Jump to content

Dog to the UK


Miki
 Share

Recommended Posts

I sincerely hope someone amongst all you animal folk will know the answer to my question.

This year for family reasons, our Daughter wants to go back to the UK with us. Their problem being, that they have a little Pug, just over two years old. Pug has has had her rabies jab done around 18 months ago and has both pet passport and Carnet de Santé for the dog.

So can anyone please let me know it it is possible for them to bring the dog with them (by ferry) and if so, please can they let us know what they will have to have done etc to enable the little pug (Lola) to spend 10 days or so in the UK.

Kennels aren't an option, they won't hear of it !!! So it's stay here with Lola or ?

Thanks in advance.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Miki I am pretty sure I am right,if she has had the booster for Rabies within twelve months of the original injection she should be fine provided she gets the worm and tick treatment and travels back to the uk between 24 and 36 hours after that treatment.The booster for rabies is an anual injection.In the u.k if you miss the booster you have to start all over again.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

A couple of minor adjustments - but it's all at the top of this section somewhere.  24 to 48 hours for the tick/worm treatment and the rabies booster is only required every 2 years to enter the UK.  I will find the thread and come back.

 

All the info is on the Defra link which is here http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/465642/ShowPost.aspx

btw if you use the ferry the dog will have to be left alone during the crossing, unlike the tunnel where you can stay with him/her.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It is interesting and the DEFRA site is unhelpful in that it only seems to talk about a "valid until" date for the rabies vaccine but doesn't state the normal period.  I have looked at my animals' passports from when I moved here and the valid until date is definately 2 years from the date of the orriginal jab.  Having said that, my vet here in France was amazed that UK vets think 2 years is OK - he advised an annual jab.  Can anybody else throw any light on this?
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have understood it to depend upon whether the passport is French or English as France requires an annual jab but England only bi-annual.  The problem being that the requirements of the passport have to be adherred to rather than the country to be entered.  The whole thing sounds a bit woolly  and as has already been said, DEFRA are vague but we have always kept ours at one year in case of an emergency return.  The worst situation could be arriving at the ferry booked and ready to go and to have the dog refused passage.  I must say that I am no more certain than any of the rest of you and I am afraid that I cannot even remember from where I obtained my information.  Probably from a variety of sources.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks to all of you, who have replied so far

The kids have now gone home and I said I would tell them what I had found out tomorrow. Fabrice will go and see the dogs Vet, I will hopefully have time to contact someone in France and perhaps see Brittany Ferries.

The DEFRA site is kind of vague and it worries me that they may have left something out or are coming from a British angle and at the exit port here, they will pick something up. I hope to see the dogs passport tomorrow and the carnet de santé. The fear I have nagging away, is that the dog has not had a 2nd rabies jab and I don't know if they have time or, as you say, getting to the port only to be told we are one thing short !

The dog has more chance of catching an Eagle as rabies, it is never out of their house except for a walk now and again but I quite agree the law has to be adhered to all the same.

Any further help gladly accepted. I have looked all around the site but I just can't seem to tie it all up nice and tight as far as having a French dog and taking it to the UK.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would say no to this. The dog should have had a blood test ( I think most of them usually get sent to the Labs in Nancy) about a month after the rabies jab and then as long as the result is OK then you can travel six months after the test date. We allowed a good 9 months before needing to travel when we first started all this procedure with our dog.

And we had a negative blood test result this year with another animal. IF this family animal is going to travel it will need yet another rabies jab, then we wait, then the blood test and wait again for the full six months. So far we have done nothing about it and it all costs a lot of money.

We have travelled a lot with our dog (not the 'failed' animal) and we have been controlled on the british side on many occassions. We have had the paper work gone through with a toothcomb on the european side of the 'oggin. We have seen hysterical pet owners who have been told no, as vets have got it wrong, or they had. AND once our vet put the wrong date on the form and we had to find a vet in Calais... all great fun.

