pets abroad

[Guest]

serious replies please for this, fun later ta.We will be starting a life of living aboard this year. We have two cats & a dog has anyone had problems with moving from one Country to another ie: do you need permission/ documents or what ever. We will have the passports & neccessary innoculations (animals) that is but not sure if there are any regulations.
As you can tell we are novices at this, we recently found this forum some very interesting and helpfull tips. We are sure to be back with more questions later hope we don't bore you or go over old subjects.
Many thanks

 

[snowleopard]

where to?

a lot depends on where you are going. i read an article in the caribbean free paper last year about one owner's experiences out there. they varied from total laissez-faire to an absolute ban on the dog. worst of all was antigua where the customs at jolly harbour checked the dog in but when he went round the corner to english harbour the customs man told them to leave the country immediately. (he was a really obnoxious little hitler but you find them everywhere)

 

[ccscott49]

I found no problems anywhere in the meddy, with the dog, but if you want to take the dog back to UK, you cant take it to morroco or tunisia, as they aren't part of the pets scheme and are banned, but most everywhere else is ok. The pets scheme people will tell you which countries are OK to be visted and still allow return to UK.

 

[snowleopard]

pet passport?

customs at the boat show said you could come & go as you please with chip, passport & rabies shot. is this now true or was she talking through an orifice? i thought you still had to go by an approved airline or ferry.

 

[Guest]

Re: pet passport?

You still have to wait till 6 months is up before bringing it back into UK, i.e if you have the jab in July the bugger of to Spain you cannot bring dog back til Jan. Thereonafter its ok

"Your chance to own a Crown is now"

 

[ccscott49]

Re: pet passport?

She is talikng through her orifice! You have to have the animal inspected and wormed seen by the vet, I think between 12 and 24 hours before it travels, only some airlines can transport the animal and it has to arrive in the UK at an approved animal centre, IE, Heathrow, Gatwick, or the ferry ports, but not all of them. You will have to get the details from somebody else I'm afraid as my dog is now in UK. Spain is easy, as was Portugal, but we had to fly to gatwick or Heathjrow at that time. Which was last year, August. One of the problems is finding a french vet, to certify the animal before getting on the ferry, but as far as I know only to Dover, or the tunnel. It's all a "dogs breakfast", if you'll allow the pun! The scheme is there, but doesn't work too well, it's not a priority, you'd be easier applying for political asylum!

 

[Dipper]

Pet Travel Scheme web site

The full details for travel to and from the UK are on the Pet Travel Scheme web site at <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/quarantine/index.htm>http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/quarantine/index.htm</A>.

If you have a pet on a yacht, you would have to make sure you did not stray out of an approved country and you have to bring the pet back in to the UK via an approved carrier and route. It can’t come in on your own boat.

Timing of vaccination, blood sampling and tick and tape treatments are all crucial and could cause you a lot of problems and expense if you get it wrong.

If you are traveling between other countries, check with their embassies. They should be able to provide advice.

 

[Metabarca]

The only bit of help I can give on this subject is that there is no problem moving pets between Italy, Slovenia and Croatia as long as they're jabbed and have an animal passport declaring a clean bill of health. Not been asked it once, however, in ten years crossing these borders (by car).

 

[ccscott49]

There doesn't appear to be any problems moving your animal around mainland europe, even going to morroco or tunisia, as long as you don't tell the UK authorities it's been there, but the only hassles I've come up against was trying to take the dog back to the UK, who were the difficult ones in the first place. When I lived in Holland, I moved my old labrador all over mainland europe with no passport for it. Mind you she licked half of the customs officers to death as soon as they came near her!

 

[JOANDSTEFFAN]

We had two cats when we started from Spain last year and we travelled with them as far as Rhodes. We had no problems via the balearics, sardinia, sicilly italy - although we didnt risk malta, no probs in corfo ionians south ionians aegean, corinth canal etc. We were never asked for the documents we had the passport and the chips etc prior to leaving the Uk where we took them on the ferry to santander before we bought the boat. hope thats a help

 

[steveh]

You picked the wrong time of year to return!

Did you let your cats just roam around on deck or harness them? Also what happened when you were moored ashore. Do they stay near the boat or did you just keep them onboard.
Hope you don't mind the questions but thinking of keeping my cat onboard and can't decide.

 

[Melody]

We left the UK in 2000 with two dogs. We had to have all the requisite vaccinations, microghips etc. As we were not going out via a recognised PETS port and did not have a return date, we had to get a livestock export licence. We filled in masses of paperwork for every country we would pass through. Have never been asked for any paperwork from anyone in Europe so far - we have not taken them outside EU, but have been in France, Italy, Greece. I think the problem is getting back to the UK - we've been advised it may be better to take them back on a ferry via recognised route.
Please note that there are lots of diseases in Europe for which UK dogs have no immunity & you should consult a local vet re leishmania etc. Rabies is not a problem if the animals have been vaccinated, but you will need Frontline or Stronghold to protect against tick bites which carry infection, you may need to give heartworm tablets - we've met two people whose dogs got heartworm.
Our dogs love the life so have fun, its worth the effort to bring them.

<hr width=100% size=1>Melody McKay Burton
Yacht Valentine, Greece

 

[ccscott49]

Heart worm is a very good point, very prevalent in Portugal, to my knowledge, they just need a pill/liquid in their feed every week or so, I think.

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[Guest]

The safest route is to check with countries first

and know that in the countries/islands of Oceania (Tonga, Fiji, Australia, New Zealand) which have no rabies, no foreign dog or cat is allowed in without long quarantine and expensive burdens to the owner.

You would be safest to be sure you have all necessary vaccinations, documents, etc., and to know the regulations of each country that you plan to visit, preferably from the country's information site. Word of mouth information might be so out of date that you risk serious run-ins with customs officials.

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[tasio]

No probs for me and my bitch.I wandered all over Europe in a caravan for five years and no hassle except UK but I shall never return there so no sweat.Get it chipped,get it pricked with all that the vet says including anthrax and go your merry way.

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[ella]

You don't say which countries you want to travel to with your pets. I bought a kitten in Spain, and with her sailed to Portugal, Morocco, Canaries, Senegal, the Gambia, the Cape Verde Islands, Trinidad, Venezuela. I always declared her and was never asked to show her vaccination certificates, etc. There was never the slightest problem, nor even any interest in her.

When I came back, I flew with her from Trinidad to Miami and then to Paris, where I left her with my sister for the six/seven months required to get her pet's passport. She is still there but if I bring her back she will have to come into the UK on an approved ferry or through the Chunnel. Friends who have done this tell me there is absolutely no problem with either route, "it's easy".

My chief problem with my cat was finding someone to mind her on their own boat when I wanted to fly back to the UK for a few weeks. That was very difficult and one year, out of the five I was away cruising, I failed to find anybody.

So, my advice is: go ahead. DO IT!

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