Starting process for PETS-Don't want to make a mistake!!

I have two dogs to move over to the UK. My first one is already microchipped and will need the rabies booster. My second is only 3 months old and will need the microchip and the rabies vaccine. My question is what if any paperwork does my vet need to fill out at the time of the microchip and rabies shot? I have read the PETS for dummies etc and I still feel like a dummy. What exactly do I need to do for this beginning process? I will most likely be doing it this week.

Chip first, then vaccinate...then blood test. I don't think I had anything more than the regular old vet printout of the vaccination. The blood test is the critical thing, and your vet sends that to Kansas State University. Make sure the certificate you get from them has their official stamp (which is actually a sticker). My first copy didn't, and I had to get them to send another.

Has your vet prepared any animals for an overseas trip? Mine hadn't done Britain (which is the hardest) but had done other countries. It helped.

My vet's office is currently preparing an animal for Japan and they have done a few others. Not the UK that I know of. He was familiar with the blood test. How would they know if he microchipped first or vaccinated first if there is no form he needs to fill out immediately other than the regular print-out? I am so scared I am going to mess this up and be waiting even longer.

I know the feeling. Puss and I made it over a week and a half ago, and I was a wreck until we did.

Every single appointment you have with the vet, they have to check the chip before they do anything else. Check it, make a note of it on the record, and then do the vaccination or exam or whatever. The chip is DEFRA's guarantee it's the same animal from start to finish.

Don't know if the following will help but this is what I did.

My cat was from the Humane Society and they had already microchipped him as a kitten, just before I adopted him.

Being that it is vital to the UK that they are able to verify that the date of microchipping preceded the date of the vaccination  that came prior to the blood draw that gets sent to Kansas (whew!), I went back to the Humane Society and got them to issue me with a letter stating the exact date that my cat was chipped by them. I didn't want to take any chances, and wanted to be sure that proof was in writing even though both I and my vet could plainly verify there was already a chip.

I did that because my vet who handled the rest was not the "chipping" vet and yet she had to write into Form 998 the chipping date. I provided her with the letter and she wrote that date in.

Your vet too will have to record the date the animal was microchipped, when he or she conducts the procedure -- you might as well get your vet to write that bit down on form 998 the same day, in the section that requires it (bottom of page 1 if I'm not mistaken).

Also have him or her write into 998 the date of the vaccination if a different day.

Don't have anthing signed or stamped or dated though -- this is the stuff that starts the 4-month validity clock ticking on form 998. You can fill in the procedure dates and details, and the result of the FAVN rabies titre, and the dates of chipping, vaccinating, blood draw -- just don't complete the vet's signature and date of signature, and don't complete the final section on the tick and tapeworm treatment.

One quirky thing -- I was told by my pet transport advisor to ask my vet to please write these dates in the UK format, ie, instead of month/day/year as is customary in the US, the PETS Scheme forms need all dates to be expressed as DAY/month/year as is customary in the UK.

I don't know if that is redundant and perhaps they don't really need that -- all I know is I did it anyway and all went well. I was also told that not just signatures but the whole thing needs to be completed in...blue pen. This is because apparently the UK authorities feel that all black can look too much like a photocopy and they want to know that absolutely everything is the original.

So I went ahead and made sure every thing handwritten was all blue pen all the way, just incase...

I had to produce the invoice showing that my boy Aidan was chipped three years ago when I got him neutered.  I had lost the registration form (what you send with your money to HomeAgain or Avid etc to activate your cat in the system).   For my other two, I was in possession of the registration certificates, which were included in the paperwork to the USDA.

I was told by the USDA in Georgia that it wasn't going to be enough to just to see the chip number on the 998.  I had to show proof that THAT animal was chipped with THAT number and when.

They also said that the vet signatures had to be an ink color other than black.

Where do I find this 998 form? Does anyone have a link to it? Sorry for being such a pest.