murfmeister

Hi, we're driving from the UK down to Spain for the first time with the hound, will he need a lungworm tablet between the French and Spanish border on the way there?

Dxf

Hola
No - it is going the other way (To the UK) that you have to be careful

Davexf

pickle04

As far as I know it is before going back to the UK that the dog has to be treated. You have to take your dog to be treated at the vet either in Spain or France before returning to the UK. The dog must have a wormer from five days before entering. If over five days the dog will not be allowed in so you have to time it to when you are going to be entering the UK. I am not sure if you are aware but dogs should also wear a scalibor collar as in parts of France and certainly in Spain dogs can get bitten by Sand fly which is a really serious condition and can make dogs really ill or even kill them. The dog should have the collar on for about two weeks before leaving the UK so it has the protection built up before leaving the UK.

It did used to be up to 48 hours before and they used to have to have tick treatment as well. However, this was changed a few yea ago.

pickle04

Sorry it was meant to say that the tick treatment was stopped a few years ago.

dmu

Hi from the France forum! I had to check what lungworm is in French (I first read "lugworm") and couldn't find any mention of it in official French texts concerning dogs arriving from the UK at the French Customs. They mainly check the Passport for rabies and identity... So, if the French Customs at the port of arrival don't bother with lungworm, would there be problems going over the border to Spain? If your hound is included in the Dangerous Dogs categories, be aware that you must keep it leashed and muzzled all the time you're in France.
I'd keep your dog indoors at dusk due to the mosquitoes which might give it leichmaniasis, prevalent in the south of France and therefore Spain, and a nasty disease. And prevent it from sniffing processionary caterpillars, as contact with them is highly allergic for dogs (and humans) - their muzzle/tongue can swell up and they can suffocate. Just a warning, but easy to avoid if you're vigilant!
P.S. Just realised that Scalibor is sold to protect from leichmaniasis, but how effective it is is a moot point. Our vet didn't recommend it for our dog (we're in the Languedoc) and we simply kept him indoors after sunset.

pickle04

Yes the Scalibor is for the Sandfly which gives dogs Leichmaniasis. We visit friends on a regular basis in your region and most dogs including theirs have Scalibor collars on.We have also always made sure that before we take our dog over to France that out dog has the Scalibor on for two weeks prior to leaving the UK. Scalibors are also used in Spain between the months of April to the end of October. Well in the North Eastern area not sure about other regions. I believe that an injection has now become available in France and Spain but the effectiveness of this was being questioned, not sure if that has changed now.

I believe that the wormer that the dogs have to have before going back to the UK is more for heart worm rather than lung worm. That was what a vet in France told me.

You do have to be careful that your dog again in not classed as dangerous in France or in Spain. We have an English Bull Terrier so we contacted the environment and agriculture department in France who were really helpful. They sent us a list of the dangerous dogs which you can find if you google it for France, English Bulls are okay in France. Staffies are okay if you have a pedigree but if not they can be classed as one of the dangerous breeds. They gave us a contact number in case we came across any issues and told us to keep our dogs pedigree and paper work with us when out and about. We did get stopped by two local policemen who asked if our dog was friendly. They then started to wave their hands in front of her to see if she reacted of course she didn't . She was then given a big fuss by them both and also every time the saw her they came and fussed her. through out our stay.

In Spain she is banned in Valencia any part of it. In all other regions she is fine. Again if you google dangerous dog breeds in Spain then you can check if yours is one,

dmu

Oooops, it's indeed the sandfly which can give leichmaniasis, not a mosquito, although most lay French say that a moustique is the culprit.
No one in our neck of the woods puts Scalibor collars on their dogs and one neighbour's Alsatian caught the disease and you'd think it had leprosy. A long series of (expensive) injections is necessary to eradicate it, and precautions should always be taken, of any nature....
When the OPs return to the UK, they must programme a visit to a French vet to administer a wormer ("vermifuge") for tapeworm within 5 days before leaving France. They should find out whether a Spanish vet's Certificate is possible, to avoid the hassle of finding a vet at the Channel Port.

pickle04

A Spanish vet can verify the wormer as we have had it done in Spain before. All they want to see at the channel is that it has been given by a vet and that the passport is signed by the vet with the time that the treatment was administered. To make sure it is within the five day period.

murfmeister

Thank you all so much for the info - he's only a small Westy.....with a Napoleon complex(and only dangerous in his imagination)

Saludos