Thinking about taking your dog abroad on holiday with you? Veterinary surgeon Antonia Nichols explains all you need to know – and why you need to start planning early <\/p>
Taking\u00a0your dog – or cat –\u00a0on holiday\u00a0means you don\u2019t have to be parted with\u00a0your much-loved pet, and you won’t have the worry of\u00a0organising who will care for them while you’re away, says veterinary surgeon, Antonia Nichols<\/strong>.<\/p> To ensure you have a smooth, stress-free\u00a0trip,\u00a0it\u2019s important to\u00a0plan ahead\u00a0to make\u00a0sure\u00a0you have all the correct paperwork in place for your pet by the time you\u2019re due to travel. <\/p> It\u2019s also a great idea to\u00a0do\u00a0some\u00a0research so you\u2019re up to speed on any relevant laws affecting pets in the country you\u2019re going to\u00a0and\u00a0are\u00a0aware of any potential health risks your pet may be exposed to while abroad.<\/p> If you are\u00a0travelling to an EU country\u00a0or Northern Ireland, your pet will need:<\/p> Since\u00a0Brexit,\u00a0you are no\u00a0longer able to use pet passports issued in England, Wales or Scotland to travel\u00a0to EU countries or Northern Ireland. Instead\u00a0your pet will need\u00a0an Animal Health Certificate<\/a>\u00a0(AHC).\u00a0<\/p> UK vets are not allowed to enter anything\u00a0other than details of worming treatments\u00a0into EU pet passports, so rabies vaccinations must be done by EU vets if using these passports. \u00a0<\/p> AHCs\u00a0can only be used for\u00a0one trip\u00a0into the EU\u00a0and are then valid\u00a0for\u00a0up to four\u00a0months of travel within the EU, and\u00a0for\u00a0your return to the UK within that time limit.<\/p> To apply for an\u00a0AHC, you must arrange for your pet to be examined by a vet who\u00a0has been approved by\u00a0the\u00a0Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) <\/a>to issue the certificates.\u00a0They are known as an Official Veterinarian (OV)\u00a0and you should check that the\u00a0vet practice you use has\u00a0an OV\u00a0\u2013 if not, they may be able to suggest one.<\/p> The OV must examine your pet\u00a0no more than\u00a010\u00a0days before you travel, so\u00a0contact your vet practice well in advance to ensure you can get an appointment.\u00a0An AHC\u00a0is\u00a0at least\u00a0an 11-page document,\u00a0so please allow time for your vet to complete it. \u00a0<\/p> Your pet must\u00a0be\u00a0up-to-date\u00a0with their rabies vaccination\u00a0before an AHC can be issued, and vaccinations must have been started at least 21 days\u00a0prior to\u00a0completion of the AHC.\u00a0Pets must be over\u00a012 weeks old when vaccinated for rabies for an AHC.<\/p> If you are travelling\u00a0directly\u00a0to Finland, Ireland, Malta, Northern Ireland or Norway, your pet must also be given a tapeworm treatment, no less than 24 hours and no more than\u00a0five\u00a0days before you are due to arrive.<\/p> In other EU countries, you\u2019ll need to see a vet\u00a0in the country you are visiting\u00a0to have a tapeworm treatment administered one to five days before you return\u00a0to Great Britain.\u00a0<\/p> Up to five pets can be added to an AHC, and the rules for travel apply to assistance dogs.\u00a0<\/p> It is very important to have all the correct paperwork in place,\u00a0with all the relevant information correctly filled out, otherwise your pet will not be able to travel. It\u00a0can be\u00a0a complicated process,\u00a0but your veterinary practice should be able to help. The Government also\u00a0offers guidance<\/a> and has\u00a0phone and email helplines that you can contact.<\/p> Different countries around the world have their own rules on whether you can take your pet there\u00a0and\u00a0some\u00a0require a\u00a0set of\u00a0comprehensive tests and export\u00a0health\u00a0certificates.\u00a0You can request export health certificates through the Government\u2019s website (see above). 1.\u00a0Plan at least\u00a0six\u00a0months in advance and research carefully.<\/p> 2.\u00a0Check\u00a0weather conditions before you\u00a0decide on your destination\u00a0as\u00a0high temperatures can pose serious health risks\u00a0to pets. Seek advice from your vet\u00a0if your pet has any health conditions that may be impacted by travel.