Please check with the DEFRA web site for up to date information on the Travel Scheme.

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Preparing Your Pet for Travelling Abroad

The Pet Travel Scheme (PETS) applies to all cats and dogs. It allows them to enter or re-enter the UK from approved countries without quarantine as long as they meet certain criteria. 

 Step 1. Microchipping     

Fitting a microchip. You can have a microchip fitted at any time but it must be done before your pet is vaccinated against rabies and blood tested.

You can now arrange to have your pet vaccinated against rabies.

Your vet should record the microchip number on your pet's vaccination record at the time of vaccination. The microchip number and date of microchipping will be recorded in the EU Pet Passport.

If your pet was vaccinated against rabies before it was microchipped, it will need to be vaccinated again. 

Step 2. Vaccinating

When to Vaccinate
Pets must be at least three months old before vaccination is permitted. After this time vaccination can take place at any time after the microchip has been implanted. Before administering the rabies vaccine, your vet will check the microchip number.

If your pet has been vaccinated against rabies before it was identified by a microchip, it will have to be fitted with a microchip and vaccinated again. This is to make sure that your pet is correctly identified when it is vaccinated.

Your vet should now arrange to have your pet blood tested. This should take place about 30 days after vaccination. 

Vaccination Record
When your pet is vaccinated, make sure that your vet has recorded the following details on its vaccination record card:

* its date of birth/age (if known)

* the microchip number (and date of insertion, if known)

* the date of vaccination

* the vaccine product name

* the batch number

* the date the booster vaccination is due

* sign, date and stamp
 

Re-Vaccination (boosters) 
After a pet has been successfully vaccinated against rabies, it must be given booster vaccinations to keep the passport valid. Your vet will advise you when this must be carried out as it must be within the specified time given by the vaccine manufacturer and should be recorded on the vaccination record card. The revaccination interval for cats may be different to that of dogs.

Rabies booster vaccinations will be noted in the pet passport and the expiry date is the latest date for further revaccination..

Step 3. Blood Testing

Arranging a Blood Test
After your pet has been vaccinated, it will need a blood test to make sure that the vaccine has given your pet sufficient protection against rabies. The vet will take a sample of your pet's blood and send it to an approved laboratory for testing. Remember to take your pet's vaccination record card with you when the blood sample is taken.

When to Blood Test
Your vet will advise you on the best time to get your pet blood-tested. Make sure that your vet records the date on which the blood sample was taken.

Failed Blood Test
If your pet fails the blood test it will have to be revaccinated and blood tested again. No further blood tests are required after the first test which gives a successful result provided the pet is subsequently revaccinated within the intervals specified by the vaccine manufacturer. If there is a break in the specified vaccination programme, a further blood test will be required after revaccination, and a further period of six months must elapse before the pet can re-enter the UK.

Step 4. Certification

The EU Pet Passport
To bring your pet back into the UK you will need an EU Pet Passport. This will be issued to you by a Local Veterinary Inspector (LVI) or by a Government approved source in one of the qualifying countries.The transport company staff who check your pet will need to see the passport, so make sure it is kept safe. Before issuing a a passport in the UK the LVI will need to examine the pet and check that it: 

* can be identified by its microchip number.

* has a current vaccination against rabies given after the microchip was implanted.

* had a blood test showing that the rabies vaccine has given satisfactory protection against
..rabies.

* shows no clinical signs of rabies

If your pet does not meet these requirements,a passport will not be issued.

Most small animal veterinary practices in the UK have a resident LVI. If your own vet is not an LVI, they may be able to tell you where the nearest one works. If not, contact your local Animal Health Divisional Office for details 

The Passport:

* may be issued at any time after the above requirements have been met .

* will be valid for the duration of the most recent vaccination.

* will expire if your pet does not receive a booster rabies vaccination prior to the expiry of the ..last vaccination.
 
Validity of a Pet Passport
A Pet Passport will not become valid for entry into the UK until six months have passed from the date the blood samples was taken which gave a successful test result. If the passport is issued after the six months period has passed, it will be valid for entry into the UK immediately. The passport will remain valid up to the date that the pet's booster vaccination is due. This is shown on pages 4 & 5 of the passport as the 'valid until' date.

Arrange for your animal to travel with an approved transport company on an authorisedroute
Your pet must enter the UK from a listed country travelling with an approved transport company on an authorised route.

