discrepancies, it will be YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to sort these out - the carriers and MAFF have made it clear that they will not help other than to provide a 'phone (at your expense) and some useful numbers to help you to comply.

The obvious returning problems that may arise are:

1. Failure of microchip. Currently this results in the failure of the whole system and your pet will then need to stay abroad or undergo quarantine. We strongly suggest you consider your emotional response to this eventuality before committing yourself to travelling abroad!
    
2. Loss of documentation. You will need to get replacements before your pet can be imported. These cannot be photocopies or faxes but only "Certified Copies" of the originals. We currently suggest that we provide 3 copies of the originals, that you keep one of them, we keep one and the third will go to the Ministry BUT they have indicated that they will NOT be able to use this copy to help you if you lose yours.
    
3. Lack of tick/tapeworm treatment. This can be rectified by arranging that treatment locally but you will need to wait 24 hours before you can re-apply to import your pet.
    
4. Delay at port of embarkation. Currently if you have been processed onto the port and your documentation checked, you will not be required to repeat tick/tapeworm treatment if you are delayed; if you have not been processed, the treatment may need to be repeated - presumably several times if there is some intermittent/unpredictable delay and at repeated cost.

If you arrive at the port for the homeward journey and encounter one of the above (or any other problem), you have two courses of action open to you. One is to remain abroad until the problem is resolved. The other is to import your pet into England and book it into quarantine while the situation is sorted out, which may take several days; this will be at your expense and your pet will only be released when DEFRA  have been satisfied that it complies. You will have to organise quarantine kennels here in England, noting that if you are using the Chunnel, the quarantine kennels you use will have to send secure transport to meet you in France and ferry your pet through the tunnel directly to the kennel in England - you cannot be met at this end as the tunnel has no secure holding area here. All these arrangements will need to be made by yourselves whilst still abroad and in a foreign language; it is worth checking and double checking everything before you leave home.

Useful Contacts

PETS Helpline: 0181 330 6835
Internet
http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/quarantine

DISEASE IMPLICATIONS FOR THE TRAVELLING DOG

There are four main parasitic vector born diseases that can affect dogs abroad and not as yet contractible at home - heart worm, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis and leishmaniasis.

Please note the following advice applies to Dogs and not Cats ~ some of the recommeded products are toxic to cats and should never be used in that species

Heart Worm

A disease caused by the filarial nematode dirofilaria immitis and transmitted via mosquitoes prevalent in much of southern Europe and extending into northern France. Northern Italy is a particular hot spot. Incubation of infected larvae injected into a dog can take as much as six to seven months to cause disease and treatment is very difficult with no licensed drugs available in the UK.

Ashwood Advice - apply Advocate or Stronghold 4 weeks before you travel until 4 weeks after you have returned home. Continue to apply every 4 weeks whilst abroad.Combine with a Scalibor collar applied 1 week before departure.Scalibor collars last 4 to 6 months depending on wetting and keeping clean.

Please note no product can prevent mosquito bites 100% .Owners are advised to keep pets in at night.

Babesiosis

A disease caused by two strains of a protozoan infection carried by two different types of ticks. These ticks are widespread in Europe and are active Spring until Autumn, especially in the south and west of France. Ticks belong to the spider family and are second only to mosquitoes in transmitting disease to humans and animals.They have a sensory organ on their front legs which help them locate a host.They attach themselves to your pet using specialised mouth parts which allow them to suck blood and by secreting cement like substance anchors itself securely to the skin. Disease transmission most commonly occurs after the tick has attached for 48Hrs.Ticks can spread Babesiosis,Ehrlichiosis,Hepatazoonosis and Lymes disease.

Babesia  attacks red blood cells and despite being sensitive to treatment, there are no licensed products available in the UK.

Ashwood Advice - No product can fully prevent ticks attaching to dogs 100% of the time. The best product on the market at the moment is Advantix spot on and Scalibor collars. Advantix repels ticks, sandflies and mosquitoes. It should be applied 7 days before travelling and be repeated every 2 weeks whilst abroad. Scalibor collars should be aplied 7 days pre travel and last 4 to 6 months depending on wetting and keeping clean

Further treatments to comply with the Pets Scheme and facilitate return will still be needed (ie a certified localVeterinary anti tick & tapeworm application 24 - 48 hours pre-return).

Point to remember : If your pet becomes ill shortly after returning to the UK from abroad inform your vet immediately.If you find a tick attached whilst abroad seek advice from a local vet immediatley

Ehrlichosis

A rickettsial bacteria spread by ticks. This is the least well known of the diseases and can be anything from acute to chronic, with some animals recovering spontaneously and others progressing on to an intractable chronic phase.

Ashwood Advice - Tick prevention as for babesiosis.

Leishmaniasis

A protozoan parasite causing leishmaniasis in dogs and man. Canine disease is very widespread and prevalent in areas popular with tourists, with some estimates showing that 10% of dogs possibly affected in southern Europe. The disease has a long incubation period and can manifest itself many months after exposure. It is transmitted by the phlebotomos sand fly that is present mainly in wooded areas. Only the female noctural flies will bite and direct transmission from dog to human is possible. Treatment is difficult, does not produce a permanent cure, costly and there are no licensed drugs available in the UK.

Ashwood Advice - Use Advantix or Scalibor collar as above and combine with Stronghold.

These diseases are not a reason for not travelling but owners need to be aware there are risks which sensible management can minimise. The above recommendations are advisory only and not guaranteed to be 100% preventative in every case. Owners need to be fully aware and consider carefully before travelling. Ashwood will not accept any liability for the medication recommendations breaking through or failing.

However many pets travel easily and safely abroad on a regular basis with a simple preventative regime of Stronghold 28 days pre travel ( and post travel ) and Scalibor collars applied minimum 7 days pre travel

All Ashwood Veterinary Clinic Veterinary Surgeons - Mike Rowland, Simon Perry, Steve Mucklow, Stuart Gardner and Dee Fleming are qualified to issue 'Pet Passports'.

 
Bringing pets to the UK