Its never to early to think about summer holidays!

It’s never too early to think about Summer Holidays!

Summer holidays may seem a long way off at the moment but if you are planning to go away with a furry friend this year then you should get down to the vet as soon as possible!

The PETS travel scheme has been up and running now for several years, it is a way of being able to take your pets in and out of the country for holidays, whereas previously any animal entering Britain from abroad would have had to spend six months in quarantine. However, you have to ensure that all the requirements for the scheme are met or you could find your pet stranded!

Rabies and Microchipping

The most important part of the scheme is that your pet has to be microchipped and vaccinated against rabies. The chip has to be in place before the vaccine. A blood test is taken at least four weeks after the vaccination to measure the levels of rabies protection in the blood to ensure they are high enough. If they are not (and it is unusual for them not to be) the process will need to be repeated. Once a positive blood test has been confirmed the animal cannot come back into the country until 6 months AFTER the date of the blood test being taken. You can take them out at any time but you cannot bring them back in. This is why it is important to start the process at this time of year if you are planning to go away in the summer. Rabies boosters are required every 2 years.

Ticks and worms

All animals have to be treated against ticks and worms within 24 hours of returning to the UK and this treatment has to be verified by a vet. There are now vets set up at most of the border crossings to do this for you. This is very important as there are several parasites present on the Continent which aren’t in Britain, so we need to keep them out and they can cause serious disease in your pet.

Pet passport

All the information about your pet, their chip and vaccine history are kept in a pet passport, which needs to be signed and stamped by an ‘official’ vets. Most practices will have at least one vet who is able to stamp passports. The passport can be stamped at any time once all the tests have been done and confirmed. It both the vets and your responsibility that the passports are correctly filled out, if they are not you could be refused re-entry to Britain.

Taking your pet on holiday can be very rewarding for you both, but do consider it carefully before you decide to take them. The PETS scheme isn’t something undertaken lightly, there are a lot of requirements and it can be expensive. Also, going abroad is not risk free despite the vaccines and anti-parasite treatment, pets can pick up serious diseases. Consider as well the amount of travelling and the heat, especially for long coated breeds.

Look out for a Pet Passport Factsheet coming soon!

If you have any questions about this or any other pet related subject you should contact your vet.