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06.08.2011, 08:48
|  | Junior Member | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Manchester area
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| | Travelling by car to the Uk with my dog.
I am visiting the UK for a few weeks, I am driving over an wish to take my dog with me. How difficult is it? She as a pet passport with all her jabs up todate.
Anybody got any advice! please.
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06.08.2011, 09:19
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| | Re: Travelling by car to the Uk with my dog. | Quote: | |  | | | I am visiting the UK for a few weeks, I am driving over an wish to take my dog with me. How difficult is it? She as a pet passport with all her jabs up todate.
Anybody got any advice! please. | | | | | It is very easy ...
You have to get a local vet to de-worm and detick/flea the hound, give it the once over and sign the passport. You then have to wait 24 hours before you cross. You then have 24 to get across.
At the tunnel you call into the pet centre, where they test the chip and check the passport.
Then Bob's yet Uncle
Coming back you don't have to do any of the checks just drive straight through.
If you take the ferry I guess it will be the same - but you have to leave the dog in the car ....
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06.08.2011, 09:58
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| | Re: Travelling by car to the Uk with my dog.
Thank you for that information. It has put my mind at rest,so many people have been saying how difficult it was and that they turn you away for anything in Calais. 1 even told me that they have to blood tests to make ensure the rabies vaccinations are still working!.Sounds quite simple now to me. Thanks very much
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06.08.2011, 10:12
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I am sorry to say but until January 2012 your dog will need a rabies blood test and border control in England are very strict. If you don't have it, your dog will not be allowed in and basically stuck in France. You need to look at defra website for exact details.
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06.08.2011, 10:25
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| | Re: Travelling by car to the Uk with my dog.
Hi, do i need to do that even it her Rabies vaccinations are up todate?
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06.08.2011, 10:53
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| | Re: Travelling by car to the Uk with my dog. | Quote: | |  | | | Hi, do i need to do that even it her Rabies vaccinations are up todate? | | | | | Give DEFRA a call if you are unsure. http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/pets/travel/ | The following 2 users would like to thank telandy for this useful post: | | 
06.08.2011, 11:08
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Yes unless at any point you already had the blood test. I believe you can't enter the Uk until 6 months after the date of a pass on the blood test. This is changing in the new year but I don't think you will be able to go in a couple of weeks.
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06.08.2011, 11:10
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| | Re: Travelling by car to the Uk with my dog. | Quote: | |  | | | Hi, do i need to do that even it her Rabies vaccinations are up todate? | | | | |
No - the vaccinations just have to be up to date ( and you must have gone through the 6 month and blood test stage first)
The chip correlates with the passport
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06.08.2011, 11:11
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| | Re: Travelling by car to the Uk with my dog. | Quote: | |  | | | I am sorry to say but until January 2012 your dog will need a rabies blood test and border control in England are very strict. If you don't have it, your dog will not be allowed in and basically stuck in France. You need to look at defra website for exact details. | | | | | Do you really know what you are talking about here?
How many times have you taken a dog to the UK?
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06.08.2011, 11:17
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Er well I am a Uk qualified vet nurse who not only transported our two dogs but also used to spend part of my working day organizing passports for animals. The rest of Europe doesn't require the blood test. You can take your animals out of the Uk with just rabies vaccinations and travel all through Europe, however entering the Uk is more of a problem. Defra is relaxing the rules in January but until then it is still very strict. So yes, I think I do know what I am talking about but I would always recommend getting exact advice from defra before traveling.
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06.08.2011, 11:19
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| | | Quote: | |  | | | No - the vaccinations just have to be up to date ( and you must have gone through the 6 month and blood test stage first)
The chip correlates with the passport | | | | | As I said, unless the pet has already had a blood test previously. You don't need one each time providing the vaccines are up to date.
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06.08.2011, 11:23
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| | Re: Travelling by car to the Uk with my dog. Pet travel rules before 31 December 2011 Arranging a blood test
Under the current pet travel rules, once your pet has been vaccinated, it must have a blood test to make sure the vaccine has given sufficient protection against rabies. This can be done before you leave the UK or while you are in another qualifying country but for entering the UK the six month rule will apply. Your vet will arrange to take a sample of your pet’s blood and send it to an EU-approved laboratory for testing. The vet who vaccinated your pet can arrange this for you. You will need to take your pet’s vaccination record with you when the blood sample is taken. Make sure that the vet scans your pet’s microchip and records the microchip number accurately and clearly on the submission form, together with the date the blood sample was taken.