 Listed countries, transport companies and routes
 
 Defra checklist

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We've all seen it... Out of the window of the car ahead of you, is the head, wagging tongue, flying spittle, flapping ears and blowing coat of a dog, or worse, the dog is in the back of an open truck. One has to wonder if the homo sapien who owns the dog has all of the brain cells provided to our species. The usual argument is "but he loves it". This is why your dog needs a human owner, because his species didn't invent cars, and he doesn't know any better. You have to make wise decisions FOR him. Love it or not, there are road hazzards inherent to this sort of travel.

Obviously, in the back of an open truck, the dog can fly out of the vehicle, die, cause cars behind it to crash, and people to be injured or die. If chained or teathered, it can fall out and strangle to death on the restraint mechanism, or be dragged on the ground, or under the vehicle, if the restraint is too long. All it takes, is for the vehicle to hit a bump, come to a sudden stop, or turn a corner, and the dog is thrown from the pickup. Most States have laws that restrict you from allowing the dog to ride unrestrained in the back of a vehicle. After that, the dog in the back of a truck, and the dog with his head out the window have other risks:

The boisterous animal can distract a driver, leading to a wreck [Horror novelist Stephen King was nearly killed in June 1999 when he was hit by a van while he was walking near his home in Maine. The driver said he veered onto the shoulder of the road while he was trying to keep his dog from opening a cooler.]

Road debris flying with the speed of a bullet can kill your dog in an instant. [In my early years of ER Nursing, I treated a man who had sudden eye pain while driving his car. His car window was open. He had lost vision in the eye, and the eye was filled with blood (Hyphema). X-ray revealed a bolt in his eye, which had been propelled by the tire of another car, and into the patients eye.]

He can become ill from having cold air forced into his lungs.

Dust can get in his eyes, which can lead to eye irritation, or in his windpipe, choking him.

He is exposed to weather extremes.

If your car is side-swiped, protruding body parts will be literally sheared from the animal.

Bodies inside the vehicle continue their forward momentum even when the car has come to a sudden and unexpected stop. Imagine a 80-90 pound Labrador thrusting foward in your direction from behind. Dogs traveling loose in the car are a danger to the occupants, and it is in grave danger itself, should an accident occur. Dogs are unable to brace themselves against swerves and turns, animals can be thrown into dashboards, windows or floors. According to some statistics I found, if you slam on the brakes at 30 mph, your 50-pound dog could be tossed forward with a force equivalent to almost nine 170-pound men. A Labrador can weigh 70-90 pounds or more.

There are doggie seatbelts available, which will protect the dog and the occupants in a car accident, but dogs can chew through those. We all know that Labradors love to chew. Fiberglass crates are by far the better option. They can be secured in the back of a vehicle, and they serve as a protective environment for both the car occupants and the dog. The dog is no longer a distraction to the driver, it can not chew or destroy any contents within the car, and it provides a safe environment in the event of an accident.

This is the crate that protected the life of Labrador Retriever Ch. Belgold Moonlight Sonata ("Coalby"). She was riding in the crate when her owner's car was hit head-on by another car. Her owner had multiple injuries, but survived, thanks to her seatbelt and size of her vehicle. Coalby did not have a scratch. I imagine her body would have looked similar to this crate, had she not been in the crate. Coalby was taken in by a friend, and the following day made her artificial Insemination appointment, and delivered a happy-healthy litter nine weeks later. Her owner was almost completely healed by the time the litter was born. The condition of this crate leaves nobody to doubt that Coalby owes her life to her crate, and her owner who loved her enough to put her in it.


Never leave your pet unattended in a parked car for any period of time. On a warm day, the temperature in a car can reach 120 degrees Fahrenheit in a matter of minutes, even with the windows partially open. Your pet can quickly suffer brain damage or die from heatstroke or suffocation when trapped in high temperatures.

Crates should be marked LIVE ANIMAL.

We look after your Animals in their home while you are away, from a small pet to a small holding  and are building the first National Animal Ambulance Service 

Pet Transportation
Cat Care
Dog Holiday Care with our Host Families
Animal Ambulance / Pet Taxi
Pet Feeding
House Sitting

We care for your animals, in their Homes! Animals at Home is a nationwide network of pet care professionals,
 

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Finding the Right Kennels

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