If all goes to plan one of our little babies has a fab home with friends in Michigan U.S.A - This is the first time we have sent a pup abroad - any tips ? any one done it ? I keep reading conflicting advice re the rabies jab and how long after baby can fly.
All very scary even though I know he will have a fab life with great people over there.

Exporting from here seems much easier than importing, I looked into the latter and although the dogs were half/third of the price they needed so much doing to get them here I gave up/chickened out.

I would certainly make sure the pup has had all vacs including rabies, as to age/size for sending then you need to talk to someone who has done this with your breed or one of a similar size.

Does DEFRA give advice on exporting as well as importing.

Are you going out with the pup? Breeders in my breed have done this so they can check out where the pup is going and bring it back if not happy.

Are you endorsing your pups at registration, you can then lift the export one on the pup who is finally going.

Good Luck

Not going with pup - but owner is a friend of mine who moved out there last month so I am more than happy with the home - its just the getting them there!

You do not need a rabies jab for the pup if it is sent before 12 weeks of age. Actually we have exported both adult and puppies to USA and none have ever had to have the rabies jab. the (new) owner usually has to sign a declaration stating that he will get rabies jab done an the dog will not come into contact with any other (outside) dog until this time. We always use Pat at Skymaster in Manchester airport whom we have found to be effiecient and one of the cheapest.

I have sent a number of pups overseas and apart from health checks, different in various destinations, I conside it important to get the pup used to a crate. I have always kept a spare and have it down for all the pups to run in and out of. A piece of bedding with the littermate smells on it is important very comforting when they go off on their journey.
Its an anxious time waiting for that call that all is well, these days so much easier with e-mail skype etc.

Unsure what breed you have but we found that some airlines would not take our breed on the flight or even handle them (not a banned breed) this probably wont be the case but another factor that must be taken into consideration, oh and make sure that the crate is big enough as puppies do grow very quickly and one of our owners was caught out once when we sent a pup overseas.

Also check what the airline wants from you i.e. we had to write a letter stating the pup was bred and raised in the same address and had not come into contact with rabies etc etc, 3 copies of all paperwork and another letter but cannot remember what that one was about. Different airlines want different things so do not assume.

As Rhodach has pointed out, DEFRA has a helpline for export enquiries based in Carlisle.

As far as I'm aware, open during office hours Monday to Friday.

08459 335 577   
HTH  Jean

One of ours will be going to Canada.  I would suggest you don't vaccinate with the UK's jabs, because (as Brainless said to me on the thread I started), there are very specific vaccine protocols in the US and Canada, and they are very different to ours.  (For eg, 3 jabs seems to be commonplace, rather than 2.) 

It's quite possible that a US vet will start the vaccinations from the beginning, so if you send pup there with 2 jabs, they might then get 3 in the US, ending up with 5!! 

As someone else has said, you also don't need the rabies jab if under 12 wks.

I plan to send pup unvaccinated for anything, at 8wks.  If it is any later than 8 wks, I would give one jab at 7wks, which would allow me to do more socialisation with pup, attend puppy parties in UK, and get pup out and about more.  I don't think I would give more than 1 jab, because I'd assume everything will be started from scratch in the US.

If these folk are your friends, it might be worth asking them to speak to their US vet and ask whether he would accept UK vaccinations, or would insist on starting them from scratch.

Might be worth also contacting Overhill who do some exporting

http://www.overhill.co.uk/exports/index.htm

Someone in my breed in the US recently imported a pup from here and needed to get an 'agent'.  It was cheaper to do it that way than for them to fly over and bring it back.

Not sure I would be happy sending an unvaccinated pup abroad when goodness only knows what it may come in contact with intransit or at the destination either accidentally or on purpose, mine don't leave here till they are fully vaccinated under normal circumstances, maybe being a nurse makes me over cautious but I would rather have everything covered than receive a bill for vet treatment or worse hear the pup had died and trying to prove what ever bug hadn't come from here.