I have a 9 month old pup, who we plan on moving out to Spain in Oct'05.  We hope to fly her there.  She is nuetered, chipped (twice!!!!..vet made huge error!  anyone know if this could be a problem?)....has had all vaccinations, has a passport, rabies injection..(but no blood test as of yet).
Ive been looking at relevant sites, and some say she must have health certificate, Exportation certificate, certificates of health translated in Spanish!!, contacting the spanish embassy!..and also that the spanish can have a tendancy to steal dogs for trade, etc!!!!  I am panicking hugely now 
Has anyone ever taken a dog to Spain and may be able to advise me on their experiences, and what they had to do?
Please, any advice will be helpful to me at this time..as I would like to get everything right..she is very special to myself and my husband and Id hate it if she was taken from us!
Thank you

Hi Emma,

Have a look at the DEFRA website - loads of info there.

http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/quarantine/index.htm

They also have a helpline you can call and they will know all about taking pets in and out of the country.

I personally know of about 3 people that have taken their dogs to Spain with no problems. One thing to check is to ensure you meet you airline's regulations with regards to the crate used for transport.

All the best moving to sunny Spain!

Cheers,
Patty

One of the members is in Spain & I'm sure she will reply when she sees your post

I thought you couldn't get a pp without the rabies titre test being done & ok

Actually DEFFRA are very little help with the details, they just give general advice that the pup must have a Euro Passport and if over 3 months must be Rabies vaccinated, they even gave me the wrong place to contact fort the local authorities who will advise the rules (a pup of mine is going to Spain in 10 days).

You need to contact:  
Victoria Marugán
Attaché for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
Embassy of Spain
39 Chesham Place
London SW1X 8SB
Tel.: 020 7235 5005
Fax: 020 7259 6897
e-mail: consmapa@dircon.co.uk

It appearsd an authority to bring the dog in is required and they need to know all the ogs details how it will travel etc, as it all depends on this ast to what the detailed rules will be.

Hi there,

I wonder if it's different for pets that are not travelling with their owners? e.g. puppies.

I am pretty sure that all your dog needs is the PET passport (i.e. microchipped, rabies vacc, etc) and to meet the requirements of the airline as far as transport is concerned if you are travelling with it.

Cheers,
Patty

P.S. If you plan to come back with the dog, then there is some stuff you have to make sure you do. Again, the defra website tells you what you need to do.

Hi,

Thankyou everyone for your replies.....Moon maiden..with regard to blood test before issuing passport..the vets we had our dog in, chipped her twice by accident!! They also told us we could get the blood test done in Spain!  As you can imagine..we ve now taken our little one out and she now has a different vet!! 
Brainless..thankyou so much for that address..I will contact the lady asap!....and Patty thankyou for the website address and your advice..will act upon the advice you ve all gave.   Thank you very much x

OMG how can you chip a dog twice by accident :rolleyes: they obviously haven't done many dogs for PP then ! If you intended never to return then your dog wouldn't need a PP just to comply with Spain's rules about importing dogs

Oddly enough one of my vets is Spanish ;) very dishy lol but he couldn't undertand my accent when I told him my puppy's tattoo number I had to write it down for him

Hi Moon maiden,
Yeah..chipped her twice!  She was a rescue dog and had a voucher for chipping at nuetering at that vets!  She was chipped when she was about 5 month..and nuetered at 6 month, but on trying to locate her chip at time of neutering..they found it was not there so chipped her again in the neck! They didnt check her records, nor did they ask us.  It turned out the first chip they d put in had migrated to her right leg!!..where it still is now!! We were obviously v. annoyed!

