We have been told that even though my son-in-law is a vet and has recently vacinated both their dogs for rabies if they import them directly into the UK the dogs have to be vaccinated again by a UK vet! One dog is a puppy of 20 weeks. Surely this is overkill? Mainland Europe has no such policy we can find.

Polly is this under the Pet Passport? Were the dogs already micro-chipped? It probably is 'overkill' but at the end of the day, the laws are in place to protect us from Rabies :-)

As Leigh says. it's probably either because
a. They're coming from a non-qualifying country when the first rabies jab was put in
or b. The pup wasn't micro-chipped when the first jab went in.

Have a look at
http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/quarantine/index.htm

See you

Jo and the Casblaidd Flatcoats

3 friends and I have just imported a puppy from California. He had to have RaBies vaccine as soon as he was taken into Quarantine. this would have been the case whether he had already had the jab or not, so we opted for the breeder not having it done, and it was done on arrival. spoke to an Amertican couple whose pet was in there, and they had the same happen to them, still had to have the jab, even though she had recently had it in USA.

The dogs have to have regular and up to date rabies jabs, as they are in Mozambique. They would not come in under the pet passport scheme. Also as my son-in-law is a vet, he keeps the dogs up to date with jabs and keeps them as healthy as anyone can. It seems to be totally "ott" to me. Anyway they will now go to Spain, which does not require rabies jabs to be redone as they were done in Mozambique. We were really concerned with the puppy, as it is so young to have two rabies jabs so close together.

Are they still coming to the UK eventually Polly?

Yes, they will be. Or knowing my daughter she will not return here! She was upset when she had to rehome a dog that had crossed the border during the Kosova crisis. One day it simply strolled across the border following the refugees, they said it was not theirs, so she took it in, and found it was in whelp. So she had the puppies to rear and home as well as the poor bitch.
So knowing Helen, if her dogs can't come she won't either.

Tell her to spend 6 months in france then they should be ablke to come in subject to complying to the PP scheme!

This is what we are hoping to do Bec, use the passport scheme, as we don't want the puppy rabies jabbed again so soon. A friend has a boarding kennel in Spain, so we will send them there for six months.

Good idea and glad you have a friend in the right business! Hope all goes well.

Hi Polly,

My pup had to have two rabies jabs as the first one did not "take" when the blood test was done 30 days later.

Christine

Bear also had two rabies vaccinations. The first at 3 calendar months and the second 4 weeks later. We were advised by the Dutch 'Maff' to get two done, incase the first blood test came back to low. I believe it is common practice in Europe. :-)