Question: travel with dogs through Switzerland and Italy

[Velma's Dad]

Our muttley has a pet passport (rabies all up to date) and we have used it for France. However in a few weeks we'll be driving France-Switzerland-Italy and I just want to check there are no 'gotchas' for dog transit in the latter two.

I gather the EU pet passport covers Switzerland (even though non-EU country) and travel from Switz to Italy counts as intra-EU. However I saw somewhere that Switz also requires a distemper vaccination...??

As we'll be transiting by road I can't see that anyone will actually check this, but does anyone on here have any specific experience/tips?

And could we avoid any Brexit debates on this thread, pretty-please??

 

[Jonathan Duke]

We went to all of those countries, twice last year with our JRT - No issues.

France-Switzerland-Italy (Austria-Germany-Belgium also)

 

[Jonathan Duke]

I should add.... He got a 2x ticks in Italy, and they were removed in Belgium for €5. We bought some tick repellant from same Belgian vet also, as the stuff we were using previously was either crap, or not applied properly.

 

[Jonathan Duke]

Looking forward to 2018 jollies now also!

 

[Velma's Dad]

Thanks Jonathan, great to know, really helpful.

Re ticks, Velma's kit list (Velma is the van by the way) includes a couple of those plastic tick removers. This kind of thing:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0089BOK12/?tag=eliteelect-21

You just put it over the tick's body, twist and it's out. Our spaniel came back from a walk last year through a wood in Somerset with about a dozen of the little b****s, but a few minutes with the widget and they were all out.

 

[Amarillo]

You just put it over the tick's body, twist and it's out. Our spaniel came back from a walk last year through a wood in Somerset with about a dozen of the little b****s, but a few minutes with the widget and they were all out.

We bought Meg's tick widget from Pets at Home. She too emerged from a meadow in Somerset with a plague of ticks.

I think that the only EEA countries with extra requirements for dogs are Norway, Malta, Britain and Ireland (and possibly Cyprus). This is due to the absence of a worm present in other EEA countries. The general requirement is a vet administered worming tablet 24 - 120 hours before entry to the country, recorded in the Pet passport. Norway will also accept the tablet up to 30 days before entry if a previous one was administered 21-30 before that - but both need to be recorded in the pet passport.

As far as I'm aware, Switzerland has no additional restrictions on dogs entering.


Follow my blog: www.au-revoir.eu

 

[Velma's Dad]

Thanks Tom. I reckoned if anyone was going to know about dogs crossing borders in Europe, it would be you! So I'm really pleased you spotted my post!

Sounds like we're all good for Betty's travels in a few weeks. She's currently rehabbing from a knee op (snapped her cruciate ligament) but it's hard to keep her to the regime at this point - no running, no stairs, gentle lead walks only. Hard to keep a spaniel down.

 

[Amarillo]

Thanks Tom. I reckoned if anyone was going to know about dogs crossing borders in Europe, it would be you! So I'm really pleased you spotted my post!

For completeness...

Finland (but not Cyprus) also requires tapeworm treatment before entry with a dog.



Follow my blog: www.au-revoir.eu