I want to take our dog with us to our home in the Lot Valley

[TT]

What do I need to do to do this?

We have never taken her before but as we are staying for longer periods now we would like to start doing so.

Thanks

[cooperlola]

Begin here:

http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/pets/travel/pets/

Rabies jabs first because your dog has to have a blood test after six months so that's the long-winded bit!  Taking pets to France is straight forward in comparison to going back to the UK again because that's the country that makes most of the hoops you need to jump through.

[Pads]

I have just sorted this (last year) for my dog and have now taken her twice , from the time you start untill you can take her will take 6 months , so dont dally , She will need to have a chip put in, and have a rabie injection , then a blood test to check it has worked , from the date of the result you have to wait 6 months to be able to bring her back to the UK , but if your going out there for a long time you can take her no problem , it has to be six  months though for the return date . Its a easy procedure at the port , they dont look at her at all on the way out , but on return you have to go to a vet for a flea treatment and wormer , he will write this in the dogs passport , this has to be done between 24 and 36 hours before departure ( you cant leave until 24 hours after , but have to be gone before 36 hours)  This will be checked at the port on your return and they will scan her chip....its very pain free...!!

So much so I have had the cat done too and will be taking him next time .....   

[andyh4]

Actually microchip first then rabies jab, blood test after about 4 weeks and if positive then after 6 months from the date the blood was taken the dog can be brought back to the UK.  It can be taken to France 21 days after the rabies jab.

 

EDIT: Post crossed with Pads's

[Pads]

I have often wondered ....Is the 36 hour cut off period from the time you get on the boat or until you reach UK. As no checks are done in the UK . so is it 36 hours until she has been checked in ? Timing is important for us as we have to drive from the south to get the boat in the north  

[cooperlola]

It's 48 hours, and yes, it is check-in.  From the link within my link:

 

" not less than 24 hours and not more than 48 hours before it is checked in with an approved transport company "

Yes, Pads and Andy you are quite right about the microchip.  I foolishly assume that all owners get their pets chipped at an early age whether they go abroad or not.  Ooops.[:$]

 

BTW Mods - the link in the FAQ on this subject is broken.  It may be a good time to update it?

[Polly]

If you care to tell us roughly where in the Lot I'm sure some of us will be able to give you the details of a decent vet

[Pads]

I thought and read 48 hours until this last time , my french vet said it was 36 hours , I didnt argue with him , but will next time and get him to check his facts...

[idun]

Pads, french vets often do not know what rules are in place for pets going to the UK. It is up to you to tell them.

If I am in doubt about any of this I always look at the DEFRA pet passport web site and call them if I have any questions.

http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/pets/travel/pets/

Remember that animals can fail that blood test, ours did, and then we had to wait and get another rabies jab, then blood test, all very costly and then wait for a further six months.

[jen]

we have taken our dog many times to France with us and it is great fun to have her with us, although it was a bit daunting first time - the only advice I would add to all the others is do check your paperwork and then double check to see that vet has put correct details and that you have everything with you when returning to UK - the times we have been at pets passport and witnessed distress etc when paperwork has either been left behind or vet has not entered dates/time correctly.

Although dogs don't have to be checked going out of UK all vets we have used strongly advise that you treat your pet with a tick treatment before entering France to protect them

We have managed to find an english speaking vet each time - but their worming treatments do vary - some prefer injections and others tablets. I know there are for and against of each type of treatment - but it really upset us the way our dog reacted to injection - she howled and cried for a good half hour, so we ensure that she is treated with tablet form.

[Rabbie]

[quote user="idun"]

Remember that animals can fail that blood test, ours did, and then we had to wait and get another rabies jab, then blood test, all very costly and then wait for a further six months.

[/quote]My wife is a vet and the stuation is that you can do the blood test 2 weeks after the injection. The 6 months starts from the date of the succesful blood test. Hope this clarifies the situation. BTW you can take the dog to France before the 6 months is up but the dog cannot re-enter the UK until this time

[Moulin85]

The key thing we have discovered over the years is planning for the return journey.

