Tim Dart

I have a question,
Once your pet is on Pet Passport, how long does the Pet Passport last?
Is the Pet Passport something the pet has for life providing vaccinations are up to date?

Sorry if this has been covered in another topic.

Thank you

Tim

dunroving

Yes. Specifically the rabies vaccinations. And specifically if the chip ID is on the vaccination record.

Tim Dart

That helps a lot, thank you.

We have been wanting to put our pets on Pet Passport and didn't want to waste any money starting the process.

johnh009

If you are shipping a pet to the UK, here is the information you need. Basically this way, your pet will avoid quarantine and you will be spared the pain of the fee. I have just completed the process so please ask if you have any questions:

http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pet...avel/index.htm

You can phone them in Liverpool, they are quite helpful despite not having much of a football team anymore.

Telephone: +44 (0)870 241 1710 - Monday to Friday - 8am to 6pm UK time (closed Bank Holidays).

Tim Dart

Thank you. Were just starting the process of moving back to England from Canada. We wanted to make sure there wasn't a time limit on how long the Pet Passport was valid for. This way we can start getting all the paper work sorted.

Thank you very much.

Tim.

johnh009

The main thing is that you get the rabies shots done and a positive blood test taken at least 6 months before departure. In case of a delay, keep the rabies vaccinations up to date. In Canada, all blood samples have to go to Kansas University in the USA for testing, it is the only recognized laboratory in North America to do this work. I shipped a cat from Canada to the UK, and, while the whole procedure seems daunting, on top of everything else you have to do, everything will work out fine. Just follow the steps outlined by DEFRA to the letter of the law and make sure the paperwork is completed correctly.

Make sure the tapeworm vaccine used by the vet contains an ingredient called praziquantel. Not all tapeworm treatments in Canada do. Because the administration of this vaccine is time sensitive before departure, it is best to check ahead with your vet and make sure they have the correct vaccine in stock. I believe all of the Bayer treatments contain praziquantel and you can phone their veterinary division in Toronto to clarify this. I found that not all vets are aware of this fact, especially if they have no experience of preparing animals for export.

Some airlines will not ship animals unaccompanied if necessary. I used Thomas Cook airlines from Toronto and they do.

postman62

Hi

We're in the process of moving back to the UK from Canada and are also making arrangements to get our dog back home. I was told that a pet passport was not appropriate in Canada. The Defra site tells you all you need to know and I have phoned them and they were really helpful. I was told that I needed a Third Country Official Veterinary Certificate filled in by the vets, you can print this off their site. I've just booked her onto an Air Canada flight and they also go through all the paperwork that you need and also inform the airport in the UK, who have emailed me the custom clearance papers for when she arrives in the UK.

johnh009

Yes, quite right. I am not really sure what a pet passport is. Maybe it is a collective term for all of the documentation or applies to other countries. Just follow the steps on the DEFRA site and everything will be fine. As I mentioned, just make sure the tick vaccine contains praziquantal and the vet has it in stock because the administration of this vaccine is time sensitive.

john5655

Hi there

the difference between the EU Pet Passport and the Third Country Veterinary Certificate is explained here

http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pet.../documents.htm

Don't worry, you won't get issued with the wrong document.

I arrived back in UK yesterday with my dog and two cats. All went well, but we had to wait about five hours to clear DEFRA and Customs, maybe because we landed too early for the officials to start working on the case (landed 04.40hrs).

We had the Third Party certs issued in Hong Kong. We'll now apply for a Pet Passport for the dog so we can travel to Europe in future. We have four months to do this from the date of the signature on the Third Party cert, i.e. three months for us.

If you don't keep the rabies vaccination valid you have to start all over again.

brits1

Have to say I expected our pet to have a "passport" or book of some sort...but really it is all just the paper work that confirms our dog has had her rabbies....chip....vaccs and sterlization...she has just had her booster for her everyday dog vaccs here in England the Vets were great and they also checked for me and said her next booster for Rabbies is 2012 (seems boosters here in the UK are every 3 years for Rabbies...in Aus we were told they did them 2 or 3 years because it depended on the Aquis vet you pet was examined by at the time of leaving Aus)...we want to keep up the Rabbs for when we go abroad and want to take her with us....as everyone says the main thing is the Rabbies....Chip etc...good luck

1chumly

In the UK you are issued a blue book, at least, that is what I have. Elsewhere (out of the EU I believe) it is just paperwork.

johnh009

Yes, as John5655 points us to in his link, outside the EU it is reffered to as a Third Country Veterinary Certificate. Here is an example, this is the one used for exporting pets from Canada.

http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/.../comm_en_e.pdf

postman62

My boxer dog is booked onto a flight from Canada to the UK a week Saturday and whole thing is turning out to be really stressful, I've just found out that the Third Country Veterinary Certificate has to be endorsed by a government approved vet. I thought I was saving money booking the flight myself, but am now thinking that maybe it would have been better to book through a pet travel agent and save myself all the hassall. The vets that we have been using while in Canada are really unfamiliar with the procedure so I am having to tell what they have to do. I really can't wait for it all to be over and for her to be back in the UK.

johnh009

Surely the vet who administered the rabies vaccine was government approved, as any high street vet would be? Which part of Canada are you in? There are a few companies that will handle this for you for a reasonable cost. I used one myself. They know which vets to use. Before you leave, the timing of the flea and tick treatment is key.

I can help you on this or PM me if you wish. There are government approved pet shippers all over Canada I can point you towards. Sometimes it is too much to do yourself with all of the other stuff going on.

Jagerbomb

I posted a new thread of my experience on avoiding quarantine for my dog in the UK when coming from a a country that has high risk of rabies e.g. South Africa.

Basically the UK does NOT RECOGNISE ANY RABIES INJECTION / BLOOD WORK carried out in S.Africa to get him into the EU following EU strict requirments (even though it was all done at our world renowned Ondestepoort Veterinary Research Lab). So everything has to start all over again when arriving in the EU.

My dog has an EU pet passport and has been placed on the EU database so now we sit and wait out the 6 months (cage-free!) from when his blood will be drawn on 1st July. I believe a PETS passport is only issued by the UK and he will qualify on entry.