How to get round the UK quarantine law

birds

Hi again,

I am afraid I made two mistakes in my post of yesterday (it was a bite late and I just rolled out of a plane from Europe).

1. The laboratory I know of is the one in Tamil Nadu, not in Pune. The address is on the attached document of my earlier post. At the moment I do not know if the TN one is actually EU approved, I only know it is recognised by the Netherlands and Germany so it might be EU approved.

2. The web-address of Stichting Aai should be www.stichtingaai.nl.

I am sorry for the confusing!

It is true that ALL EU countries require the blood test but in some countries they are more difficult with all the paperwork than other countries. Apparently in the Netherlands they are easier and therefore they might accept your US paperwork. I suggest you contact Stichting AAI to get more details on this.

__________________
Of the estimated 500 million dogs in the world, approximately 75% are strays, of which about 25 million live in India.

JyotiM

I just read your Profile and the heart warming stray dog poem. Yes, I too, am an activist for strays - already in the several months of living here in Almora, Uttarkhand have taken in 2, nursed back to health (had both spayed), and found good homes for each. There is an NGO in Delhi (can't remember name just now) who will send vets out to towns giving free spaying and neutering for dogs. It is simply amazing to me that hardly any Indian families take advantage of this resource.

mirlingirl

Been reading all the previous posts and VERY interested! We are planning to return to the UK next year from Thailand (I know this is an India forum, but trying to get information from anywhere at the moment)and have just checked out the cost of quarantine for our 4 dogs, in the region of 10,000 pounds (OMG).
We had heard of a place that offers foster care, in France, but after 2 emails we haven't heard anything.
Could you suggest anywhere else to try? Or help us in any way?
The rabies vaccination here is free and we have had all of them done every year, not wanting to put them or ourselves at risk!!!! Plus they all have monthly frontline injections, again I don't want them at risk of horrid diseases from ticks!
The thought of any of them in kennels for 6 months fills me with horror, they are all very loved and possibly a touch spoilt!
Many thanks for any information.

birds

Great that you are preparing well in advance. Time is often the reason why people do not get things organised.

Country
It is better not fly dogs into France as they are difficult with paperwork. The easier countries are: Netherlands and Germany and somebody told me that Switzerland is ok too.

Rabies
Secondly, the fact that your dog has had the rabies shots does not count fully. Your vet in Thailand needs to give it a booster rabies shot, wait one month until the anti-bodies for rabies are high in the blood, take a blood sample and send that off to a EU recognised laboratory.

I don't know those in Thailand but phone the embassy of the country you will fly to do to as they should be able to tell you which ones they recognise.

The lab will test to see whether there are sufficient anti-bodies (which there always are) and issue a certificate that the dog is free of rabies. That certificate is the one that you need. It sounds complicated but it is quite easy.

In France, and perhaps other countries, they do not recognise EU labs outside France, and they demand that you send the blood to a lab in France. Serious hassle to be avoided.

Timings
You say you are moving next year. When would that be? There is talk that from 1 July 2010 the EU regulations become valid for the UK, although there is a proposal to extend this (see: http://www.focas-uk.info/modules/new...&storynu m=10)
:-(.


Fostering
What type of dogs do you have? If you have pedigrees you can look for specific-breed shelters. They will be able to recommend a temporary home.

If yours are ex-strays you can contact AAI (www.stichtingaai.nl) in the Netherlands and ask if they can help.

Lastly, this is a way to get round the expense of the UK quarantine but keep in mind that it requires quite a bit of organasing. Than again, if you have time you should be fine.

goangoangone

The law on rabies is there to protect you, not to be avoided.

__________________
GoanGoan......here

mirlingirl

"Rabies incidence across Europe has reduced significantly in recent years, in large part due to EU-sponsored vaccination programmes. For example, across EU Member States there were 2,679 recorded cases in domestic animals in 1990, and 318 in 2007. Apart from isolated incidents, rabies is now confined to a few Member States in the east of the EU, largely Romania and Latvia (Source: WHO Rabies Bulletin Europe)"

This was copied from the defra site so its working in Europe and will work in the uk. We are not smuggling in our dogs, which we know is wrong. We are trying to avoid trauma to the animals by being apart from us for six months.
We are doing this because we are responsible dog owners.

mirlingirl

Thanks for the information, it has helped us!
All our dogs originally came from the uk (except 1, but she came from a breeding kennels here, not from the street).
Would you have any info on fostering in Germany or the Netherlands, or anyone we can contact in either of those countries?
Again, thank you your info is much appreciated.

birds

Glad it helped somewhat. I deal with strays so have no contacts for pedigrees but AAI knows a few. Also by Googling the breed with 'help group' and the country tends to bring up results.

