By Dr. Garrett Teskey
An EU “pet passport” allows pets (dog, cat, ferret) to travel between European countries much more easily. These passports are only accepted in EU member countries.
In order to obtain a pet passport your pet must have a registered microchip, an up-to-date rabies vaccination (at least 21 days before your date of travel), and they must be more than 3 months old. We, ‘your Vet’ can then apply for your pets passport on your behalf. We can even attach a photo! All this takes some time, so if not planned in advance your best friend may have to stay behind after all! But for the lucky pet that has the sunglasses packed, be warned he or she will also need the appropriate anti-parasite (flea, tick, lice & wormer) treatments prior to travel.
Entry requirements to other EU destinations and non-EU countries differ from country to country. So we always recommend that you check with the embassy or Departure of Agriculture of the country you are traveling to. For example, dogs traveling to Ireland from mainland Europe will need to be seen by a vet 1-5 days prior to re-entry to get the appropriate antiparasite treatment, and this will need to be recorded on their passport. This is to prevent entry of a specific tapeworm (Echinococcus multilocularis) into Ireland that is widespread in certain parts of Europe and, whilst harmless to dogs, can infect humans causing serious illness and even death. Ireland is free of this disease, and we want to keep it that way. Also when travelling to certain destinations your pet will require a rabies serology blood test, to ensure they have produced a suitable immune response to the vaccine, and this can take some time to get the results back. Also if they don’t respond appropriately to the vaccine, it may need to be boosted. So we need to leave enough time to organise this for you. Again, Ireland is a rabies free country and again we want to keep it this way.
It is also strongly recommended that your pet be treated for ticks at the same time as the tapeworm treatment.
There is no requirement for tapeworm treatment for dogs travelling between Ireland and the UK as both countries are free of this parasite, but your pet does still need a Pet Passport to go to/from the UK.
So bon-voyage and enjoy the holiday with peace of mind that your pet doesn’t get quarantined at border control!
And contact us at Clare street Vets and Shannon Vets, Drumgeely, with all your pet assort questions.