Taking pets abroad

[changeman]

There seems plenty of opinions about bringing pets back to the uk, but what about taking them abroad?
We want to take our dog across the channel on our boat and down through the canals to the Med.
Problem is, we can't get a definitive ruling if this is acceptable or if it would stop us bringing the dog back via registered carier under the PETS scheme.
/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[BrendanS]

The only way you can bring a pet back is by registered carrier, ie Ferry or something like, and if the pet is chipped and registered. It can't re-enter UK on a private boat, not matter how it went out

 

[brett01]

we have sailed twice from the UK with our cat on board and returned twice - both times however the cat returned via an approved transport - ferry, plane etc. The paperwork was simple and very easy to organise - after intensive research it was not possible to bring her back via the yacht. For us it was not a drama as it wass just a ferry ride and we had time on our side.

 

[Grehan]

We've done exactly that. Took our dog across the Ch, down the canals and rivers and then she was collected by son from the south of France and driven back to the UK (via the x-channel Cherbourg ferry).
As said, you can only import pets back into the UK via approved carriers.

BTW
She absolutely loved the inland waterway life.
(and so did we)
(more info on our website)

 

[ccscott49]

But of course she was tagged, injected and passported, before she left and inspected by a vet before boarding the ferry home and wormed etc?

 

[Grehan]

. . as you say, senor . . .

 

[BobOwen]

We too are about to depart for the Med. We had originally decided to take our Border Collie with us and began the process of immunisation, chipping etc.
Our Vet had read up on dogs in the Med and gave us a lot of sound advice. She told of how many dogs were falling foul of various diseases in some Med countries. It seems that sand flies are the main culprit. They can spread some nasty disease's that UK dogs have no resistance to. The story goes that local dogs have inbuilt immunity.
She went on to tell us that there are generally no vaccines available for these.
Undecided, we searched the net for some time and found many tales of UK dogs dying within days of being on a beach and in some cases inland. This included France, Spain, Italy and Greece.

After reading this, we reluctantly decided that if we could find a really good home for her, we would go ahead without her. Luckily we managed just that.

We read of many cruisers with dogs who don't seem to have any problems, but felt we didn't want to risk it.

Still miss her like hell though!!!

 

[PaulMcRae]

Unfortunatly this is an area in which we have invested a hauge amount of time and effort because our pet Rottweiler goes with us everywhere!

Basically, you dont need anything to take a dog out of the UK. (If it is going to be permanently exported, it requires an animal export certificate/permission from MAFF which is a simple formality). Some UK breeds are not recognised whatsover and some come under the French dangerous dogs act and are either banned (you can obtain transit documents) or will have restrictions placed on them (such as public places, muzzles etc). Generally providing its not a pit bull cross this wont be a problem. Every country in Europe considers different dogs as dangerous theres no logic to it.

To bring a dog back into the UK it requires a pet passport (I wont go into the formal definition of this its way too complicated but for our purposes its obviously one that was issued by a UK Vet), this gives the dog an minimum age of about 9 months so theres no issues of course with Parvo, Distemper vacs since these are all now in effect and current. The animal can only be bought in through one of a few government approved entry routes, these are published and include Calais->Dover ferry, Channel Tunnel, Heathrow etc. They absolutely specifically exclude your own private aircraft or boat because you will not be an approved carrier. The parasite treatments must be in effect when presenting you paperwork, this is a simple formality of visting an approved Vet in France within the majic 48 hour window prior to coming back to the UK, obviously this is a pain if the French bank holidays occur in your majic window but luckily now can use the normal Drontal/Frontline. However things can go wrong:

The microchip can be unreadible because it has moved deeper within the neck, this is the end of the line! I would recommend buying your own scanner and checking up every few months.

The paperwork is wrong or gone out of date. Sometimes people have got confused (or even their own vet has) and there is an issue with the documents, the biggest nightmare is with the rabies boosters, 1 day too long and once again thats the end of the line. The UK 2 year are not recognised within the pan european pet passport scheme which require 1 yearly so watch out if you cruise the greek Islands!

The dog might become sick and the insurance company may have issues with treatment outside of the UK. This can become a real issue if the dog has an extended stay abroad and the treatment precludes your dog getting the required pet passport rabies booster so never go abroad with only a week or two 'in hand' just in case!

You are right about Leishmania caught from SandFlies, this is a big problem all over the med, where I live, several dogs a week die from it at my local vets. There are small areas where it is a problem, generally, local dog lovers will know where you should avoid, it goes without saying that you should not let the dog be outside at dusk. There is no known cure but some dogs are more resistant than others.

