16 May Taking your pet abroad
Taking your pet abroad
If you’re heading for the sun, there’s nothing to stop you taking your cat or dog with you. It’s actually easier than you might think to get your pet ‘travel ready’.
So, the world’s your oyster? Well sadly not quite, as you are only able to claim against the insurance if you are travelling to and from any country part of the PETS scheme. Luckily, there are still plenty of holiday destinations to choose from.
Here are the EU countries that are involved in the PETS Scheme:
Austria, the Azores, the Balearic Islands, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Canary Islands, Ceuta, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, the Faroe Islands, Finland, France, French Guiana, Germany, Greece, Gibraltar, Greenland, Guadeloupe, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madeira, Malta, Martinique, Melilla, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
And here is the list of all other non EU countries that are part of the PETS scheme:
Andorra, Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Ascension Island, Australia, Bahrain, Barbados, Belarus, Bermuda, Bosnia-Herzegovina, the British Virgin Islands, Canada, the Cayman Islands, Chile, Croatia, the Falkland Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Hawaii, Hong Kong, Iceland, Jamaica, Japan, Liechtenstein, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mexico Monaco, Montserrat, Netherlands, Antilles, Singapore St, Lucia, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Norway, Russian Federation, St Helena, St Kitts & Nevis, St Vincent & The Grenadines, San Marino, Switzerland, Taiwan, Trinidad and Tobago, United Arab Emirates, USA, Vanuatu the Vatican, Wallis & Futuna.
OK, so now you have picked your holiday destination, you now need to think about getting your pet ready to travel with you.
Depending on your holiday destination, some countries may require your pet to have additional vaccinations or tests prior to travelling. If this is the case, here is a list of what your vet may recommend;
- A microchip – this is if your pet has not been chipped already.
- Rabies vaccination – this may be needed even if your pet has had one previously.
- Treatment for tapeworm (this is if your pet is entering into the UK). It’s simple and inexpensive, but it is expected to have received treatment at least 24-hours before you check in and it will need to recorded on your pet’s passport.
- Blood tests – however, please be reassured that this is only needed if you are looking to travel to a country that is not listed above.
Next, you’ll need to make sure that your pet has their own passport; how cool is that! But as fun as they sound, they are really important and also quite expensive to replace. If your vet isn’t able to get you a passport, they will know someone who can.
Once you have the passport, your vet fills in sections 1-5, which contains information about your pet’s vaccinations and blood tests that they’ve carried out, as well as confirming that your pet has been microchipped.
And that’s it, you’re all set to go! From all of us here at 4Paws, we hope you and your pet have a very happy holiday!