I have a litter of puppies and one is supposed to be going to Switzerland at the end of next week when she is 9 weeks old. The buyer has checked up re importing her from the UK. She will be driven from UK to Switzerland by her new owner.
She is too young to have a rabies injection but my puppy buyer says she needs to have a Pet Passport to travel. My vet says that they can't issue a Pet Passport without the rabies injection and that they are happy to give this injection now.
Help!

If she is being driven then she will have to have a Pet Passport, to drive through the intervening EU countries,  and have waited to 21 days after the Rabies jab, so be 15 or 16 weeks old.

Yes if she is being driven then ALL countries involved in the journey have to be checked out, and these days not many accept puppies without the rabies vaccination despite the UK being rabies free. I have a pup here who is 16 weeks old tomorrow. His passport becomes valid today -but he too is being driven and the firm doing it isn't doing a run for almost another 4 weeks so he will be here until 20 weeks of age.

Your vet is wrong though, they can definitely issue a pets passport without the rabies vaccination. I had this done for a kitten in 2012 going to a country where it was acceptable to go without rabies under a certain age (it was just a 5 day window for travel -she had to be at least so many days old but no older than so many days, leaving just 5 days in which to legally travel without rabies vaccination).

Double and triple check everything.

My vet says that they can't issue a Pet Passport without the rabies injection and that they are happy to give this injection now.

Almost missed this. Rabies vacc given at 9 weeks is pointless as then you have to give a second injection at 3 months of age. If you wait until 3 months then only one is needed. The wait is always 3 weeks after the one given at 3 months.

Thank you, ladies

Probably best and most economic to fly with the puppy in hold, with an airline that will charge as checked/excess baggage, as I would imagine a pup of your breed by homing age will be heavier than 5kg (the usual in cabin weight limit).

Oh yes - most definitely over 5 kg :)

Thought so. :)

Most of my pups are around that weight by 8 weeks, and only make 20/23kg or so adults.  Have had a couple of owners just manage to get them in cabin, al others have gone in hold, which personally I prefer, as must be more comfortable than one of those soft holdalls in an over warm cabin..

I sold a puppy to some people in Geneva some years ago now.   I wouldn't send him until he was 4 months not only to make sure he was a good one, but also because I didn't want to put him through the trauma at a younger age.   As it was, I flew with him from Gatwick to Geneva (he had to travel in a box in the hold) and was met by my friend (the contact) and his new owner.   There was no question about needing a rabies injection before he went.

I'd not have a puppy of only 9 weeks given a rabies vaccination.   So if this is needed to travel through the countries to Switzerland, I'd ask these people to wait.   My opinion.

Personally I have found younger puppies travel far better, with less stress that older ones.

If flying just the rules for Switzerland would apply (whether they require Rabies vacs etc) but driving you have to satisfy the rules for each country.

Has anyone imported from USA considering this - any advice welcome re costs , couriers and travelling as cargo?

If coming into Heathrow it will cost you in charges as much as Cargo.

10 months old (so adult size) imported in 2011 cost over £1000 from New York using Delta.

Have the option of Southern or Northern Ireland

Personally I have found younger puppies travel far better, with less stress that older ones.

Personally I have found the opposite - but surely the breed and to a great extent, the individual puppy, must come into all this?   Clearly some would be more sensitive than others!!    And the distance/length of the flight too.  I'd suggest there can be no hard and fast rules - I just prefer not to risk putting a puppy through any unnecessary stress if it can be avoided.   That puppy went over to Geneva from Gatwick at 4 months and was perfectly fine.    On the other hand I've had puppies shipped to me in Canada, Heathrow to Toronto which is obviously a far longer flight, and wouldn't entertain doing that at under 5 months, which was the age of my foundation bitch - and another came to us some years later when he was 7 months.   But then again, I wanted to make sure the puppy was still looking good before buying, which with Bassets, means waiting the extra time.

I've exported twice to Australia (all other flights have been less than 10 hours, Europe and USA) and the fact the pups were only around 3 months old meant they slept all the way, were not likely to be as distressed about having to dirty their crate as a housetrained older pup might be.

Also as they then had to do a months quarantine they bounced out bold as brass at 20 weeks, being shown within days.

Pups go into various fear stages approaching puberty, where they are much less likely to take new experiences on the chin, than during the optimum socialisation stage, generally agree to be up to about 16 weeks. 

I certainly feel that it's not that clear cut and socialisation done at any age with a basic sound inherited temperament will get you a mentally sound dog.

Anyway with the current EU Pet Passport rules pups will not be legally going to, or through EU countries under 16 weeks.

As a breeder I don't think I could face letting a  puppy go after about 4 months, which is hard enough, and buyers also want to bond with a pup ASAP..


As a breeder I don't think I could face letting a  puppy go after about 4 months, which is hard enough, and buyers also want to bond with a pup ASAP..

Lol - it sure wasn't the easiest thing to do, taking him over there after that length of time.   Plus knowing they had to like him or he was facing quarantine (at the time) if I brought him back home with me!!    As for needing to bond - these people happened to have another older puppy, so my lad just walked in as if he'd always lived there and they had absolutely no difficulty bonding with him - who would with a 4 month old Basset puppy!!!  His brother back home wasn't happy after he left, but I had a slightly older puppy bitch who went in with him - nice all round as she was a singleton puppy.

but surely the breed and to a great extent, the individual puppy, must come into all this?   Clearly some would be more sensitive than others!!    And the distance/length of the flight too.  I'd suggest there can be no hard and fast rules - I just prefer not to risk putting a puppy through any unnecessary stress if it can be avoided.

As it is scientific proven fact that pups recover MUCH easier from anything happening to them before the age of 12/14 weeks, it makes perfect sense that a younger pup will find it easier to travel, regardless of breed.

I have had passport without rabies to puppies being exported (needed passport&chip& letter stating they have not come in contact with wildlife if I remember right). If flying from uk to destination many countries allow non vaccinated pup under certain age. I think travel between many european countries by car is the same if puppy is under the age limit but I have not checked for two years as not had any pups so it might have changed.

>I think travel between many european countries by car is the same

Not any more, but I am sure many people in mainland Europe move puppies between borders as there are mostly no border controls, you drive straight through.

Of course with us having to use Ferry or tunnel, when driving,  we have to have documents in order.

this even now applies to travel between Eire and UK,

When we went to mate a bitch in Holland we drove through France, Belgium and into Holland. The only time we had to have pet passports shown was at the tunnel in France on the way home. Drove from UK to Holland and back and never got stopped or asked for passports the whole trip. We only had to show human passports at the train on the way out and as  we boarded on the way back.
Aileen

Thank you to all of you who took the trouble to respond to my question. It looks like my pup will be flying now.

Still need the passport but THEY CAN have a passport without the rabies. They just need to be chipped and the Vet has to complete the health part of the passport to say that the pup is fit to travel. I think you will find that the airlines require this.

The vet is coming to do all that today :)