APHIS Vet? Things already off to a bad start--HELP

Hi,

My cat just had her appointment to be chipped and get her rabies jab. Great, right?

Well, here's the bad news. The head vet at our clinic, which, when I called our Area Office in Harrisburg, was the only person at the clinic who was APHIS accredited. The woman at that office also said that might be inaccurate, because they said they were "switching a lot of things around" and "in transition". And the head vet at that clinic? My mother just called me from the clinic to tell me he's retired. (My parents are doing this for me since the cat lives with them at the moment, and I was afraid some sort of miscommunication like this would happen.) 

Questions:

1. I'm assuming we need to find a new clinic with a vet who is APHIS certified for the rabies titre, since no one at our clinic is APHIS certified?

2. How do I go about finding a clinic where there IS an APHIS certified vet? Do I call the state USDA office again? (The woman I spoke to there really didn't seem knowledgeable, especially because the state USDA vet position is vacant at the moment. I am in PA.)

2. How does this affect the fact that the cat's already been chipped and got her rabies jab from a non APHIS certified vet? What info will the new clinic need to know? As far as I understand from http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=46708.0 here, anyone can chip, jab, and take the blood sample, but the person who signs section V must be APHIS approved.

Please help--I want to make sure that we haven't shot ourselves in the foot over this before it's even begun.

ETA: I called the Harrisburg office to see if they could recommend an APHIS accredited vet in my county, and they said the only way I could find one would be to look in the Yellow Pages. They said they can't look up vets by area, only by name. Is there an easier way??

They also said they have a dedicated vet who signs off on import/export stuff though, so if any other fellow PAer is reading this right now, there *is* a USDA vet available to do the final signing off of the form, even if the head vet position is vacant.

My regular old vet was fine. I don't believe she had any special accreditation, though she had shipped pets overseas (but not to the UK).

The blood titre certificate will have to be done by Kansas State University (make sure it has the original sticker from them!), but I think any vet can send it off to them.

And the final paperwork has to be signed off by a USDA vet, but you overnight it to them and they overnight it back (they will do walk-in, too, but my local office preferred mail).

This is where I'm confused, because according to the link posted above:

• Will my normal vet be able to help me?

o Probably.  Any vet can put in the microchip, give the vaccination, and take the blood sample, but the vet that signs and stamps section V of the form (see below) must be an APHIS approved vet.  Not all practicing vets are APHIS approved, so it will make things go much smoother for you if you only work with one vet who is APHIS approved.  Go to http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/area_offices/ and find the office for your state.  Call them and have them check to see if your vet is APHIS approved.

I don't know if it's a state specific thing, but I used my normal vet as well.  

Ditto what Stoatula said.  In Georgia, the USDA only got involved for the final approval of the 998 - maxiumum 4 months before date of travel.

This is where I'm confused, because according to the link posted above:

• Will my normal vet be able to help me?

o Probably.  Any vet can put in the microchip, give the vaccination, and take the blood sample, but the vet that signs and stamps section V of the form (see below) must be an APHIS approved vet.  Not all practicing vets are APHIS approved, so it will make things go much smoother for you if you only work with one vet who is APHIS approved.  Go to http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/area_offices/ and find the office for your state.  Call them and have them check to see if your vet is APHIS approved.

After the results are back, you send all your paperwork off to the USDA vet (who is actually an adminstrator in an office- not a vet with a practice) who signs off and stamps.

OK. See, I'm confused because that guideline implies that someone at my clinic needs to be APHIS approved ("Not all practicing vets are APHIS approved . . .call them to check and see if your vet is APHIS approved."). I did call and our (now retired, which I didn't know) head vet was.

Are these guidelines incorrect? The person who signs section V is the state vet, NOT someone at my clinic? Does anyone at our clinic sign anything at all? How does APHIS play into this?

USDA = United States Dept Agriculture.  APHIS is a department in the USDA that  deals with international shipments of plants and animals, amoung other things.

The guidelines are saying that if you find someone who practices who is APHIS approved, they can take care of the whole thing.

Most of us use our normal vets for the blood test and chip, then get the USDA to go over everything and give final approval. 

Whoever sends the blood sample and receives the results from Kansas will need to sign and stamp (like an ink stamp) that they did the work on that particular animal - and all the needed details (name of vax, dates). 

