Summer Holidays for Pets

The Pet Travel Scheme (PETS) has proved amazingly popular since its launch and allows owners to take their pets on holiday and avoid the traditional 6 months in quarantine. Many European countries participate in the scheme and recently Canada and the mainland United States have been added as potential destinations for you and your best friend.

To qualify for a passport you must follow basic procedures:

• Have your pet micro-chipped
• Get your pet vaccinated for rabies (not under 3 months old)
• Arrange a blood test 30 days later
• Gain a PETS certificate from your vet

The only catch is you must wait 6 months after the blood test before your pet can be allowed to come back in to the UK, therefore make sure you allow a good 7 months before your holidays to get everything sorted out. Also, on return to the UK pets must be treated for ticks and tapeworms between 24 and 48 hours before check in for the return leg of the journey.

Despite the stringent requirements since the scheme began in early 2000 over 14,000 dogs and 4000 cats have travelled abroad. The scheme has primarily been set up to keep the UK free from the killer disease rabies, but be aware of other health risks to your pet from exotic diseases such as Leishmaniasis and Babesiosis from travelling abroad.

To enrol your pet for a passport contact your local veterinary practice, more information can be found online at the official DEFRA website on www. Defra.gov.uk. Just to complicate things European parliament plans to introduce a new EU passport at the end of the year allowing pets to move freely between qualifying member states.