 

Good luck

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cooperlola, the reason that the Defra site may sound vague with regard to the 'normal period' is that it depends on the type/batch of rabies vaccine used by individual vets.  Our vaccine only expires after 3 years from the original vaccine so no wonder people get confused. 
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We obtained a passport for our dog this year (UK). The vet said every two years for the jab. When we sai that at sometime in the future we would be moving to Fance she told us that in France it is every year for the jab.

We opted to go for an annual jab in the UK so that when we do eventually move to France (was going to be next year but plans change) she will be up to date as per French requirements.

As for the ferries - they seem to charge £15 each way for a pet - sometimes it is half the cost of a car and passengers!

Paul

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As I've now done this a couple of times, I can confirm the following:

Assuming the passport is a French issued blue EU passport:

  • The rabies jab needs to be given (booster) every year, not one day over is allowed or passport lapses.

  • A blood test needs to be taken - usually most effective one month after the rabies jab was given
  • If the blood test results come back with  satisfactory result then take results back to vet to update passport details
  • Six months after the blood test (note after the blood test, not the rabies jab) then the pet is ok to travel to the uk after . . .
  • Between 24 and 48 hours prior to the scheduled deprture time of your ferry the pet needs to be treated for tick/flea/worms by vet and this treatment entered into passport.
  • On arrival at ferryport, you have to visit the BF desk in the terminal with the pet and they will read microchip and check all documents thoroughly before allowing you to go back through vehicle check-in.
Hope that helps. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks again to all for the further info.

We are staring to think it will hinge on whether the dog had had his further injection within the time lmit and indeed, even if that was all up to date, whether the ferries (already booked) can allow us to book a dog now !!

Flipping kids...they told me two weeks ago all was OK and they had someone to look after the dog (boyfriends Father, who now decides he is off to the mountain and they are worried the dog will get out and get lost or whatever !!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="Eslier"]As I've now done this a couple of times, I can confirm the following:

Assuming the passport is a French issued blue EU passport:

  • The rabies jab needs to be given (booster) every year, not one day over is allowed or passport lapses.

  • A blood test needs to be taken - usually most effective one month after the rabies jab was given

  • If the blood test results come back with  satisfactory result then take results back to vet to update passport details

  • Six months after the blood test (note after the blood test, not the rabies jab) then the pet is ok to travel to the uk after . . .

  • Between 24 and 48 hours prior to the scheduled deprture time of your ferry the pet needs to be treated for tick/flea/worms by vet and this treatment entered into passport.

  • On arrival at ferryport, you have to visit the BF desk in the terminal with the pet and they will read microchip and check all documents thoroughly before allowing you to go back through vehicle check-in.

Hope that helps. 
[/quote]

These queries seem to come up so often that it is obvious many people understandably don't know all the rules about taking a pet to the UK.  Maybe it would be a good idea to post something along the lines above as a sticky, mentioning of course that they should also be microchipped.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You only need a positive blood test the first time. Then you have to make sure that the vaccinations are done within the time limit, ie in France within a year and I suppose in the UK, 2 years.

eg our dog had her jab this year on 1 April, she will have to have her anti rabies jab by the 31st of March 2007. I never go on the exact date, I would hate anyone to argue about 'one day'.

If we forget to get the jabs done, then we have to start again.

NB I always travel with absolutely all our paperwork including that 'first' lab result that said that she was positive for anti bodies.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks to all who offered advice, by both PM and on this thread, it was all quite precise.

Sadly the dogs vaccinations had gone past the one year mark and thus it would mean another blood test and a six month wait and as Christmas is just 10 days from now.....................

Anyway, the boyfriends Father's cousin is going to take Lola the Pug for the 9 days they are away with us and neighbours and friends of theirs will feed the cats.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Gay,

She said tonight that she can't wait to visit.............................Boots the Chemist, as that is somewhere her and all her French girlfriends really would love here in France. She has orders already, for "stuff" to be brought back, from some of her friends !!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...