Yeah, I know about the diseases - I´ve had my dog Joe here for three years so know about the routine preventative measures. I was just wondering if he mentioned the implications should we wish to return to live in the UK if they abolish the pet passport scheme.

I will ask next time I go for Georges blood test because I am interested too. Will they scrap it outright and allow free passage as they do between other countries in Europe? I think from the newspaper report I read that it is the 24-48 hour vet visit that might be scrapped. French vets are making a fortune out of the 'pet passports'. All they are doing is making sure the dog is wormed and treated for fleas. All responsible pet owners do this routinely. They are not checking for carriers of these other nasties which also carry diseases to humans. That I would expect would require a return to quarantine.

We have recently had our dogs done in Spain and according to our vet the pet passport is now obligatory here, but it is the old adage not everyone complies and some do not care enough to bother with the basics.

In all honesty I hope they never get rid of the passport as it may no longer stop the diseases but it will at least slow it down enough to combat any potential problems and if you make the effort to get the passport you are at least a responsible owner and have taken all the precautions, if you can move them freely how many would bother with the vaccinations.

Quite right I fully agree with you.
However if dogs can travel freely between all European countries except UK you only need a passport for them if you intend to visit the UK.

I have another question....

We are our dog's third owner. The breeder, then a family that had lots of kids and couldn't cope, and now us.
I have been given her microchip number, so she does have one, but before she has the rabies jab, do the details need to be changed? and how do I do this. I have no idea how to contact her previous owner/s as they have moved house since. I'm worried I wont be able to change her details and therefore not get a pet passport. I'm not even sure which microchipping company was used.

Your vet should be able to help with this. He can scan the dog and obtain the information. This is how a friend of ours managed to get their details changed.

My daughter was the first owner of George full of good intention she had him chipped. He is a rescue and I was dog sitting and helping her to socialize him. I grew fond of him and she rejected him. I now have him full time.
When I told the vet he had a chip he just found it and changed ownership to me on his computer. I fully expected it to have to be done again but NO. It was O.K. to re register to me.

In the UK it is fairly easy to change the dogs chip details, think all the chip numbers are held centrally which your vet should be able to give you their number, contact them with the details and they can update their details think it costs about £5 every time you change details like phone number, address ownership etc or you can basically pay a bit more and be able to change the details any time.

Think the organisation is called pet log, at least that is whom our dogs are registered with in the UK. Contact www.petlog.org.uk they should be able to give you more information

The chip details in the UK bares no reference in Spain as they are different systems and they would be registered to you from the outset, however I believe the process of taking on a chipped dog from here is very different and a lot more complicated.

We took on a chipped dog, wasnt difficult at all, but, the previous owner had to sign her over to us when we updated the chip, so we both had to go to a vet to do the paperwork, otherwise was easy.We then received an updated card with our details on.

We brought our two dogs cat acros on Brittany Ferries. I certainly agree take dog bed and blanket for the kennels - cold and smells strange.
The pet deck is the absolute top of the ship and has fabulous views - we were actually whale watching as dawn broke! Unforgettable.
I have made three ferry crossings now, and been lucky - no very bad weather, just a bit of a storm.
Our costs were WAY higher than any mention, but we came from the South, (and our vet always charged fifty quid to walk in the door), which might explain the difference. Vet costs here are astonishingly low compared to UK. For a new rescue puppy, all vaccinations, pet passport, rabies jab three worm treatments and top up jabs for the 2 other dogs and cat was just under 100 Euros.

BUT, and it is a big but, there is only one clinic in Spain that can certificate the Rabies jab. They lost the first sample and then spoiled another due to the extended summer holidays. We were planning to return to the UK for Christmas - and had allowed 10 months for the paperwork. That is now not possible.

So I will repeat what an earlier poster said, if there is ANY chance you may need to take them back to the UK, get the certification done in the UK.
A further advantage is that in the UK you can get a three year vaccination and certificate. Here in Galicia it is only one year

I wondered how you could get a UK pet passport in Spain. The blood test is taken by the vet. It then has to be sent off and done by DEFRA and can take up to 6 weeks for a result. If DEFRA have appointed a Spanish lab to do the tests then that explains it. The passport is only needed for entry into the U.K. It makes easy money for vets in France who just apply frontline and administer a worming pill then sign a form and take your money for something a responsible pet owner does routinely anyway.
According to my vet it hasn't stopped the introduction of diseases it was thought the UK was immune to.
There is talk of it being scrapped. Or at least the 24-48 hr window to see a vet.

I believe the Pet Passport is an EU requirement - all ours certainly are marked so, with ring of stars etc.
(Interestingly, the tests for our dogs were sent to Germany for validation. Quite possibly they might be more expert, Germany certainly was much more concerned about rabies than anywhere else I have lived in Europe. They used to shoot stray dogs.)
But I suspect none of the West European countries are too concerned, except certainly for the French vets at Calais it sems to be a nice little earner.
We have never been checked crossing borders into or out of Spain or Portugal

Do you know if any countries in Europe other than the U.K. require it for entry into the country?

Our first was sent to Germany - I suspect because the vet was German. Our second has been sent to a Spanish laboratory - it is cheaper but takes much longer. Our vet gave us the option of sending it to Germany at a higher cost but as we don't intend to travel again this year it's not worth it.

BTW whenever I see this in the threads list I always read it as "Talking dog to Spain"

What is the name of the spanish laboratory? How much did it cost /We paid 90€ for the test from a German lab. last year. Can anyone give me any links for the abolition of the tick and flea requirement?

What a good thread! No inuendo or jokes, just info>