Chiclanagir

This has been mentioned before but just wondered if anyone has found a solution to this problem. Our friends´cats were given a pets passport a year ago and of course were vaccinated at that time against rabies which is valid until 2011. They now have to return to the UK and have found that they will have to have a blood test and wait for six months before they can take their cats back. What on earth is the point of having a vaccination that lasts this length of time if it isn´t actually valid!

jackytoo

If the blood test is done at the time of 1st vac. there is no need of another if the vacs are up to date. Some vets are giving out wrong information. Have a look at the DEFRA site.

jojojojojojojojojojojojo

We've had the same issue with our dogs!! The vaccinations only last a year according to DEFRA and its that all important blood test and the 6 month wait thats key! god knows why. But the point is that eventho the existing vaccine is still probably in their systems, it may not be and the 6 month wait would have to start again after a new injection!!??

My dogs came over beginning of 2008, they're vaccinations were valied til 2010 apparently. However when we were thinking of returning BEFORE their vaccinations were out of date, we were told by both DEFRA (I phoned them) and two local vets that we'd have to start the whole process again! The six month wait thing meant major turmoil for us, as it happens we now arent going back, but if we had we were actually left with a predicament of actually contemplating having the dogs put down. the two older ones are 9 and 10 yrs old, very spoilt and precious pets that simply couldnt have been "given" away - that would have been cruel IMO - actually I couldnt have had them put down either - but what do you do????

Anyway, we've just started our "6 months" so if we have to go back then we can - after May 2010!!

Jo xxxx

Fred James

The rules are quite simple.

The pet has a rabies jab and then has a blood test. If the blood test shows that the vaccination worked OK then after 6 months from the date of the test, the pet can enter the UK.

Assuming the pet has repeat vaccinations within the prescribed period shown on the passport, then no further blood test is needed. If you miss the revaccination date by even one day, the whole process starts again.

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

pampasgrass

We have had our pets passports for our cats for about 3 years. Each year we have to have them vaccinated again to keep everything up to date. We were told by our vet that we would have to go through the whole blood test process again if we didn't do this every year.

We just need to sell our house ...

Chiclanagir

So if you had a blood test certificate from when they were originally vacinated and their rabies jab was still up to date then that would be ok?

Fred James

Yes that's correct.

It is also vital that the date they were chipped is before or the same as the date of the first vaccination.

Chiclanagir

Well that is all correct.

pampasgrass

Yes.

jojojojojojojojojojojojo

I was in that situation and both Defra and the vets told me that I had to have them revaccinated because altho the previous jabg was still "valid" it may not stand the test or the six months wait and rather than tempt fate it would be quicker to simply restart the whole procedure

Jo xxx

jackytoo

Jo,e I don't really understand what you are saying. I know someone who lives close to your area who was given wrong information.

Had my pets done over 4 years ago. Blood test, 6 month wait, piece of paper confirming blood test result stamped by the junta. Since then they only have yearly boosters. They have been in and out of the UK a few times every year with no problem. If your vet is telling you any different change the Vet, as did my friend.

jojojojojojojojojojojojo

I went to two vets, one on the poligono in Alhaurin de la Torre, and the other in Alhaurin El grande (cant remember the name?). Because I didnt believe either of them and because we were probably returning to the UK I panicked and phoned DEFRA and spoke to a chap who told me the same. That it didnt matter if there was still a few days or weeks left of the validity of the rabies jabs, they had to be done again, blood tested after 4 weeks and then we'd have to wait for 6 months after the date of the blood test

Jo xx

jackytoo

The only time another blood test is needed if the vac is over the date. eg. my pets are given the vacs at the same day every March. Say they didn't have the jab until April then they would need another blood test, otherwise it is fine, took my pets this year. It is all stated on the defra site too.

jojojojojojojojojojojojo

Well there you go!! Two different lots of advise LOL!!!

TBH, the actual vaccine was the cheap and easy part of the procedure. We ended up shopping around for the blood tests - the dearest was 150€ EACH no discount and the cheapest was 60€ inc a discount for having three dogs done at once!!! There was a cheaper one but that involved a 4 month wait cos the lab was in Madrid??? Of course waiting is fine (cos you've gotta wait 6 months from the day the bloods taken anyway) until you get the wrong result back and have to do the whole damn thing again!!!!!!

Jo xxx

Lionda

We planned to return to England last summer, this is what we did....

We had to have a rabies jab for our cats then one month later a blood test - then a wait of 6 months. We had the rabies jabs in December 2007, the blood test in Jan 2008. Everything ok so we were fine for returning in July. However things didn't work out so a change of plan and we couldn't return until July this year. We went to the vet and asked if all would be ok. He thought we may need to repeat the process as a year had passed but we checked with DEFRA and were told it was ok as the rabies test was valid for 2 years and so long as our pet passports were stamped with the dates we could travel. We just needed a medical for each animal and flea and tick treatment. When we got to the tunnel we were directed to a small office where our paperwork and passports were checked., The cats microchips were scanned and we were ok to travel.

If in doubt phone DEFRA the vet doesn't always know.