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Taking Pets Abroad


zulurita

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We have been taking our pet abroad successfully since the pets passport scheme started. However before the new EU Blue Pets Passport we were told that we had to have our dogs anti rabies booster EVERY year even though the validity date on the pets certificate was 2 years. SINCE the new Eu Blue Pets Passport came things changed From Oct 1st 2004. Even though we checked with our Vet Aug 2005 we were STILL told to have the booster yearly and so did so! HOWEVER hearing that new anti rabies vaccinations had a validity of even longer eg 3 years and being concerned about overdosing our dog I thought I would write to DEFRA, this is their reply: "As from 1st Oct 04 the EC 998/2003 regulation says that for the purposes of non commercial movement of pets the manufacturer's datasheet recommendations should be followed, therefore if a dog/cat is vaccinated against rabies with a two year vaccine in the UK and travels to France it will have its booster in two years time, not annually as France once required. Only pets that become resident in France after being there for 3 months will need an annual vaccination." Regards Laura Moon Pets Helpline pets.helpline@defra.gsi.gov.uk I hope this information is of help to those taking their pets abroad especially those that started the process at the beginning and haven't been informed about the changes by their vets.
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Hi zulurita Thanks for the info, but I'm not going to risk it. It's all well and good DEFRA saying that it's okay to have them done every 2 years, but I note the phrase that "the manufacturer's datasheet recommendations SHOULD be followed", that's should, not will. We all know that other countries have different ideas. So, unless I have confirmation in writing from the French authorities there's no way I'll risk not having my dogs vaccinated every year. Don't suppose anyone has any suggestions as to who in France we should contact to get this assurance do they? Anyone got any "high-up" relations with influence over there???
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Hi Mel B, I also posted info on MCC web site and a John & Melanie (who offer advice to others I think) said they had come back from Spain/France and anti-rabies was 18mths old and had no problems either at French vets or at point of departure back to uk.
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We take our dogs to France every year and at some campsites they ask to see the dogs passports at a couple of campsites they have insisted on yearly boosters. Until things are clear we will have yearly boosters for the dogs. This year we were held at customs as the dogs passports did not have the date of the insertion of their microchips it just said pre-vaccination so they contacted DEFRA. We had already done a couple of trips with the passports therefore they let us come back to England. So everyone please be aware they want dates not statements!!
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Oh, just remembered, make sure your French vet puts the right time on the passports when he signs them. Our Belgian vet, who was fairly new to it all, put the right date on it but put the time of the ferry crossing as the time he'd seen us, when he should've put the time he was doing the checks etc, which was actually some 3 hours earlier, if we hadn't realised we wouldn't have been able to board the ferry!!! You can have the worm treatment as either an injection (which one of our dogs reacts badly to and screams the place down!), or tablets so long as the vet can administer them and see that they take them. The tick treatment is usually on the back of the neck (Frontline).
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Our pets passport has the date of microchipping at the front of the passport. We ALWAYS double check what the vet has written in the passport after the dogs treatment (for entry to uk) to make sure date & time are correct and that all relevant pages are completed....ie worm treatment and tick treatment. Campsites will say yearly vaccination as that is what the French people have but if shown the expiry date/validity date should except it as it is now an EU regulation. ONLY after being in the country 3 months or more are you now required to have the anti rabies yearly.
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