Operators are legally limited to the number(?) of pets they can carry on each crossing so book your return ticket as early as possible especially at peak times such as Christmas.

Before you make a booking be aware of Public Holidays, they don’t all fall on Mondays or Fridays as in the UK, to ensure it’s possible to get a vet appointment within the required time window.

Make your vet appointment as soon as possible especially if you need one very early or late in the day, and check the time and date entered on the Pet Passport are correct and legible before you leave the vets.

As said previously the rule is only that you must Book In no less than 24hrs and no more than 48hrs after the time and date entered on the Pet Passport, so there is nothing to stop you booking in several hours before your crossing time to get within the 48hrs. (Be careful around Christmas /New Year as there may be no one to book you in!)     

[idun]

Moulin I'm not sure what you actually mean.  Do you mean that the last treatment is say done on the 19th at 17h and when you get to the port on the 21st you book in at 6h for a 11h crossing? 

I know that you would be within  the window, but, one isn't one supposed to be in the UK within that 48hour window?

I realise that all european ferry crossings should be in the UK within say that window that I left in the example. However, we have been stuck in a ferry just outside Dover harbour for 8 hours longer than we should have been once. The eurotrains got 'stuck' last winter.

 

All you need is one stroppy offical and what then.Quarantine? Animal and owner sent back to their port of destination?

 

Personally I would recommend that everyone travels, well crosses, as soon as those first 24hours have elapsed, just in case.We lived down in the south east of France, so had a long journey and we would get our animals done exactly 24 hours done before we could log in and then set off for the coast. Once when we were at the port early, they wouldn't let us log in until the 24 hours had elapsed.

[Moulin85]

Idun.

The time you arrive in the UK doesn’t matter, it’s not mentioned in the regulations at all! This means that any delays to the ferry or train and therefore outside your control, do not affect you.

The defra regulations http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/pets/travel/pets/ state that the only criteria is the time you book in at the terminal. You must book in between 24hrs and 48hrs of your vet appointment.

To use your example: If you’re vet signs the Passport at 17.00hrs on the 19^th you must Book-In between 17.00hrs on the 20^th and 17.00hrs on the 21^st.

Obviously as it’s the time you Book-In and not ‘sail’ that matters it’s possible to use this to your advantage if need be. Last year we made a last minute decision to spend Christmas / New Year in France but with the vets being closed for an extra day the only return crossing we could get was 53 hours after the last possible appointment. So we booked-in at 47hrs and spent 6hrs parked on the dock, as did several others!

[idun]

We first started all this, not long after it started and I called DEFRA and was told that we had to travel from 24-48 hours. And that is what we did. Maybe they badly worded what they told me at the time.

When we first started travelling with our dog, I have seen families crying and hysterical and angry at foreign ports due to paperwork and whatever else not being done properly.  And as we literally 'sailed' through all the 'controls', then we just kept doing what we did as it worked and we were always within the rules, which we were, and, as I suppose how we understood them. 

Just how long after checking in can an animal travel then? At what point are all the jabs etc no longer valid. That film The Terminal comes to mind.[blink]

 

[napoleon]

I expect the ferry operator would be unwilling to allow anyone to check-in through their gates unless the outgoing ferry was leaving in a reasonable time. Your question of how long after check-in could you wait before travelling from the port (or on the Shuttle) is worth following up with DEFRA. DEFRA advice is sometimes loose and ambiguous.

Following on from previous comments, it is advisable to carry a full set of documents regarding the initial and subsequent treatments as well as the current Pet Passport. Check every entry by the vet before leaving the surgery.

[cooperlola]

I think that the point is that by checking in you are technically (in customs terms) in the UK.  Once you've been checked by customs you are, in effect, quarantined and only in very exceptional circumstances would you return to French soil so the time  of the treatments then becomes irrelevant.

The tunnel, for instance, won't allow you to check in until 2 hours before departure and once you've gone through customs and are checked in, you never see another border crossing or customs official.