Beware of Animal Stowaways, says Geraint Jones
Summer holidays are on many of minds and some of us will be taking our pets with us – some apparently unwittingly bring a pet home with them!
On the plane home, with my body dealing with the excesses of a couple of days on holiday in the sun from the Mediterranean’s “White Isle” my thoughts moved (all be it briefly) to imminent work the following week and a looming Bay article deadline!
It was then that I remembered about the “Ibiza lizard” that a member of the public had brought back with her to Swansea this time last year. The unsuspecting Spanish gecko had been unknowingly packed with the girls beach wear, in her suitcase, and had remarkably survived the extremes of temperature in the planes hold to create bit of an entrance in her bedroom in Wales, whilst she unpacked. The practice was contacted and we agreed to take the lizard on until a suitable place for rehoming it could be found. Further drama occurred when the lizard managed to escape one weekend in our new Parkway branch, and after failing to be caught was seen intermittently scurrying around the preparation room, no doubt in the search for Spanish insects or paella or whatever it was used to eating... Eventually it was caught and re homed and had a happy life etc etc...
The story brings me on- rather tenuously I might add, to explain a bit about the pet travel scheme or PETS scheme which allows owners to take their dogs, cats, ferrets (but not geckos) abroad to EU countries.
Prior to the launch of the PETS scheme in February 2000, animals had to spend six months in quarantine before they were permitted to re enter the UK. Six months is the incubation period for rabies following infection. That is, an animal infected by the rabies virus would take six months to show clinical signs of the disease. The UK is currently free from rabies which is endemic in some European countries, hence the need for strict legislation governing the transport of animals abroad and re entry into this country.
In order to travel under the PETS scheme animals must be first micro chipped (so that they have a permanent form of identification) and vaccinated against rabies. Animals then need to be blood sampled thirty days after the rabies vaccination to ensure that they have adequate immunity to the disease. Once this has been demonstrated- owners are then issued with a “pet passport” (and yes you can put a photo of your pet in there if you want!), but have to wait six months until they can take their pet abroad and then return to the UK. The passports have to be stamped and officiated by local veterinary inspectors (LVI’s), of which most vets in practice are. Between twenty four and forty eight hours before returning to the UK, cats and dogs have to be examined by a vet, certified as being fit to travel and have to be treated for ticks and tapeworm. There are a number of exotic diseases that pets can be affected by overseas that are present in European countries, but do not affect animals in the UK. For example, Leishmaniasis (spread by sandflies in Europe and the Middle East, this can also cause disease in people), Ehrlichiosis a protozoan parasite transmitted by ticks and Dirofilariasis or heart worm which is endemic in France.
Finally there are only certain routes and transport companies that can be used to bring dogs, cats (and ferrets) back into the UK. For a comprehensive list and other details of the PETS scheme check out the DEFRA website www.defra.gov.uk
If you have any questions relating to the PETS scheme or acquiring a pet passport for your dog or cat feel free to give us a ring at our main Parkway branch in Sketty on 01792 205000 or visit our website for additional information www.stjamesvet.co.uk
Luckily for Spanish wildlife and the local gecko population on unpacking my suitcase all I managed to find was the traditional shampoo and suntan lotion explosion that had occurred in transit, which seemed to have once again ruined my best shirts...
Geraint Jones June/July 2011
