# Pet Passport - non EU countries



## subfiver (Oct 15, 2011)

From 01/01/2012 we can now take our dogs out of the EU and bring them back without quarantine, but there is catch that folks should be aware of.

One of the conditions is that the blood sample taken for serological rabies testing must be taken *at least 30 days after the vaccination.*

Back in the day when our dogs were first vaccinated the blood sample could be taken *21 days* after vaccination.

My dogs' samples were taken 21 and 29 days after vaccination; I've just had it confirmed by DEFRA that I will have to have both dogs tested again (@ £160). Which is a bummer...


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## Patty123 (Oct 4, 2010)

£160? thats a bit steep, last May we went to Norway, but to travel through Sweden to get there we had to have an extra blood test ( at least 120 days after rabies vaccine) cost about £45!!


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## Traveller_HA5_3DOM (May 9, 2005)

Surely the six months return rule was designed as a safety net to ensure that your dog had achieved full immunity? When your dogs were tested it was to confirm that the injection had worked and the Lab results would have confirmed this or your dogs would not have got their passport.

The current leaflet http://www.defra.gov.uk/publications/files/pb13582-bringing-pets-to-uk-111212.pdf still talks about 21 days for the EU and the part B for none EU wording is "Was a blood sample for a blood test taken at least 30 days after it was vaccinated?" My point on this would be if the vaccine is working after 21 days how will an extra 9 days make it work any better?

Have you considered contacting the manufacturer of the vaccine to see if you can find out what is behind the change? I can only presume that the extra nine days may give more time for the anti-bodies to develop and so ensure a few dogs that may have failed have a chance of passing.

Some of the background information seems to suggest that they do not trust the tests carried out by some non EU countries on their own countries animals.

There is certainly Rabies in the forests in Germany 'so the notices at the entrances to them say' so it cannot be anything to do with your dog being in contact with an affected animal because it can happen in the EU.

I still cannot get my head round the basic fact that if your animal has achieved immunity why where it travels should affect that immunity?


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## KeithChesterfield (Mar 12, 2010)

Shouldn't your Vet have informed you of the rule changes when you went for treatment?


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## subfiver (Oct 15, 2011)

> Have you considered contacting the manufacturer of the vaccine


No, no point. I asked DEFRA; they're the ones who make, and change, the rules!

Our first pet-passport related blood test, 8 years ago, was the most expensive part of the PP process, and was £80.



> I still cannot get my head round the basic fact that if your animal has achieved immunity why where it travels should affect that immunity


Indeed! I _suspect_ that in the EU it's always been 30 days, rather than 21, and now that we are "harmonised" the EU regulation takes precedence.


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## Traveller_HA5_3DOM (May 9, 2005)

There will still not be harmony in the EU regarding this as the French want boosters every year, We are happy with every two years and the manufacturers say every three years. Add to this there is no blood test needed after booster injections.


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## subfiver (Oct 15, 2011)

> as the French want boosters every year,


As I understand it, this is nowt to do with the Pet Passport scheme per se, it's to do with drugs licensing regime in France.


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## Traveller_HA5_3DOM (May 9, 2005)

Final thoughts on this surely this could not have been intended to work retrospectively and create problems like this. It must surely be intended for animals being vaccinated from 01/01/2012 onwards. 

There is no logic for any assumption that having achieved the immunity as confirmed by the Lab test it could then disappear in the next nine days.


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## subfiver (Oct 15, 2011)

> this could not have been intended to work retrospectively


DEFRA don't care, the attitude seems to be "rules is rules, and we make 'em"



> intended for animals being vaccinated from 01/01/2012 onwards.


Nope, applies to all PP's; "rules is rules etc".

I have suggested that this is given more prominence on the PP webpages as I'm sure that lots of dogs will have been blood sampled between 21-30 after vaccination.

All of this only applies to pets leaving the EU and wanting to return to Britain. E.G. Morocco.


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

My dog failed her first blood test at 21 days back in 2004. She was given a second vaccination and then re-tested. She passed the second blood test.
Now - the second blood test was over 30 days from the first vaccination. Will that mean that she does not need to have another blood test??? If we take the exact wording of the "rules" then that should be the case. i.e. she has passed a blood test at least 30 days after a vaccination?
The fact that the first vaccination was not effective is lost in the "rules". It may also be the case that 30 days is needed by some dogs to build the right level of immunity and that is why we have harmonised with Europe.


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