gypsie,lotus

Birds,
Oh how wonderful that you are helping stray dogs, I too am a animal lover. OK! here it is. I brought my Basset Hound, REX, from Miami Beach, USA to Delhi in 1999. I had all of the papers from his vet and certified from our Husbandry, Agriculture Department of the USA Government. That was required to leave the USA. We went to Paris, France and got off the plane and went our way for a two week visit. No one looked at any papers we had. Then on to Delhi, India and got off the plane and no one in Delhi looked at any of the papers.
I bought a dog in Delhi, it is now 10 years later a Dauchshand 50 pounds. Ok that said, when I left Delhi with my two dogs to come back to the USA I needed several papers and all of the proof that I had all of their shots and was free of disease. I even had the Indian Government come to my Hotel and bring and sign all of the papers I needed to leave India it was in great details of the vacinations with the numbers on the papers. We got off in Amsterdam, and then on to Miami Beach, Florida, USA. Nobody in France, Amsterdam of Delhi looked at any of the papers. But, LEAVING, Delhi they checked all of the papers in great detail. My dog had his chip before he left the USA. My Indian dog got his chip when I got him to the USA. Now for the airlines. I highly recommend KLM, through Amsterdam, I did not like Air France. I tell you that to leave India you must have so many proper papers, and do not think that you will get out of India with out them, because you will not. And it takes several weeks to collect all of the papers and have the Animal control, he is stationed in Gurgoan, to certify them as well. My beloved Basset Hound died January 2008, My lovely Indian dog is still with me at 10 years old now.
All of the best for the people that will not leave their four-legged family members behind. We all know that they are truly a member of our families.
Sincerely, Gypsie

gypsie,lotus

When I get to India and I always go to Goa, I would like to look you up and arrange to help you with your work with the stray dogs. Money, I too tried to help the dogs, and working horses of Kashmir. It was horific. I stopped a guy that was riding his horse to Gulmarg so that he could ride the tourist, and I saw that the little skinny horse had a sore under his saddle. Well I made the guy take the saddle off and it had a nail that was puncturing his back, I am telling the truth. And I made the man rub his finger over the nail and made all kinds of facial signs because he could not speak English and I could not speak Kashmiri. I made him understand. He left the horse with me and I got the Vet to come from Tangmarg and bring the antibiotic for several weeks until he was healed. I had the owner come everyday to clean out the stable. And fix the NAIL, in the saddle. I think he finally understood, but who knows. These ponies as they are called are treated just horrible. They and the tourist as well do not know how to direct a horse, they only know to whip them with a stick. And do not get me started on the ponies that pulled the wagons, that was even worst. Over load the wagon and then beat the horse to pull, when they do not understand that it was over loaded. In Srinagar they poison the dogs, because they do not have a vet that treats dogs and/or cats, they do not understand to have the dogs spaded, only farm animals. And by the way when the ponies get lame for any reason they turn them loose with the three good legs to hooble along on the streets to starve to death. ALL OF THIS IS TRUE, I witnessed for better part of 25 years.
Sincerely, gypsie Now we are talking about hundreds of thousands of dogs. just breeding full ahead. The Kashmiri people do like and keep cats.

renwot.

Hi Birds
Read your artcle with much interest. I have recently returned to the u.k. with my dog from the far east. He has been in quarantine now for a month and as he is a rather old dog, is now suffering greatly from arthritis caused by lack of any exercise whatsoever.
I am so distraught that i will consider anything to get him out of there.DOES ANYONE know of a fostering organisation in BELGIUM where i could export him to whilst he qualifies for the european pet passport.
There is a group who have contacted me and can organise the paperwork to bring him back into the u.k. once he,s in europe, but i am sceptical and they also want a hell of a lot of money.
CAN ANYONE HELP ME ?

birds

Contact Stichting AAI on www.stichtingaai.nl. They can recommend an organisation in Belgium that can help finding a foster family, they may even know of a family directly.

Once a dog has a pet passport you need no organisation to bring him back to the UK, you can do that yourself so please do not waste money on such.

Let me know if AAI can help, if not contact me on: strayassist @ VSNL . NET

PS If your dog has arthritis you may want to put him Meloxicam. It comes as injectable but also as a liquid that you can mix with the food (in India it is quite cheap). Once a day for a few weeks should bring markable improvements.

Keep us informed.

Honeybunny

Hi

I also have 3 dogs in india and want to go back to the UK with them.

I have the rabies titre test for Europe, taken at the belgian lab. it came out great!

Does anyone know of any foster homes in europe who can look after my 3 dogs? they are all well behaved and young. one has only 3 legs, but is very very quiet and cute. they are all sterilised and vaccinated to the hilt!

birds

You can ask AAI but I will also ask around. How old is the Belgium test?

Mooster's Mum

I adopted an Indian Street Dog from CUPA when she was 6 weeks old. Mooster is now 9 months old, up to date with all vaccinations , spayed and full of character!
I am planning on taking her back to the UK when I eventually move. I am looking for any advice on how I can take her back through a European country as I really don't want to put her through UK Quarantine unless that's really my only option. I need to know time frames, good contacts, a vet in India(South if possible) who can microchip her for me etc. I am more than happy to spend the money that I have saved for quarantine costs on staying for a period of time in a European country prior to moving back to the UK. For those of you who think I may be trying to avoid UK Laws believe me I'm not - I just want to make Mooster's transition to her future home as painless as possible. I don't have any set dates currently but want to be as prepared as I possibly can. Appreciate any advice that anyone has.