Did you know there was a case of rabies recently in Holland which is suspected to have come from Eastern Europe. Roger
Re: Rabies Oh dear! I've always been anti allowing dogs into the country without quarantine .... felt so strongly I stopped showing once foreign dogs were allowed.
Re: Rabies So, I know there used to be a 6 month quarantine for dogs coming into the UK, but not any more?
Re: Rabies [quote author=Lisa link=topic=5286.msg66584#msg66584 date=1396814734] So, I know there used to be a 6 month quarantine for dogs coming into the UK, but not any more? [/quote] No. The Europen Pet passport applies now - because there is now a reliable rabies vaccine which, rightly (in my view), changed the game. 3 months after vaccines and a blood test, and pets can travel. https://www.gov.uk/take-pet-abroad You need a pet passport to travel with a pet between any European countries (including Eire and NI).
Re: Rabies Also a huge relaxing of rules to bring foreign dogs here to the UK ... https://www.gov.uk/pet-travel-information-for-pet-owners
Re: Rabies [quote author=MadMudMob link=topic=5286.msg66588#msg66588 date=1396815261] Also a huge relaxing of rules to bring foreign dogs here to the UK ... https://www.gov.uk/pet-travel-information-for-pet-owners [/quote] A relaxing of the old rules, before there was a rabies vaccine. Do you think this is wrong? (I should declare my strong incentive, and desire, to take my rabies vaccinated dog to France and back without him having to spend 6 months in quarantine).
Re: Rabies I do apologise but, yes, I disagree with the change. We in Britain are an island and as such should be able to remain 100% free of rabies amongst other nasties. Not to worry that we see this from differing angles .... it's a variety of opinions that make for interesting views
Re: Rabies No, no, don't apologise! It's a strength of this forum that we can debate matters in a civilised manner. It's quite acceptable that there are different views. I think, though, that there are great benefits from allowing free movement of pets. Greater flow of money (through mobility of the labour force, tourism, and even for dog shows) is good thing. Let alone the greater freedom for people to take their pets on holiday. I think the biggest risk is illegal importation, and not the regular travel of vaccinated pets, with all documents to prove vaccinations, by responsible owners.
Re: Rabies I agree, the law-abiding folks (those who would have bought dog licenses back in the day) will pose no problem. Unfortunately wherever there is human life scum will rise to the surface and take advantage
Re: Rabies [quote author=Morwenstow link=topic=5286.msg66521#msg66521 date=1396798011] Did you know there was a case of rabies recently in Holland which is suspected to have come from Eastern Europe. Roger [/quote] Apparently....the Holland cases were a false alarm If you are interested in more information about rabies, and also a link to country specific risks, you might find this website interesting. Information specifically relating to France at the moment is here This isn't specifically veterinary information, rather human info!
Re: Rabies I have been using the Pets Passport Scheme since its inception some 13 years ago and take my dog to France at least twice a year. The Scheme is a huge improvement on the previous 6 months quarantine which I have used on 3 occasions with all the associated financial and emotional costs. Currently, the Scheme requires the pet to be micro chipped, have a rabies vaccination (but not a blood test) and the animal cannot travel until 21 days after the rabies injection. The total cost of the passport, including the rabies injection is £160 and it is valid for 3 years. My concern is that as passport costs are high it will encourage unscrupulous puppy breeders to forge the document (it is a very simple document unlike human passports). Before the pet returns to UK it is necessary for a local vet to examine it and certify that the pet is fit to travel. On a number of occasions I have taken Benson to a French vet and found that they use a different microchip system and their readers have been unable to identify his chip but the vet has happily signed his passport, which is of course illegal! The aim of the Scheme is to keep UK free from rabies but if the controls are lax in a sophisticated country like France one wonders what is happening in some of the newer members of the EU? Roger
Re: Rabies When I have driven to England with Poppy, her chip is actually physically read at the border before she is allowed on the channel tunnel train. I think it is a great thing that dogs can now cross the channel with their owners. Bats can fly across; rats get transported on boats and mice in lorries and there will always be unscrupulous humans who traffic dogs (and indeed even humans); those are the ways rabies might be transported into the UK, not via vaccinated dogs. I live in Germany, all pet and working dogs are regularly vaccinated, and foxes and badgers etc are also vaccinated by means of pellets dropped from helicopters in the spring! We are a rabies-free area. Just out of interest, I also found out the other day that Poppy's father is being used as a stud dog for litters here in Germany. The breeder drove to England with the bitch, and mated her there. This is a great advantage for the labradors here, as it will allow a greater gene pool. As you can tell, I am a huge fan of the European pet passport scheme. The reason quarantine was discontinued, was because no dogs kept in quarantine ever developed rabies… so eventually it was decided that it was actually a waste of time and money.
Re: Rabies You make some interesting points Karen ..... think I need to reconsider my thoughts as outdated and unnecessary
Re: Rabies What are the rules about bringing in a dog by privately owned boat? Are they meant to be declared and checked anywhere?
Re: Rabies Definitely Rachael. No animals are supposed to be brought in to the UK without being checked - though not easily policeable, of course. This was always one of the weak points of the quarantine system - who could possibly verify that no owner of a private boat ever picked up a stray kitten on his weekend sail to Cherbourg and brought it back with him?
Re: Rabies [quote author=MadMudMob link=topic=5286.msg66690#msg66690 date=1396865094] You make some interesting points Karen ..... think I need to reconsider my thoughts as outdated and unnecessary [/quote] Thanks, Roz!!
Re: Rabies [quote author=Oberon link=topic=5286.msg66691#msg66691 date=1396865205] What are the rules about bringing in a dog by privately owned boat? Are they meant to be declared and checked anywhere? [/quote] Unless you are landing on a deserted beach you will need to go through a customs control on arrival at a harbour in UK and your pet will go into quarantine unless you have the necessary paperwork . WHO reports that countries in the western world are mainly disease free but Africa (particularly the South) and parts of Asia remain a problem. Interestingly, nine deaths from rabies were reported in Germany between 1981 and 2005. Two were caused by animal bites within Germany (one fox, one dog), and four were acquired abroad. In the remaining three cases, the source was a transplant from a donor who had died of rabies. On 28 September 2008, the World Organisation for Animal Health declared Germany as free of rabies. Roger
Re: Rabies Interesting....I checked the info for Canada and found that there have been 116 cases (reported) of rabies in animals in all of Canada for 2013. 9 dogs, 3 cats, 2 horses, the rest raccoons, badgers, foxes, bats and skunks. In Alberta, where I live, only 1 dog and 3 bats. A man was bit by a rabid bat in 2007 here in Alberta, that was the first case of a human contracting rabies here in two decades.