<\/p> 3.\u00a0Look into different travel options\u00a0to minimise how much time your pet\u00a0has to\u00a0be in a car – for example, some ferry crossings have dog friendly areas or cabins, while others may\u00a0require your dog to stay in the car for the entire journey.<\/p> 4.\u00a0Check your insurance details or speak to your provider to make sure your policy will cover your pet abroad.<\/p> 5.\u00a0If your pet is on\u00a0any\u00a0long-term medications\u00a0or prone to certain ailments,\u00a0discuss\u00a0ways to\u00a0plan\u00a0for this with\u00a0your\u00a0vet.\u00a0<\/p> 6.\u00a0Some countries\u00a0and transport routes\u00a0require dogs to be\u00a0muzzled at all times, so you may need to buy one and get your dog used to it before your trip.<\/p> 7.\u00a0Consider what breed of dog you own, as countries can vary in what breeds they allow entry to.<\/p> 8.\u00a0Research a local vet close to where you\u2019ll be staying, in case of emergencies\u00a0and to arrange a worming treatment before your return.<\/p> 9.\u00a0Ask your vet about the risks of diseases and parasites<\/a> in the geographical region you\u2019ll be visiting, and how to prevent or reduce them.<\/p> Antonia Nichols<\/a> is a vet and a clinical director of Farnham Veterinary Group.\u00a0She enjoys all aspects of\u00a0general practice, from playful puppies to geriatric pets.<\/em><\/p> Farnham Veterinary Group<\/a> is part of\u00a0VetPartners<\/a>, a UK and European veterinary group, which includes first opinion practices for large animals, equine and small animals as well as a growing network of referral practices that offer specialist care for small animal and equine patients.<\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n Thinking about taking your dog abroad on holiday with you? Veterinary surgeon Antonia Nichols explains all you need to know – and why you need to start planning early <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":38327,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"5"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/07\/how-to-take-your-dog-abroad-vet-explains-what-you-need-to-know-about-travelling-overseas-with-pets.png",1144,910,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/07\/how-to-take-your-dog-abroad-vet-explains-what-you-need-to-know-about-travelling-overseas-with-pets-150x150.png",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/07\/how-to-take-your-dog-abroad-vet-explains-what-you-need-to-know-about-travelling-overseas-with-pets-300x239.png",300,239,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/07\/how-to-take-your-dog-abroad-vet-explains-what-you-need-to-know-about-travelling-overseas-with-pets-768x611.png",768,611,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/07\/how-to-take-your-dog-abroad-vet-explains-what-you-need-to-know-about-travelling-overseas-with-pets-1024x815.png",800,637,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/07\/how-to-take-your-dog-abroad-vet-explains-what-you-need-to-know-about-travelling-overseas-with-pets.png",1144,910,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/07\/how-to-take-your-dog-abroad-vet-explains-what-you-need-to-know-about-travelling-overseas-with-pets.png",1144,910,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Thinking about taking your dog abroad on holiday with you? Veterinary surgeon Antonia Nichols explains all you need to know - and why you need to start planning early","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/38326"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38327"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38326"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}How to travel with your dog internationally<\/h2>
Travelling within the EU – what you need to know<\/h3>
Dog passports: What are Animal Health Certificates and how do I get one?<\/h2>
Travel outside of the EU<\/h3>
9\u00a0top tips for taking your dog- or any pet – abroad<\/h2>
More dog advice<\/h3>
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