The Vets have told us that after our dog gets jabbed next week they have to wait 30 days and then do blood tests to confirm the jab has 'taken'. We would then have to wait 30 days before a certificate is issued.

Now... I didn't speak to them but I think they are referring to obtaining a Pet Passport for return to the UK.

I looked on the Canadian Food Inspection Agency website as this dept deals with pet imports too. It says that there is no waiting period for import to Canada between vaccination and arrival in Canada and, in fact, the pet could be done at the Canadian airport at the owner's expense.

The dog will be flying at the end of August. Has anyone else encountered any problem getting a certificate off their vet without such a huge waiting period after the jab ?

Paul

when I asked our vet about the rabbies shot she said that if we wanted to get the pet passport then it was a two shot course, but just for taking dog into Canada then one was fine.
The dog had to be microchipped as it couldn't be vaccinated without that.
It took her a while to find my dogs chip as it had moved around a bit in the 14 years that he had had it.
If the vet is unsure phone defra, they have all the up to date rules for dog exportation to each country.

Penny

OK, Not Canada, but our experience coming into the USA was similar. Our vets said the same thing about our 4 cats and had a similar wait period, and that was for the pet passpaort (which I didn't see the point of using as i'm not transporting them back and forth over the Atlantic).

I spoke to the main office that deals with it locally here and they said the same as you've been told. I'd get it done when you get over this side of the pond. We didn't even have to get it done at the airport, just the local vet which was far cheaper. It does sound like the Canadian and US systems are similar but I'd double check to be entirely certain.

HTH

He is chipped.

And the one jab is fine but as I stated it's the waiting period I was querying to verify that the jab worked ( or is that just for the pet passport stuff to come back in ? )

I am not sure about that. I would phone defra. they have all the up to date info.
My vet never mentioned any waiting period or returning dog to check shot had worked.
You could also phone other vets and enquire of them?

Are you having a fit to fly certificate done by your vet?


Penny

Yes a few days before he flies.

On the form that defra send for the vet to fill in there is a part to state if dog has had rabies shot and on what date. It doesn't ask if it has been tested for effectiveness.
So it shouldn't be a problem.

Penny

Hi there, I've being researching this issue myself as I plan on bringing our cat over to Canada from the UK next spring. I started this thread with links and info I've found out to date.

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...32#post5013932

My dag had his rabies jab 3 weeks ago, 2 weeks after the injection he had his bloods taken to be sent off for testing. If levels come back ok then no further injections are required.

If your having the rabies jab you may aswell have the blood tests as then you dog is covered on the pet passport (with microchip) and if anything untoward happened they can re-enter the UK without quarrentine restrictions (and expense).

I paid about £50 quid for the blood test.

Sharon

we have just brought our cat into canada.
all we done was had her rabies injection,and then within seven days before flying,we took her to the vets.and had her checked out then we were issued a fitness to fly certificate.
along with her vaccination card we took these and the cat on the day of the flight to the agents dealing with her.
when we arrived we were supposed to go and pick her up ,but the cbsa brought her to us,processed her as a perishable,so as to get around thee hassle,paid them $32 for that and that was it....very simple.
we never called defra or anybody like that.

From my understanding (from what our vets told us) the Export forms that Defra provides us with (and which the vet will complete & sign) has something to the effect of 'this animal has been living in a rabies free country the past 6 months or more' which entitles you to not need a rabies jab at all. Check the link I provided in my above post as it has links to the IAFA, DEFRA & Canadian Food & Drug inspection confirming that so long as cat or dog have been living in a 'rabies free' country, they dont require a jab.

Only reason to get one prior to leaving is if you want to be able to bring the animal back to the UK, in which case it will be more expensive and require more time & planning.

EDIT: The cost of a Rabies vaccine at the vets in Canada is much less as it is one of the standard diseases all pets are vaccinated against in Canada. Make sure to make an apointment at your local vet when you arrive & have your pets UK vaccination details with you so that they can advise on the best course.

We landed in April with our dog. We could either provide the DEFRA form or confirmation that he has had his rabies jab (plus fit to fly letter of courese). We got the jab because to get a dog licence in most areas they need to have the jab anyway. Also note that a dog licence is cheaper if you provide a letter from your vet that the animal has been neutered. my vet did this no extra charge.

Hi Tangram- haven't been on here for sometime but that is another story. We had our dogs injected against rabies and didn't have to wait to get certificate or have blood tests done. We had been told that the vacination wasn't needed but we were asked to show proof at the airport. Hope things are going okay your end. Angela

Thanks Ang. Dog booked in this afternoon so will let you know how I get on. We are getting the passport done eventually as you never know what might happen and wouldn't want him in quarantine for 6 months coming back into the UK. In the scheme of things not much cost. So three stage process

1. Get the jab and certificate so he can fly out to Canada
2. Blood Test done for passport after 30 days
3. He flys out anyway before results of test and passport is forwarded to us in Canada.

Paul

PS change your signature Ang.

Will do!