Maxiumum four months before you travel, you send the 998, the vac certificate, and proof of microchipping to the USDA.   They give the final USDA reference numbers and emboss with a stamp.

There are really specific details on this in the PETS board.  The "dummy" guide is really too wordy and I think outdated, but I know there is more recent info.

The guidelines are saying that if you find someone who practices who is APHIS approved, they can take care of the whole thing.Most of us use our normal vets for the blood test and chip, then get the USDA to go over everything and give final approval.

OK, so really what that guide is saying is that theoretically, if I had a vet who was APHIS accredited, I wouldn't have to send it off at the end of the procedure and we're actually still on the right track? 

If you look at the form 998, you'll see that there are sections and squares for stamps and signatures.  Whoever sends and receives the blood samples (to Kansas) will need to sign and stamp (like an ink stamp) that they did the work on that particular animal - and all the needed details (name of vax, dates).

The 998 is this form, correct? http://ec.europa.eu/food/animal/liveanimals/pets/sanco10767r4_en.doc

Our vet already signed the thing under section V and stamped it, so I assume we will have to re-do the paper and have her sign it again when the test results come back from Kansas State?

One last thing--the "timer" for the 6 month waiting period starts ticking down after the date of the blood test, NOT when the results come back, correct?

She's going to be flying alone, but I get the impression from this board that pets flying unaccompanied is not unusual.

Thank you so much for your help, hollyberry. You've been clearing up a lot.

One last thing--the "timer" for the 6 month waiting period starts ticking down after the date of the blood test, NOT when the results come back, correct?

Yes, the 6 months' timing is from the date of the sample being taken.

http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/quarantine/pets/procedures/support-info/blood.htm

Pets may not enter or re-enter the UK until 6 calendar months have passed from the date that a vet took the blood sample which gave a satisfactory test result. Your pet requires only one blood test and 6 months wait provided all subsequent rabies booster vaccinations are given by the required date.

OK, so really what that guide is saying is that theoretically, if I had a vet who was APHIS accredited, I wouldn't have to send it off at the end of the procedure and we're actually still on the right track? 

To the best of my knowledge, correct.   That's how it worked for me in Georgia.  If I were you I'd call your closest USDA vet to verify. (contact information will be found on the APHIS website.  They are also the people you'd send the paperwork too.  Program the number into your speed dial, and verify your questions with them, because they are ones you have to satifsy and the end of the day.  Someone one here might tell you how it worked for them, but the rules could be different in your state.)

Yep, that's the form - filled out by your vet through section V.  They DO need to put their ink stamp (like a return address stamp worked for me) on it, to say that they stand behind the statement that this animal has been properly evaluated.  The USDA stamp is an embossing (imprint) that goes over/next to their stamp.

The 6 month ticker starts when the sample is sent to Kansas.  My cats had their blood drawn on Mar 18 and I was free to fly out with my cats on Sept 18.

You need to check the DEFRA approved routes and carriers (there is a pdf link on the website) - it depends on where you live (or really where you leave from) for how animals can arrive in the UK.

I flew out of Atlanta.  Only approved carrier was BA and the animals HAD to be accompanied.

I reckon if I was sending them unaccompanied, I would have had to drive to another city in order to send them via an approved carrier who accepted unaccompanied animals.

Some people drive or take flights into the closest city on the approved list.  It doesn't matter where the animals originate from - but they must leave the US and enter the UK via approved airlines.

You are welcome.    Most people get through this unscathed in the end - but it really does take a lot of work and attention to detail.

To the best of my knowledge, correct.   That's how it worked for me in Georgia.  If I were you I'd call your closest USDA vet to verify.

That's the problem--there IS no person in that position on the website, it's vacant, so the # just goes to the receptionist. The USDA office did say they had someone that handles imports/exports, so I will call them back and see if I can at least get their contact info that way.

Yep, that's the form - filled out by your vet through section V.  They DO need to put their ink stamp (like a return address stamp worked for me) on it, to say that they stand behind the statement that this animal has been properly evaluated.  The USDA stamp is an embossing (imprint) that goes over/next to their stamp.

OK, that makes sense since my mother told me that our vet had stamped it with an ink stamp already (apparently they've flown animals to HI before and some of the process is similar because there are no fleas/ticks/rabies there). That makes sense about the ticker.

