Hi everyone.

I know this has been discussed endlessly over the years, but unlucky timing means I need to double check my understanding and no better place than here.

I'm importing a dog from France. I told his breeder it's 3 calendar months + 21 days for the rabies. She said that may be so in the UK, but here the vet does all ours (she is a top top breeder and exports regularly) at 12 weeks plus 21 days.

In the past I have always been waiting till after the 3m + 21d anyway. Unfortunately, this time the only time we can go and fetch him before waiting a further month falls precisely in the middle of the period between 12w + 21d and 3m + 21 days.

So: am I right in thinking that what matters this end is that he his rabies and was wormed within the time window etc, and that the dates on his paperwork all add up, but that if a legitimate French vet decided to administer the rabies at 12 weeks rather than 3 months, there is no reason the UK border authorities should care about that?

I also have dimly in my head somewhere that some of this may have recently changed?

Many thanks in advance for all your help as ever.

When they tweaked the rules at the end of December https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/390396/pet-travel-scheme-dec-2014-guidance.pdf they made it 12 weeks. 

"3. A new minimum age for rabies vaccination
From 29 December 2014 your pet must be at least 12 weeks old before you can get it vaccinated against rabies for the purposes of pet travel.
These rules will be the same across the EU and help pet checkers carry out compliance checks. It will also prevent very young pets being moved across the EU."

The three months issue was due to the rules previously stating the Rabies had to be given according to manufacturers guidelines and all the Rabies vaccines licensed in UK were from THREE MONTHS.

http://www.noahcompendium.co.uk/MSD_Animal_Health/Nobivac_Rabies/-68758.html

Still three months on the licence for Nobivac rabies

"Primary course and booster vaccination

Dogs & cats
Primary vaccination age*: 3 months or older.
Booster vaccination: every 3 years.
Route of administration: intramuscularly or subcutaneously.

* Primary vaccination may be administered at an earlier age (minimum in dogs and cats of 4 weeks of age), but then a repeat vaccination must be given at the age of 3 months.

Health regulations and requirements in certain countries specify that dogs must be revaccinated annually against rabies."

BUT RABISIN FROM 12 WEEKS. http://www.noahcompendium.co.uk/Merial_Animal_Health_Ltd/Rabisin/-66604.html

"Amounts to be administered and administration route

Inject one dose of 1 ml subcutaneously according to the following schedule:

Primary vaccination: 1 injection from 12 weeks of age.

Booster vaccination: 1 year after primary vaccination, then at intervals of up to 3 years.

UK Pet Travel Scheme (PETS): Animals intended for vaccination under the UK Pet Travel Scheme (PETS) must be identified by a permanently numbered microchip. The microchip number must be recorded on the pet passport or official third country veterinary certificate at the time of rabies vaccination."

So I suggest pup is vaccinated with Rabisin if it needs to be done at 12 weeks.

Sorry to be so slow in replying (one of those days), but thank you so much, that's exactly what I needed to know and has completely set my mind and rest.

Many thanks again.

Further to this question can I ask re pets passports. How long before you can travel once passport vaccination done?

21 days. Count the day of the jab as day 0 then you need 21 clear days afterwards.

Ive just realised that the breeder actually had him vaccinated at 3 calendar months, not at 12 weeks (and to be fair she originally got this erroneous idea from me), and he therefore won't be +21 days during the slot we've got to fetch him next week.

I'm just forlornly having one last check with the experts here that there's absolutely no way round this, no other way of doing it, we just have to wait till 21 days plus the vaccination (which in our case will mean we miss our slot and have to wait another three weeks - not the end of the world, but so disappointing)?

The day of vaccination is day Zero no movement on 21 days after.

Possibly you can contact a quarantine and arrange for transport to that and a stay few days there, but it does COST and a fair bit too.