Oxo_cube

I got back to the UK from the US a week ago with my dog. Below is a list of what I did following the PETS scheme as best I can recall it. We traveled on the same flight into Heathrow, using one of British Airways direct routes.

Please only use my experiences as a guide. It’s no substitute for reading the Defra rules which may have changed after I wrote this.

n.b. I had intended initally to use a pet shipper, but they were too expensive. One wanted $2,250 to ship my dog with BA. When I rang BA myself, they quoted me $1,100. Another shipper quoted me $250 for a $80 kennel. They will charge you for reviewing your paperwork, but the State Vet will do that for free. Not all of them know the Defra rules either, even though they claim to. One shipper told me I had to get my dog vaccinated against rabies 10 days before the flight ! If you do use a pet shipper, do your homework and get someone who comes highly recommended.

The first thing is to make sure your veterinarian is State Accredited. This is different from a vet’s license to practice. Accredited means they can do work on behalf of the USDA. This is really important as your paperwork will be rejected by the state veterinarian if he/she isn’t. Ask the vet directly or phone your local USDA office, they have a list of all accredited vets. Don’t trust the receptionist at your local vets office to know. When I phoned mine she said yes, all the vets at the practice were accredited, but when I asked one of the vets in person, he said No, not all of them were.

Next is getting the dog micro chipped. I got my vet to order an Avid Euro chip. This one is compatible with all European chip readers and it’s readable by the US Home and Away reader too. The vet gave me a yellow certificate with our dogs chip number on it. He filled out the details, in blue pen, dated it using the 24 hour clock, and signed it.

The rabies jab we left for a week after the micro chipping so there was no doubt it was done after the chip implant. The Defra Officer told me that 90% of paperwork is rejected because people get the microchip done after the rabies jab, so I didn’t want there to be any doubt. The vet gave me a plain piece of paper with their address typed on the top and all the details of the rabies jab. Details such as the date he did it, the expiry date of the vaccine, name of vaccine and batch number, dogs microchip number, breed, name, colour of dog, plus my name and address. The vet signed it in blue pen, as per Defra’s requirement, with his name printed in caps underneath, plus the vets office stamp below that. Defra told me a business card is not acceptable, it must be a stamp.

My vet phoned the FAVN laboratory and asked them what the optimum time was between the jab and doing the blood test. I don’t recall the exact time, but I think it was something like 21 days when the dog went back for the blood draw. The vet did a letter for me stating the date he did the blood draw. It isn’t necessary but he did it anyway.

My vet got a fax back from the FAVN laboratory after about 3 weeks with the results. He signed & dated the fax when he received it in blue pen.

Then I faxed a copy of all my paperwork to the USDA vets office. They will check it over for errors, and let you know if anything is wrong.

At this point the 6 months wait period begins. I started the Pets procedure back in 2003, so I already did the wait a long time ago. As long as you keep up the Rabies boosters and don’t let it lapse, you’re okay to go to the next step when you’re ready. In my case, that was 5 years later.

A month before we were set to travel, I contacted the USDA vet’s office again, and they sent me the 3rd country official veterinary certificate. It’s 3 pages with explicit instructions on filling it in. You can also get it online from the Defra site and print it out yourself if you prefer. My vet filled out the first part of the form, (again in blue pen) up to the section where the flea and tick starts. I faxed it to the USDA office and they checked it over. I was then given an appointment for 2 days time. The USDA vet stamped all my paperwork with an official embossed seal, and stapled it all together. He also pre stamped the flea and tick portion so I didn’t have to go back on the last day. Take your credit card along, there is a fee.

Next I bought a shipping kennel. These can be bought online and quite cheap. Vari Kennels are popular. I was told to make sure my dog can stand up in it with at least 3 inches above his head, and be able to turn around easily. Defra requires the little plastic cups that fit in the door for water & food which I bought from Petsmart, it comes with an absorbent kennel pad and some live animal stickers. I was told you aren’t allowed to put toys in with the dog but a fleece blanket is okay.

14 days before the flight, I phoned BA and booked my dogs ticket. They won’t allow you to book your pet in before that. I was given a booking number, and an estimate of how much it will cost. They want to know the breed and weight of your pet, the kennel dimensions, make and weight. BA gave me the name of the company they use to clear animals through UK customs. I just sent them an email and they sent me a simple form to fill in and email back to them. I didn’t have to pay anything for this service, it was included in the price. BA also sent me a map to get to their Cargo facility where I had to drop off the dog, and a map to the Defra Animal Reception Center in London. BA were super helpful and caring, I can’t praise them enough.

24 hrs before the flight we were back to the Vet again for the Flea, Tick and Tapeworm treatment. The Flea & Tick the vet used was Frontline, and the Tapeworm was Droncit plus. The vet filled out the last portion of the form [again in blue pen], signed it, dated it using 24 hour clock, and put the vets stamp under his name. Also I got an Official Health Certificate required by the airline. You can use any vet to do the treatment if your own is on holiday, but they must be USDA Accredited. If for some reason you don’t get it done, you can get it done the other end but you might have to wait a day or so to get your pet back.

