Since the launch of the Pet Travel Scheme in 2000, you can now take your pets abroad with you rather than leaving them in kennels or with relatives while you travel. There are a few steps that you need to take, but these can be easily overcome with the help of this article and advice from your own vet.

The restrictions on travelling with pets are all imposed by the UK - so what you actually are having to do is buy the ability to bring your pet back to the UK from all countries that are signed up to the PETS scheme.  Once you have acquired the necessary documentation for your pet, you can take him anywhere - without the trauma of quarantine.

PETS is operated under the auspices of DEFRA which is the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.  Their PETS helpline can be contacted on 0870 241 1710.  There is some paperwork that you will need to complete, but your vet will be familiar with this and, knowing your pet’s history, will be able to give you advice in completing the paperwork.

Getting the PETS certificate can take about six months so you will need to be organised in your arrangements.  The cost can vary but you need to budget in the region of £300 for this process (based on a healthy animal). Once its done, all you need to do is keep the vaccines up to date and you can take your faithful friend with you.

Your pet will need to be vaccinated against rabies.  This is just a course of injections and is a sensible precaution against the spreading of the disease into the UK or within Europe.  Your pet must be at least three months old for this to take place.  A blood test is needed after 30 days to confirm that the rabies vaccination has been successful.  You’ll have to wait since months before your pet can re-enter the UK and parasite prevention treatments will be required each time your pet travels to the UK. Once the necessary protection is completed, your vet will need to sign a PETS certificate and your pet will be almost ready to go.  He will however, need to pay a visit to your vet between 1 and 2 days before you travel for a vet-administered tick and tapeworm treatment.

Your dog, cat or ferret (since 2004) must has been fitted with an ISO microchip.  This is a painless procedure which helps to identify your pat on a national database, should they stray, get stolen or lost.

Currently your pet can’t board any flight.  There are a small number of carriers - so do your homework well in advance.  GB Airways flies pets from London to various European destinations including Alicante and Malaga.  You can obtain further information by contacting them on +44 (0) 1293 433 767 or visit their website.

Monarch airlines also offer a pet travel service which departs from Luton, Gatwick or Manchester and flies to Alicante, Malaga and Barcelona.  There are also a few specialist companies that can assist in making arrangements for you to travel with more exotic pets i.e. reptiles, birds, rodents and aquatic animals. Ladyhaye can be contacted on +44 (0) 1342 832161.

This entry was posted on Saturday, January 20th, 2007 at 12:57 pm and is filed under Travel Information. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.