Our in house vet, Roberta Baxter, explains how to go about getting you pet ready to travel on the continent.

PETS scheme

Since it began in 2000 more than 300,000 dogs and cats have used the Pet Travel Scheme (PETS). Many people enjoy having the freedom to take their pets abroad on holiday and for pets imported into this country using the scheme, the benefits of avoiding six months in quarantine are obvious. However, there are also some cons involved with PETS — travelling abroad carries a number of potential health risks for dogs which owners may not always fully consider. Also, the scheme is, necessarily, complex and difficult to understand.

What is required?

The Pet Travel Scheme allows dogs and cats to travel to and from specified countries (the list can be seen in full on the scheme website or can be obtained from the PETS helpline).

Certain routes are also specified and for pets travelling by air there are particular airlines that can be used. In short, should you wish to take your pet between the UK and any other EU country, the Americas, Australia or a number of other destinations, you can. However first you must fulfil all the requirements of the scheme otherwise your pet will find himself going into quarantine for six months when he arrives back in the UK.

The first step is to have your dog microchipped. This has to be done before the other requirements of the scheme so the chip can be checked on subsequent trips to the vet and it can be proved that treatments given relate to the dog in question.

Next, the dog has to be vaccinated against rabies (if he was vaccinated for the disease before he was microchipped the jab must be given again as there must be documented evidence of this taking place after microchipping). After approximately one month (depending on the brand of vaccine used) the pet’s immunity against rabies is checked in an approved laboratory. In approximately 15 per cent of cases dogs may need two injections to attain a suitable immunity level.

The rabies test results go in the pet’s official passport, which can be issued at this stage. A dog can travel as soon as he has fulfilled the criteria for export (generally just having a rabies vaccine) and has a pet passport; however, he cannot return to the UK until six months after the blood that showed adequate levels of rabies immunity was taken.

Finally, in order to return to the UK the dog must have an approved worming and tick treatment between 48 and 24 hours before he is checked in with an approved transporter or before arriving in the UK. This must be given and certified by a vet. The wormer must contain a medicine called praziquantel and an approved tick treatment such as Frontline must be used.

The welfare implications

Just because you can travel with your pet doesn’t necessarily mean it is a good idea. It’s easy to be enthusiastic about the prospect of taking your dog to the south of France and not having to put him in kennels but it’s important to stop and think about the problems your pet might face.

Travelling itself can be a problem. Most dogs don’t like it much and a car, train or plane in a hot country can rapidly become dangerous and contribute to dehydration, organ damage and even death. It is often difficult to get pets to drink enough during a journey — taking your own water with you and training them to drink on command can be a help (if they aren’t thirsty they will stop drinking quickly and won’t drink too much).

Meeting the requirements:

Step 1: Have microchip inserted.
Step 2: Rabies vaccination.
Step 3: Blood test one month later. In urgent cases a second rabies vaccination can be given at this time in case the dog’s immunity proves inadequate.
Step 4: Results of blood test. If inadequate levels of immunity are found a further rabies vaccination may be needed.
Step 5: A pet passport is issued.
Step 6: Travel into the UK is allowed six months after the blood sample that showed adequate immunity was taken. However between 48 and 24 hours prior to arrival in the UK or checking in with an approved carrier, the pet must also have been treated against ticks and tapeworms with an authorized product by a vet, and this must be certified.