Pommania Pomeranains

If your dog/cat has started PETS or has completed PETS you may be either eligible for early release from quarantine or be able to enter the UK without having to spend any time in quarantine kennels.

Since PETS started we have had many dogs/cats enter the UK through quarantine kennels using the "early release" pathway.

We know from their documentation the many small mistakes which can delay your paperwork clearance with DEFRA. With this in hand we have written this information sheet so that you can get your dog/cat home as quickly and as easily as possible.

What do you need to do for PETS?

It all seems very complicated but it is not. In its simplest format you need to complete the following in the exact same order as listed.

 

1. 1. Check with DEFRA that the country you are travelling from is included in the UK Pet Travel Scheme.

    

    

2. 2. Have your dog/cat microchipped

    

    

3. 3. Have your dog/cat rabies vaccinated

    

    

4. 4. Have your dog/cat blood tested for rabies anti-bodies (30 days after vaccine).

    

    

5. 5. Get your veterinarian to fill out your pet passport once your blood test results return.

    

    

6. 6. Have your dog/cat wormed and treated for ticks and worms by your veterinarian and a treatment certificate completed by them.

    

    

7. 7. Import your dog/cat

    

Steps 2 & 3 can be completed in one visit to your veterinarian but do make sure that both procedures are clearly dated and that the microchip is recorded first on your paperwork.

This is a very simplified version of PETS. This next section will explain the exact requirements, but hopefully without making your head spin.

 

1. 1. MICROCHIP

    

This is your dog/cats’ unique identity number and is used as proof that your dog/cat is the same dog/cat recorded on all of the PETS paperwork. This is why it is vital that the implanting of the microchip is the first part of the procedure.

Date of implant.

This can be recorded on either the official microchip certificate that you receive when you have registered your dog/cat with the microchip company or the invoice/receipt from your veterinarian.

If it is an invoice or receipt it is very important that the microchip number and the implant date are clearly displayed on it. This proves that your dog/cats’ microchip was implanted before the rabies vaccination was administered. Get your veterinarian to sign and date the invoice for authenticity.

Common mistakes.

a. The microchip number is copied from the scanner incorrectly or has numbers missing.

When your dog/cat receives their microchip, vaccination, blood test, passport and parasite treatment insist that the veterinarian scans your pet and reads the number out loud as they write it down.

When a dog/cat is going through the PETS procedure with their usual veterinarian, who has possibly known them since they were a puppy/kitten, the scanning of the microchip is often missed and the microchip number is merely copied from the animals’ records. If the number has been written incorrectly in their records it will be carried on through the rest of the PETS documentation and when your dog/cat is scanned in this country it will not match the paperwork.

An incorrect number will invalidate any certificate it is recorded on, which will subsequently invalidate your PETS.

b. The microchip certificate records the date of registration as the date of implant.

When you send your dog/cats’ details to the microchip company’s records office double check you have entered the microchip implant date and not the date of registering their details.

2. RABIES VACCINATION

When you have your dog/cat vaccinated against rabies the first thing your veterinarian should do is scan your pet and copy the number displayed on the scanner onto the rabies certificate. They should also include the implant date of the microchip.

The rabies certificate should include the name and /or signature of the attending veterinarian, the date of vaccination, the name of the vaccine, the name of the supplier, the vaccine batch number and the vaccine expiry date, (the vaccine expiry date relates to the actual vaccine in the syringe and not to the date that your dog/cats’ rabies booster is due).

You need to get the original rabies certificate from your veterinarian. If the original cannot be obtained get a duplicate and get the clinics’ rubber stamp put on it. Have the veterinarian sign their name, including the current date, over lapping the edge of the stamp. The signature and stamp have to be original and not photocopied.

Common mistakes.

a. The microchip number and implant date are not recorded on the rabies certificate.

Without the microchip number recorded on the rabies certificate you cannot prove that the certificate is for your dog/cat. The implant date shows that the microchip was present before vaccination, which is a vital PETS requirement.

b. Only the tag number is recorded on the rabies certificate.

The tag number recorded on your rabies certificate relates to your country’s animal licensing laws and will not be accepted as proof of identity for dog/cat.

 

1. 3. THE BLOOD TEST

    

DEFRA will only accept blood tests that have been analysed at approved laboratories. Your veterinarian will know which laboratory in your country they can use. If not, contact DEFRA, they will be able to tell your veterinarian the nearest approved laboratory.

The blood test is normally performed 30 days after vaccination. However if your dog/cat has been vaccinated for rabies prior to starting PETS you may be able to have you blood sample taken on the same day as vaccination. The length of time between vaccination and blood test is at your veterinarians’ discretion. The time gap they leave will be to allow your dog/cat to build up sufficient rabies antibodies and so give you a good blood test result.

Before taking a sample your veterinarian must scan your pet and copy the number displayed on the scanner onto the form. When a veterinarian signs the blood test forms they are also signing a declaration stating that they have identified the pet, confirmed the microchip number, the microchip implant date and the date of rabies vaccination.

