Taking dog to the continent

[Jonney]

Does anyone have much experience in taking their dog to the continent?

Seems you can book them in on the euro tunnel, and get the rabies jab etc, but the tape worm treatment needs to be administered by a vet 5 days - 1 day before you come back to the uk. I suppose the question is, is this easy to get done?

Thanks all

 

[Martin]

Hi, We always take our dog when we go away and the tunnel is by far the easiest and stress free.

Before you go you must make sure your dog is vaccinated against rabies and is microchipped, you can then get your pet passport as you now no longer need to have any blood tests done which has made things so much easier.

Coming back home is also very straight forward, we normally just ask at campsite reception to book a vet in a local village to do the tapeworm treatment which normally costs around 30-40 Euro, they will then sign the passport, you now have to allow a minimum of 24 hours before you can come back ( maximum of 120 hours )

When you get back to the tunnel you just follow the 'paw print' signs which lead you to a special terminal where the staff check the passport ... that is all there is to and your dog has a holiday too


This list of English speaking vets is also very handy

 

[choplee]

A little bit of a kerfuffle if your going for a few days regularly throughout the season :cry: .
i'm not sure i would want my dogs to have tapeworm treatment that much ... :?

Do the french have the same on returning to france from the uk ...????

 

[Martin]

Hi Lee, totally agree it is also not very cost effective for a few days, but when you look at it over the course of three week holiday it is so much cheaper than boarding plus we like to have Sophie with us when we go away.

As for the French it is the same for them as its all about keeping rabies out of Britain.

 

[choplee]

I can see the whole point of it all to stop diseases spreading from owners that don't care correctly for their dogs ,but tapeworm everytime you travel I'm not sure about if its quite close ...it's a shame really as tape wormer tablets are only £3-5 to the public ....
3 weeks Martin ...!! That would be nice
It maybe just uk with the dogs again

 

[Jonney]

Thanks chaps, did not think about asking at the campsite, looks like a good option for when your going for a couple of weeks

 

[Argo&Liebe]

I don't think you need the tapeworm treatment when coming to the continent .

 

[choplee]

I don't think you need the tapeworm treatment when coming to the continent .

Just coming back into the UK !?

 

[Martin]

I don't think you need the tapeworm treatment when coming to the continent .

Just coming back into the UK !?

Yes, just coming into the UK, as its the UK we are protecting. BTW, Some vets do allow you use your own tablets and they will just charge you to sign your passport.

 

[choplee]

I don't think you need the tapeworm treatment when coming to the continent .

Just coming back into the UK !?

Yes, just coming into the UK, as its the UK we are protecting. BTW, Some vets do allow you use your own tablets and they will just charge you to sign your passport.

How long is the signature valid for Martin ??? ...days,months ?

 

[Argo&Liebe]

Well....that is just a trick...if your vet trusts you.
The first time we came to uk with Argo we were ready with the passport, anti-rabies vaccinations blood tests and so on but...we didn't know about the tapeworm treatment! Argo had his spot on drops just 5 days before but we had to find a vet in Calais, spend 60€ for other drops and spend the next 24 hrs in Calais just waiting...
Now luckily things have changed a little bit but you still have to do the tapeworm treatment and it has to be certified by a vet.

 

[GeoffB]

Think the idea is to keep a particularly virulent type of canine tapeworm out of the UK, think it's the known as the Swiss tapeworm (or maybe the Mongolian death-worm? ) and as we're a 'clean' nation the continentals don't require the same for dogs visiting them from GB.

We had our cocker with us for 66 days last year, France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Lichenstein and Germany, and there was absolutely no problem anywhere, in fact the French make a fuss of dogs and he was welcome in all restaurants, bars and cafes - they'd often bring him a water-bowl, unasked. They're much more accepting of dogs than the jobsworth establishments over here, and we're supposed to be the nation of dog lovers. Mind you, if we'd had something like a dobermann or a bull terrier they might not have been as welcoming. We will be taking him back to France this summer.

One tip - make sure the continental vet who administers the tapeworm pill signs, dates and times your pet passport. We were passing through a small French town en route back to Calais, saw a vet and just pitched in. They were very friendly and we got by OK in our Franglais, and were charged 40 Eus. When we got to the tunnel pet check-in next day, they noticed he hadn't put down a time. This was OK as we were within the allowed period, but if we had been there the next day the time of treatment would have been crucial.