As I write this article, New Year looms large and Europe tips further into a crisis a guy on the radio just called Armageddon. However, the sun is still shining, there is milk in the fridge and the dog still needs a walk and annual vaccination.
What I hear you ask did the EU ever do for me? Well – as far as I can see, it allowed you to take your pet on holiday and from January 2012 it is getting easier. So it is not all bad news then.
From 1st January 2012, the UK will relax of the requirements to qualify for the Pet Travel Scheme (PETS) in line with the EU. So your dog, cat or ferret (so people from Yorkshire can go on holiday) can travel as long as they have a microchip, have been vaccinated against rabies and hold a valid pet passport. The major difference from before is the abolition of the rabies blood test and six month wait from this date until you could re-enter the UK.
You still have to get your pet wormed against tapeworms before re-entering the UK (24-48hrs before to be precise). One of favourite bits of legislation is that your pet must also qualify for PETS before re-entering from the Republic of Ireland. However, true to form and I quote, “compliance checks on pets travelling between the two countries will not be applied.” So no-one will ever check.
To cut a long story short if you have any inclination to support the European economy by swapping British Sterling for French alcohol and take your ferret, please pop in and for around £100 we can do all of the above at Abbey Vets. Bonne année et bonne santé!
Our monthly Pets article is provided by Ben Hynes of Abbey Veterinary Centre, Abergavenny.