(taken from defra website)
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06.08.2011, 11:46
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| | Re: Travelling by car to the Uk with my dog. | Quote: | |  | | | If you take the ferry I guess it will be the same - but you have to leave the dog in the car .... | | | | |
We just travelled from amsterdam to newcastle and back on the ferry and you can pre book a kennel on board the ferry ( was DFDS we went with may be different for others) cost was £24 for a xl kennel which suited our dog just fine. You can visit them in the "pet hotel" as they call it at certain times you just have to go and ask to get taken down. water was provided but nothing else. It was basic but it was ok Jazz basically slept the whole way and we didnt need to worry about him messing in the car.
The border contols were easy checked the chip at amsterdam checked his passport and away we went at newcastle when we arrived the checked the human passports and didnt bother with the dogs, on the way back just a quick look at the passport and that was it. Was easy and no fuss, especially with two kids in toe.
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06.08.2011, 12:11
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| | Re: Travelling by car to the Uk with my dog. | Quote: | |  | | | Er well I am a Uk qualified vet nurse who not only transported our two dogs but also used to spend part of my working day organizing passports for animals. The rest of Europe doesn't require the blood test. You can take your animals out of the Uk with just rabies vaccinations and travel all through Europe, however entering the Uk is more of a problem. Defra is relaxing the rules in January but until then it is still very strict. So yes, I think I do know what I am talking about but I would always recommend getting exact advice from defra before traveling. | | | | | So you must have to work to different rules then ....
It wasn't a problem when I took my dog back at Xmas, or when he went back at Easter , or when he went back four weeks ago ... or last summer when he went ....
The rules were relaxed not a few months ago but in 2005 - again, from experience, a I took our dog back 2006 with no issues.
You have to have the chip, rabies up to date, pet passport, and have done the flea/worm thing you are fine. You have to travel 24 hours after the vest visit and before 48 hrs
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06.08.2011, 12:13
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| | Re: Travelling by car to the Uk with my dog. | Quote: | |  | | | As I said, unless the pet has already had a blood test previously. You don't need one each time providing the vaccines are up to date. | | | | | Absolutely - it is only for the first time - to make sure the rabies shot has produced the correct antibodies
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06.08.2011, 12:33
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| | Re: Travelling by car to the Uk with my dog.
Hi, Thank you everybody for your replies in my posting.
My dog was vaccinated and blood checked and passed in July 2010, so I am sure she will be fine. | 
06.08.2011, 13:18
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| | Re: Travelling by car to the Uk with my dog.
I was turned away from the border with my cat trying to bring her into the UK because my not-very-bright Belgian vet misinterpreted the law and waited 6 months THEN did the blood test rather than the other way around. I trusted him so never bothered to look into it. I had to call my dad in tears at Calais who drove three hours to pick her up. Recently I went to another UK vet who did the vaccinations three days too early for EU passport purposes on kittens so they had to be re-vaccinated again. Poor kittens..
Don't be like me, do your homework and don't necessarily trust the vet!
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06.08.2011, 15:51
| | Re: Travelling by car to the Uk with my dog.
Has your got dog a microchip with is registered on your passport?
Please make sure you have got everything absolutely right, and timings perfect. They are extremely STRICT at the pet check centre at the Tunnel- any little thing not right and they just say NO! I've seen many people plead, beg and get turned away in tears- just not worth the risk.
Last edited by Odile; 06.08.2011 at 16:24.
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06.08.2011, 16:18
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| | Re: Travelling by car to the Uk with my dog.
Sorry to jump on to the back of this but I also have a question. We have a dog who has a Swiss passport and microchip and who has had her rabies jab and her blood test - the latter both done in South Africa before she came here in April. I have taken her to the Swiss vet who says that is fine for her to travel to the UK has anyone had a similar situation and who can confirm that this is okay? Many thanks.
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06.08.2011, 16:41
| | Re: Travelling by car to the Uk with my dog. | Quote: | |  | | | Sorry to jump on to the back of this but I also have a question. We have a dog who has a Swiss passport and microchip and who has had her rabies jab and her blood test - the latter both done in South Africa before she came here in April. I have taken her to the Swiss vet who says that is fine for her to travel to the UK has anyone had a similar situation and who can confirm that this is okay? Many thanks. | | | | | Please check with DEFRA - just not worth taking the risk. They are absolutely and totally strict at the check-in for the Tunnel (make sure you allow plenty of time for this check- as at times during school and main holidays, there can be a big queue.). Remember the veterinary visit, checking the chip, and administering worming/tick and flea treatment, and signing of passport + stamp, date and exact time, has to be between 24hrs min and 48hrs max before departure of Tunnel/Ferry.
Beware: your dog would have to remain in the car in the ferry- that is 1h3o mins which could be a nightmare in case of a stormy crossing- so I'd never ever travel by ferry with pets. The Tunnel is so much better as your dog remains in your car with you, and crossing is only 30 mins.
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