What do I need to know to take my pet on holiday?

Yes, but you will need to prepare before you travel.

Since the Pet Travel Scheme was introduced in 2000, hundreds of thousands of animal lovers have used the opportunity to take their pets abroad without the need to leave their dog or cat in quarantine for six months.

The vast majority of these trips have been to mainland Europe via ferry or Eurotunnel and are particularly popular for people with holiday homes overseas.
 

The quarantine laws have successfully protected us from the dangers of rabies, which affects many countries worldwide, but by following the requirements of the scheme you can take your pets in and out of the country without risk or excessive inconvenience.

• Have your pet microchipped – before any of the other procedures for pet travel are carried out, your pet must be fitted with a microchip so it can be properly identified.
• Have your pet vaccinated – after the microchip has been fitted your pet must be vaccinated against rabies. The length of the waiting period before entry to the UK is 21 days after the first vaccination date, see details below.
• Get a pet passport – for animals travelling to an EU country, you should get a pet passport. If you’re travelling to a non-EU listed country or territory you will need to obtain an official third-country veterinary certificate.
• Tapeworm – before entering the UK, all pet dogs must be treated for tapeworm.

These things can be quite costly, between £150+. Check with your vet as they may offer all of the above as a package.

Remember

Wherever you’re going on holiday, be it the UK or abroad, you need to check that the hotel will accept pets.

Also, if you’re travelling with your pet, it will need travel insurance just like you.
 

From 1 January 2012, there’s a wait of 21 days from the date of the first rabies vaccination before a pet can enter or re-enter the UK if you’re travelling from an EU or a listed non-EU country. If the vaccine manufacturer’s data sheet requires more than one vaccination to complete the primary course of vaccinations, the 21-day wait applies from the date of the final vaccination of that course. Ask your vet for advice.

A 21-day waiting period is not required for subsequent entries into the UK, provided rabies boosters are kept up to date.

For pets entering the UK from unlisted countries, different rules apply. After your pet has been vaccinated, it must be blood tested to make sure the vaccine has worked. There is then a three-month waiting period.

Booster vaccinations

After your pet has been vaccinated, it will need regular booster vaccinations. These must be kept up to date and be given by the “valid until” date in the relevant section of the EU pet passport or third-country official veterinary certificate.

Booster vaccinations are valid for entry to the UK and other EU countries from the date given provided they are given on time (according to the instructions in the vaccine manufacturer’s data sheet where the previous vaccination was given).

If the revaccination date is missed, your animal will not meet the conditions of the scheme and will have to be vaccinated again and have to wait 21 days before it can travel under the scheme.

Vaccination record

When your pet is vaccinated, make sure that your vet has recorded the following details on its vaccination record and passport or third-country official veterinary certificate:

• Its date of birth/age
• The microchip number, date of insertion and location of the microchip on the animal
• The date of vaccination
• The vaccine product name
• The batch number
• The date its booster vaccination is due (calculated by reference to the vaccine manufacturer’s data sheet).

Before flying

The advice is not to sedate pets for flying, most vets and airlines actually strongly discourage it, as adverse drug reactions and breathing difficulties could occur during the change in air pressurewhen flying. In fact, some airlines may even refuse to carry sedated pets as they cannot detect their state of health.

During the flight

All pets are placed in pet kennels in a special hold in the aircraft which is situated below the passenger cabin. They will travel in the livestock hold which is temperature controlled and pressurised.

Please note, neither passengers nor crew have access to the special hold during the flight, however pets are checked during any refuelling stops.

The air kennels have to be large enough for your pet to stand up, lie down and turn around comfortably. An air kennel that is too small or too big can be dangerous for your pet.

Please note, pets are not fed immediately prior to travel or during the flight. This is to avoid them soiling their air kennels and travelling in discomfort. All air kennels have water containers fitted and these are filled prior to departure and on refuelling stops.