The biggest risk to your dog we find is from human laid poison, that kills more dogs in the med than sandflies. In the UK there are strict laws about laying down poison on beaches/public places etc but around all the beachside tavernas and bars in the med they have to control the rats somehow, unfortunatly what is yummy to a rat is also yummy to most dogs! The rule here is that if there is discarded food remains around, there will probably be some poison somewehere so avoid that area for walking.

The other risks are from creatures that your dog thinks are playthings which they have never encountered, our Rottweiler came back with a deadly poisonous viper once, we shouted drop and the unharmed snake run off at high speed. She also ate some horrible stingy thing whch stung here on the throat and she couldnt breathe for a scary few minutes. We of course wander around blindly and never notice we are surrounded by snakes, scorpians etc but when a dog gets its nose out......

There are many diseases that simply dont exist in the UK but are real killers for elderly dogs, the biggest problem is a what I think is a parvo like derivative but I know from my medical expert friends that this is not the case. The dog catches a real dodgy uncontrollable bout of.... (well you can guess) which comes out of all orifices and remember you in a foreign country, it is Sunday, nobody speaks english anymore, you dont even know what is french for 'nearest 24 hour vet', you might even be at sea!

Our own dog loves travelling and she will sit on a cushion soaking up the sun all day (and does go 8-12 hours between wees and poos if required), we take her everywhere but she has caught some right weird things despite all our precauctions in these travels. Luckily Anita can administer injections etc herself and we have our vets home/mobile number. If the holiday is just for a week or two, I am not sure if it is fair to subject you dog to all the vaccinations, risk etc, however if it is for months then this is different. However this can get really complicated if one starts to venture beyond France/Italy, I think that would be a two page article though not a forum post!

 

[BobOwen]

Thats an excellent informative reply Paul. Much as we miss our dog, I think for us, we made the right decision. Had she fallen foul of any of the nasties, we would never have forgiven ourselves.
Just know how pi**** off we'll be when we see other healthy mutts aboard other boats though!

 

[milltech]

There is a really good article here http://www.caninebehaviour.co.uk/public/europe.htm

Personally I think your dog loves you and you love it, so if you're departing for a few weeks leave the dog somewhere safe, it will hate it but that's a good decision. On the other hand if you are moving away, forever or for a year or two, then I think there's an argument that says "Take your dog and enjoy each other", the lifespan of a dog is not so great and weighing the risk against what the dog would like is an individual thing but worth the thought.

We all know there are inherent dangers in going to sea and we each make personal judgments about what is safe, wrapping your dog in miserable cotton wool for its safety may not in the end be the kindest answer.

 

[Melody]

I completely agree with you.

When we came to Greece four years ago we brought our two dogs with us. Mother and daughter, cross-Labs.

I was ignorant of the diseases - in the UK everyone makes a fuss about rabies, but the rabies vaccine is very effective and no-one in Europe worries about rabies as long as their pets are vaccinated each year.

As far as I understand it there are about three diseases that UK dogs can get from ticks, sandflies etc. Although there are no vaccines, you can buy special collars that offer some protection, and you also get a liquid to put on their necks every month that makes them smell distasteful to insects apparently.

We were also advised to give heartworm tablets each month in some areas. Poison is a big problem, and one of our dogs did get poisoned last summer but luckily was saved. We carry antidote and a syringe, but of course it was on the boat when we needed it and not with us! Although we don't think she has really recovered, we have to balance this against whether she and us would have preferred to say goodbye for good 4 years ago.

I haven't heard of any cases of pet dogs dying suddenly of disease. If you keep your eyes open for symptoms, there are treatments. Poison is the big threat.

When we first came here and I learnt about all the diseases, I wondered if we had done the right thing. However, they generally love the life, and swim every day most of the year. They had been used to being with my husband all day at work, and I think it would have been cruel to leave them behind.

You take on a dog for life, and life has risks. All you can do is try your best to protect them - you can't totally avoid them. I think the joy they get from being in our company, lying in the sun, swimming in a warm sea makes up for the risks.

If you are only going to be away for a short time I agree it makes sense to leave the dog, but if its for years I'd bring it and just take care.

Cheers
Melody

 

[ShipsWoofy]

What breed is it?

The Europeans have been getting quite twitchy about certain breeds of late and you should check that it does not come under those criteria.

Dogs such as bull breeds are worst hit. It may be worth asking the RSPCA if they have any information regarding this. One of the issues is, if it looks like a banned breed it is up to you to prove it is not. For example, Staffordshire Bull Terriers are generally not banned (except Germany), but Pits are. You would be advised to carry your dogs pedigree in case of problems.

You may have a totally benign breed with respect to the above, I am just passing on a warning that was given to me as a Staffy owner.

Hope this helps