The blood test request forms are self-explanatory. Your dogs’/cats’ information will need to be recorded on this form. This will include their name, age, breed, colour, etc. The microchip number has to be recorded on the form and it is a good idea to include the implant date beneath it.

Even though you have a rabies certificate the vaccination details may also need to written on this form. Ensure that your veterinarian enters the correct vaccination Date. The date of vaccination on the rabies certificate should be the same as that recorded on the blood test.

The date of the blood test must clear and we advise you to have this written in words and not numerals. For example the first of May two thousand and four and not 01/05/04. Written in words the date is absolutely clear which is vital as your six months count down for entering the UK begins on this date.

When the blood test results are dispatched to your veterinarian you need to get the original. If the original cannot be obtained get a duplicate and get the clinics’ rubber stamp put on it. Have the veterinarian sign their name, including the current date, over lapping the edge of the stamp. The signature and stamp have to be original and not photocopied.

CHECK THE RESULTS OF YOUR BLOOD TEST

A blood test result certificate will be dispatched to your veterinarian if your dog/cat passes or fails.

The rabies antibodies levels are recorded in International Units, (IU). Every blood sample taken for PETS, no matter where you are in the world is measured in the same units. Your dog/cat requires 0.50IU/ml or more.

If your dog/cat fails the blood test you will need to get another rabies vaccination and another blood test. The six months count down for entry into the UK will begin from the date of the successful blood test.

 

1. 4. THE PASSPORT

    

The passport is a form that your veterinarian completes once your blood test results are returned. It contains all of the information that DEFRA requires for your entry into the UK which means that you can leave all of your original certificates safe at home while you are travelling.

If you are coming into the UK via the early release pathway the passport form is optional. It is the passport where we find the most errors and quite frequently we have to disregard them.  submit your early release to DEFRA using your microchip proof of implant date, your rabies certificate and your blood test results as long as they are presented as we have described above and they are either the original documents or authenticated duplicates.

Period of validity

Valid from: The starting date for your passport is exactly six months from the date of your blood test, e.g. blood tested Eighteenth of May 2004. The passport is valid from Eighteenth of November 2004.

Valid until: The expiry date of your passport is the day your rabies vaccination booster injection is due, e.g. rabies vaccinated Eighteenth of April 2004, booster due Eighteenth of April 2006, (two year vaccine). This passport will expire on the Eighteenth of April 2006.

Date: Your veterinarian must write the date as it is requested. In words means exactly that. Numerical dates are written differently from one country to another and can cause confusion. For example 01/02/04 in America is the Second of January two thousand and four, but in the UK our days and months are the reverse so 01/02/04 is the First of February two thousand and four.

If you want to renew your passport you must have your dog/cat booster injected against rabies either on the expiration date or before. A new passport can be written out for you and you will not require a blood test. The new passport will come into effect immediately.

If you have your dog/cat booster injected after this date, even one day after you will have get a blood test for rabies anti bodies and wait six months for your new passport to become valid from the date of blood test.

The next section usually requires your dogs/cats description and the microchip number. Remember, your veterinarian should scan your dog/cat and carefully copy the microchip number from the scanner.

The form will ask for the date of the rabies anti bodies blood test date, once again this will required to be dated in words and it must conform to the valid from date at the start of the passport, i.e. six months prior to the start date.

Your veterinarian must sign and date the form, once again it is a declaration that they have identified the dog/cat by their microchip and that all the necessary actions have been taken to conform to PETS and the completion of a passport form.

Finally the passport has to be signed by your Governments equivalent to a DEFRA Official Veterinarian and rubber-stamped with that departments stamp.

 

1. 5. CERTIFICATE OF TREATMENT AGAINST ECTOPARASITES AND ENDOPARASITES, (TICKS AND WORMS).

    

Before entering the UK your dog/cat must be treated by your veterinarian for ticks and worms. If you are using the early release pathway you can have your dog/cat treated for ticks and worms at the quarantine kennels by the DEFRA authorized veterinarian.

The country you are coming from into the UK will determine which treatments your veterinarian will have to use. The majority of tick treatments have to contain FIPRONIL and the worm treatments have to contain PRAZIQUANTEL.

Your veterinarian will know which treatments they can use. If not, contact DEFRA and they will be able to tell your veterinarian which treatments are viable for your country.

The treatment certificate will require your dogs’/cats’ microchip number so once again get your veterinarian to scan your pet and copy the number from the scanner onto the certificate.

The information about the treatments used will also be required; this is the name of the product and the name of the manufacturer.

So that it is absolutely clear have the treatment application date written in words and the time in the twenty-four hour clock format, e.g. Eighteenth of May two thousand and four at 14.30hours.

The time is important. If you are entering the UK and your paperwork validates direct entry or immediate early release there has to be a minimum time elapse of twenty-four hours from tick and worm treatment before they can leave the airport/port or kennels.