doggey and boaty: Is there a need for a yourboatvet.com ?

[shmoo]

If you haven't got a dog, you can stop reading now...

Got the mutt last year and its passport has just come through. It seems to me that, since the almanacs don't have a "nearby vets" entry for foreign ports, there may be a need for a cooperative vet-details swapping web site. I guess the sort of thing one needs to know includes: do they understand Pet Passport requirements, address, phone number, date last used, directions from the port, speak English

So if one were to fetch up in Saint Somewhereelse on the French channel coast with a weather window for home, at least we would know where to start looking

It there is interest I could put something together. On the other hand if I am being mad, which has been known, say so and I will shut up.

 

[Dipper]

You can't bring your dog back to the UK on your own boat. You have to use an authorised carrier such as the ferry. They will have details of local veterinary surgeons you could use.

 

[shmoo]

[ QUOTE ]

You can't bring your dog back to the UK on your own boat.


[/ QUOTE ]
I realize that.

It's just that it may be easier to get the vetting done locally to one's own boat, where there are likely to be (at least) two folks, rather than setting off on the bus to some distant ferry port, alone with the mutt, and hope that the vet local to the ferry will be open, convenient, or even existing. We thought that doing it that way round the one of us that drew the short straw would be able to get off the bus and on to the ferry with a pre-vetted mutt. (leaving the one who drew the long straw to single hand it across)

Again, if this is a cock-eyed approach let us know. We have no experience of this process

 

[FAITIRA]

[ QUOTE ]
You can't bring your dog back to the UK on your own boat. You have to use an authorised carrier such as the ferry. They will have details of local veterinary surgeons you could use.

[/ QUOTE ]

Very good point and not appreciated by many people in the UK etc, we live aboard in Europe, it's an expensive exercise visiting, for us, Ireland, i.e., one person has to travel with the dog on, "approved carrier", one has to sail the boat back, crazy system, I could enter full of aids, bird flu or whatever horror, but can not enter with a small (previously abandoned Portugese) dog, who has a stack of papers, chips/micro, passport to prove she is healthy.
The PETS "thing" does not, like many aspects of the "system", not cope with US who don't "fit in conveniently".

PS, as far as I know, you can not travel on a ferry as a foot passenger with a dog, you must board in a car, this has proved a serious problem for us in the past, has this changed?

 

[Dipper]

Sorry. I didn't mean to preach! It's just that the wording of your post made me think that you were going to return the dog to the UK on your own boat.

Any vet in the EU can carry out the treatment but you are correct in your wish to ensure it is carried out to the official standard.

 

[shmoo]

dipper - I didn't detect any preachyness....

[ QUOTE ]

PS, as far as I know, you can not travel on a ferry as a foot passenger with a dog, you must board in a car, this has proved a serious problem for us in the past, has this changed?


[/ QUOTE ]

It varies from carrier to carrier. There are carriers (can't recall which, but have a list somewhere) that carry pets for foot passengers. They expect you to provide a cage (of approved design and of a size appropriate to mutt). We are looking into a fold flat one which will stow on the boat.

 

[Oliveoyl]

Maybe there's also a niche market for cross channel dog sitters, to avoid the single handing stuff?

 

[shmoo]

There is always the really easy solution, which is to leave it in dog hotel back here, but the admiral won't hear of it!

 

[Iota]

or get house / dog sitters, better security for the house, better for the dog - own environment and gets spoilt, only a little more than kennels

 

[baggypipes]

we have two cats & a dog living on board for two years, just returned from the med, ( pew had enough of that), while in italy had to top up rabies jabs etc, marina advised on local vet, well aware of what was required so no probs. Same in France while we were in the Canals, also on our return to UK vet in Calais well aware of the requirements. We have not had any probs finding a vet on our travels we found that any marina or harbour we visited someone had all the neccessary local knowledge. Yes only prob was returning to UK but family came over in the car to collect our babies & we sailed back, so find a friend or family contact to transport them.
good luck

 

[bazobeleza]

quote.

'Any vet in the EU can carry out the treatment but you are correct in your wish to ensure it is carried out to the official standard.'

Technically true but as ever the practice is slightly different.

Firstly it depends upon which method youv'e opted for identifying mutly, a tattoo - fine every vet can do it. but if its by chip, the vet has to have a chip reader, and not all continental vets do. And it allways pays to get your english vet to check the chip prior to going abroad, you get out without having it read but getting back to uk if it fails is the full quarantine .

another thing to watch is that the conti vet has to examine mutly not less than 24 hrs before your sailing and not more than 48hrs, so if your sailing is 1100hrs on weds and the vet saw the dog at 1101 tues, you will not be allowed to board