I saw that form, and it didn't say anything about animals being accompanied on the routes I was looking at. (Cat's in Scranton, so Philly, JFK and Newark are all options.) I just called BA World Cargo's PETS Passport office to confirm, as Philly would be most convenient, and asked if animals could be dropped off stateside and picked up by us in the UK and he said on that route it was no problem. So that's a relief.

I did the student visa thing ages ago, and the spousal visa thing is pretty straightforward--this seems to be the most complicated thing we've run into so far!

ETA: I just called the PETS Helpline at DEFRA to confirm, and they actually couldn't give me an answer! Looks like I'm going to have to try  and get the contact info of whoever signs off the certificates here, like you said.

I know some routes allow the animals to be unaccompanied, because the handling fees on the UK side are higher in that case. I remember reading that.

Almerial, your original interpretation is the same as mine.  One section says: "official veterinarian or veterinarian authorised by a competent authority (in the latter case, the competent authority must endorse the certificate)"; this is the section your vet signs, and I'm pretty sure the "authorised by a competent authority" means USDA accredited vets can sign the paperwork there, but must be endorsed by the USDA vet in the main office in your state (the  "competent authority must endorse the certificate").  I read it as saying that the USDA vet will not sign off on the paperwork unless the original signature is from a USDA authorized vet.  At any rate, I probably wouldn't risk going with an unaccredited vet.

When I was looking for a USDA accredited vet, I called my state office originally (TX) and they gave me only one vet in my area.  I then started calling around and found that most vets were USDA accredited.  I would call the clinic your cat is at and ask them if they have a USDA accredited vet on staff.  If they are doing animals to HI, they probably do.

If you are having trouble getting useful information from  your local USDA office, try calling another state.  The regulations shouldn't vary from state to state. 

I read it as saying that the USDA vet will not sign off on the paperwork unless the original signature is from a USDA authorized vet.

Thanks Mungo, it's good to know I'm not the only one who read it this way!! The clinic *is* USDA accredited as far as I know--even if the head vet is retired, I would imagine they would be if he's APHIS certified. It seems like one would have to preclude the other.

My mother has also offered to come and visit us and bring the cat once she's able to fly. She doesn't want the little one to fly by herself!!!

The state office DID say there would be a vet that could sign off on our papers and that his position was dedicated to issues with importing/exporting live animals, so I'm less concerned about that now.

I'm feeling much more at ease now about things. She has her appointment for her rabies titer next month. I'm sure I'll be back asking questions about accompanying paperwork, but we seem to be where we should be, so that's good.

Hello everyone
So glad I found this website.  It will be very helpful with my own move to the UK.  My husband will leave for Cambridge next week.  He works for the US Government, and has a 5 year assignment working at Molesworth RAF.  I have 2 cats and one dog that we plan on taking.  I will stay behind here in the States so that we can get the pets ready, house sold, etc.  I plan to leave for Cambridge the day after the animals are cleared to go.
The animals have been microchipped, rabies vaccinated and will go in at the end of this month to have the blood drawn for the titer test.
My main question is paperwork.  What paperwork or records do I need at this early stage of my PET Scheme journey ?  I do have all the necessary documents that show microchipping, rabies vaccine, but what type of paperwork do myself and the vet need for the titer test ?  My vet seems reasonably knowledgable about the process, but I do not want to depend on that.  I want to make sure that I have my own "ducks" in a row. 
Any info from you experienced people will be greatly appreciated.  I am following the Defra website (which is great), and reading other areas of information, but there is just so much to take in.  I am also a bit stressed, and I want to make sure that I get it right.

My local USDA office was incredibly helpful on the phone. My memory of the process is happily dimming, but...

Generally, make sure the microchip is written on ANY notation involving your animals. The blood test goes to Kansas State U for the titer (make sure the paperwork you get back has their original stamp on it; mine didn't and I had to get reconfirmation). After six months, you do the USDA paperwork (the name of which I forget). Then, not more than 48 or less than 24 hours before they travel, they get the flea and tick treatment from your vet.

Also, your airline is probably going to want a clean bill of health from the vet. Make sure you request their travel info a couple of weeks before you go so you know what they want. Also, with three animals to deal with, it would be good to have a friend to help  get you all on the plane