On the day of travel, we were told to drop our dog off, in his crate, at the BA Cargo reception 4 hours before the flight. I gave them my paperwork and they put the dog & crate on the scales. Final cost is calculated by weight on the day. I have a small terrier and the cost was $1,110 Once he was checked in, they told me I could take him out of the crate and walk him around outside.

At the other end….. The Animal Reception Center is not in the airport, so you will need transport to get there. When your pet arrives, he will be given water, food, a dry bed, and allowed into a run so he can get some exercise. The ARC staff are awesome, really kind and sympathetic. When you arrive, they will take your name and pets name, tell you your baby is just fine, and then you sit and wait………………. The sign on the wall says, Animals arriving from Non EU countries take approximately 4 hours to clear Defra and Customs. It really depends on how busy they are. We were lucky and got our dog back in 2 hours.

My little dog was a little hyper for about an hour after we got him back, but after that, he seemed just fine and no sign that his experience had any lasting effects.

Good luck to everyone going through the pets program, and I hope you found the above helpful.

SarahInTX

Thanks for posting this, Oxo.

I'm planning to avoid a pet shipper, and have started the process. Like you, I got the microchip, rabies shot, and titre done a couple of years ago and have kept the rabies shot up to date.

I'll be flying Continental, and supposedly they have a good pet program, so I'm reasonably confident all will go well.

scrubbedexpat097

Hi Sarah

Have you sold up yet? and do you have a date to leave? (I know you want to get away from this heat and humidity as soon as you can)

SarahInTX

Hi Sugar!

No, not yet . . . but I live in hope! I have a closing date set for May 30th -- but then, I had one set for March 27th and also for April 18, and neither of those actually happened, so why should I think this one will!

If, by some miracle, it does, I would like to get out of here at the end of July.

Hopefully there won't be an early hurricane, and I'll only have to endure a couple of months of the Houston summer--which, as you well know, has already started!

But if the sale doesn't go through, I'll just keep trucking along . . .

scrubbedexpat097

Fingers and toes crossed for you hon...

Fleaflyfloflum

WOW! Thanks for this.

I was under the impression you HAD to use a shipper or such like. I will get OH to look into us doing this from Australia. We have been quoted $2500 to ship our tiny wee pooch!

BTW... do you have the address where you pick up the dog?

Oxo_cube

The animal reception phone number is Tel 020 8745 7894
They are on email too [email protected]
I don't have the exact address only the map, but the location is on the corner of Bedfont Road, at the roundabout where the road changes to Stanwell Road.

Fleaflyfloflum

Thanks Oxo. I think I know the place.

SarahInTX

I think you should post all this on the Wiki!

cherry6

I too am hoping to do it myself, however as a warning, Qantas are expecting to bring in regulations stating you HAVE to use a shipper, by the end of the year. The other airlines like Emirates also have the same rule.

Twigstar

Hi I also used BA from Miami to Heathrow and although our Lab was not under the pet passport scheme and is now in quarentine. She had the rabies blood drawn in February so the 6mths started then so she will be able to leave quarentine in August. She was booked onto a flight a week in advance with the same USDA approved certificate etc etc. As she weighs 97lbs her fare was $1700.00. My Husband took her to the cargo area himself, it took about 1 hour to do the paperwork. I had an e-mail the following morning from the UK kennels saying she had arrived and was settling in nicely. I went to see her on Saturday and she was absolutely fine. Apart from keep looking at the door to her kennel and at me as if to say 'OK Mum now you have found me lets get the heck out of here'.
9 weeks to go. I shall see her every Saturday afternoon and I am sure the time will fly..

lizard

Thanks for this info. We are flying back from New Zealand with our dogs ( a Lab and a German Shepherd) They were vaccinated for rabies in Jan, so not long to go now. Its costing us NZ$12,000 ( about £5000 ) Waiting for the house to sell first though but its looking promising. We have had someone round today ( for the second time) and they seem very interested.
Can't wait to get back so we can take them for good long walks in the country and sit outside a pub with them. It will be bliss.

deeana

Thank you very much, Oxo, for describing you experience in such detail. Very, very useful. I am hoping to ship my dog from the US to the UK this summer, but have been told that some airports won't allow dogs to travel in the hotter months. Has anyone shipped a dog from Miami in August or September?
Thanks for your help.

Twigstar

BA will take pets throughtout the year. Virgin will now not fly any animal until October 1st. Also check with DEFRA as they have approved airlines that you have to use.

SarahInTX

I happen to have that sheet right in front of me () . . . approved route from Miami is to Heathrow on BA or Virgin. Here's the link: http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/quar.../noneu-air.pdf.