Hm but chips never move do they ? <TIC>

I've had to have my puppy chipped for his PP(& also for the DNA tests to be accepted by the ISDS :(  ), but I have just bought myself a scanner so I keep a close watch on it. His tattoo on the other hand is as clear as a bell ! ( I have even managed to take a slightly out of focus photo of it 7 days as he was done-which isn't easy when I had to hold him as well as take the photo)

Well..chips arent supposed to move/migrate...but I done my research and it turns out they can if they were not inserted correctly in the first instance!!....as you can imagine.i dont recommend that vetinary practice to anyone!!
How much did you pay for your scanner?  Really good idea.. we d be able to keep check on our pups 2nd chip then..but ive heard they re quite pricy to buy.  Is that so? x

It only cost £106.93 including P&P which quite surprised me as I was especting a lot more LOL if I was in the USA I could have got one for less but then you have to add taxes & postage if you buy & have then sent over here

Odd ordering system as I got an e mail saying I would have one hour to conplete payment details but was v impressed with delivery which was virtually 2 working days !

Tried it out & it works they even send a test chip on a key ring ! I got a red one ;) being a Reds fan

Oh well, may look into buying one then..think there good things to have.  Thanks alot x

Hello Emma.

Don't panic.  The DEFRA website has a lot of info on the Pet Passport: www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/quarantine/pets/

1. I don't think 2 microchips will be a problem, but phone DEFRA and ask what you should do.  It might mean that both chip numbers should be on your Pet Passport, or maybe that would invalidate it - so you should double check that.

2. The process you describe (chipping, rabies jab, blood test etc) is what is required for the UK Pet Passport, which is the system under which dogs can come BACK INTO the UK.  Do you ever intend to bring your dog back to the UK, on holiday or for good?  If so, or if you're not sure but there's a chance that you might want to, then you should have the blood test done, either here or at your new vet's in Spain.  The blood test is the final piece of the Pet Passport and if the result is ok, then you will still need to wait 6 months before you can BRING BACK your dog to the UK.  (Nothing to do with going to Spain - Spain does not require that 6 month wait or a blood test).

3. I can't help you with who to contact in Spain, but I do know that as you are permanently moving to Spain, you need to comply with Spanish law.  (As opposed to a UK person going on holiday to Spain, who can comply with UK law.)  One difference I know of is that in Spain you must have a rabies booster every year.  In the UK (going abroad with a Pet Passport) it is every 2-3 yrs depending on the vaccine.  So get that in your diary - one year from whenever your first rabies jab in the UK was, you need another.

4.  Don't want to worry you, but there are several other health implications of taking a dog to Spain which you should know about.  Firstly there are several diseases which are incurable and can be transmitted by ticks and fleas from dog to dog.  One disease called leishmaniasis is incurable and is transmitted by sand flies, which are everywhere.  Secondly, your dog can get heartworm in Spain, which can be fatal.  But don't panic - you can protect you dog from all this if you do your research now.  This is what I'd suggest:

First get a Scalibor collar from your vet.  This is the best and most effective method of repelling ticks and sand flies there is.  They only cost about £8 and they work for 6 months, so they are very cost effective too.  You need to put the collar on 2 weeks before you're due to leave for Spain, because it takes 2 weeks to protect the whole body and become effective.  http://www.scalibor.co.uk/

Second, treat your dog every month with a VET SUPPLIED spot-on flea and/or tick treatment.  Some vets use Frontline +, others use Advantix - but don't just get any spot on from the pet shop - they don't work as well.  Treat your dog before you leave the UK and then every month in Spain.

Third, treat your dog monthly with a heartworm preventative tablet.  We don't have heartworm in the UK so you might find it hard to get the tablets, but I believe you can order them from here: http://www.inhousepharmacy.co.uk/pet-care/heartgard.html.  You may be able to order them in from other sites in the US, since they have heartworm there.  A very popular tablet is called Heartgard.  Heartworm is basically worms which live in the heart and lungs and multiply - eventually your dog can die.  It is transmitted by mosquito bite. 

Fourth, sand flies bite most at dawn and dusk, so keep your pup inside at those times if you can - even treated with all this lot, it's not 100% protection. 

Thanks 'onetwothree'..that advice is extreamely helpful.  I will definitley use it..thankyou so much. 
We dont plan on returning to the UK, but just want to take the necessary precautions incase we do.  Bit concerned about when you said to avoid taking dog out at dusk and dawn..as we thought this would be the best time to walk our dog because of the intensity of the heat around them hours..but thank you again.I will buy the collar, etc. Your advice was great! x