Introduction

Pet Smile Month

Arthritis

Allergic Skin Disease

Moving House with your Cat

Nurses' Clinics

Warning: Dogs are stolen in Biggin Hill

Pet Passports

Chocolate Poisoning

A Career as a Veterinary Surgeon

A Career as a Veterinary Nurse

Darwin Wins Award

Pet Passports
Sonya J. Miller-Smith

As summer approaches, our thoughts turn to summer holidays, and increasingly whether we can take our pets with us abroad. With the launch of the Pets Travel Scheme, it has become easier to take our best friends with us on holiday, so if you have ever thought about getting a passport for your pet, then read on…….

The new Pet Travel Scheme (PETS) or ‘Pet Passport’, may mean that you can take your dog or cat on holiday abroad – providing you meet the conditions of the scheme. You should plan well in advance because a PETS certificate takes seven months to become valid. Currently, the countries participating in the scheme include:

Here are the steps that you should follow:

1. Check that the country to which you wish to travel and return from is part of the Scheme, and establish if they have any additional requirements. As regulations change all the time, the best way to do this is by contacting the Dept. of the Environment, Fisheries and Rural Affairs (Defra), at Liberty House, 105 Bell Street, Reigate, Surrey, RH2 7JB, Tel. No: 01737 242242, or via www.defra.gov.uk.
   
2. Have your pet microchipped – before any of the other PETS procedures can be carried out, your pet must be fitted with a microchip, so that it can be correctly identified.
   
3. Have your pet vaccinated against rabies – this can be carried out in a routine appointment.
   
4. Blood test – after your pet has been vaccinated it must be blood tested to make sure that the vaccination has produced a satisfactory level of protection against rabies. The blood sample can be taken from 30 days after vaccination, during a routine consultation. However, blood samples are only taken during a morning appointment, to enable the sample to be couriered to the laboratory on the same day.
   
5. Get a PETS Certificate – once the blood sample has demonstrated that your pet has a satisfactory level of protection against rabies, then we can issue the official PETS certificate.

Once the procedure has been completed, your pet is free to re-enter the U.K. from 6 months after the date of blood sampling. The PETS certificate is usually valid for 2 years from the date of rabies vaccination, and regular re-vaccination avoids having to undergo the procedure again.

When returning to the U.K.:

1. Arrange for your animal to travel on an approved route.
   
2. Visit a vet 24 – 48 hr before you check in for your return journey. The vet will treat your pet against ticks and a tapeworm, and issue you with an official certificate.
   
3. Sign a declaration that your pet has not been outside any of the PETS qualifying countries.

Further Information

Dept. of the Environment, Fisheries and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
Liberty House, 105 Bell Street, Reigate, Surrey, RH2 7JB 01732 242242

The DEFRA website: www.defra.gov.uk

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