Approved routes and is there a maximum window after the rabies shot?

hey.  it's almost time to bring my dog to the UK and I have a couple questions (and will probably have more!)

1.  Am I reading the routes list right (http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/pets/travel/pets/documents/noneu-air.pdf) to think that although Manchester and Heathrow are equally equipped to handle incoming animals, my flight (from Chicago) can only go into Heathrow?  I live in Lancaster and Manchester airport is HOURS closer to me.

2.  Obviously there is a six month minimum from the bloodwork before the dog can fly, but is there a maximum?  Do those tests expire?  My husband and I are having kind of a hard time right now and I'm hesitant to bring the dog over until I know we're doing better.  I'm just nervous that if I wait too long I will have to start from the beginning and do the six month period again.  My dogsitters have been awesome but I know that'll be the end of their kindness if I need to ask them for another six months of favors.

Thanks for any thoughts on this.  My dog is my baby and I'm really feeling the stress about flying him over.

hey.  it's almost time to bring my dog to the UK and I have a couple questions (and will probably have more!)

1.  Am I reading the routes list right (http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/pets/travel/pets/documents/noneu-air.pdf) to think that although Manchester and Heathrow are equally equipped to handle incoming animals, my flight (from Chicago) can only go into Heathrow?  I live in Lancaster and Manchester airport is HOURS closer to me.

It appears that way. You could take a flight somewhere else within the US (i.e. Atlanta or New York) and then be on an approved route to Manchester, but Chicago->Manchester isn't an option.

2.  Obviously there is a six month minimum from the bloodwork before the dog can fly, but is there a maximum?  Do those tests expire?  My husband and I are having kind of a hard time right now and I'm hesitant to bring the dog over until I know we're doing better.  I'm just nervous that if I wait too long I will have to start from the beginning and do the six month period again.  My dogsitters have been awesome but I know that'll be the end of their kindness if I need to ask them for another six months of favors.

No. As long as you can prove that the rabies vaccination was continuous (i.e. never lapsed) since the bloodwork was done, and your travel documents (the EC998 valid for 4mos incl. the 48hr flea/tapeworm treatment) are valid for the date of travel, you should be good to go, even if you're traveling months/years after the valid start date. (This may change in the future, but that's the info I got from DEFRA a few months ago.)

Good luck!

Yeah, the only flight from Chicago is to Heathrow. I wish it wasn't (as I had to do Chicago->London then train up, ugh!) but it is..

as equestrianerd said, if you can get to one of the Manchester routes (i.e. Atlanta, Ft. Lauderdale, Las Vegas, Newark, JFK, or Sanford, FL) that'd probably work best for you.. However, all of those are a bit far from Chicago, so it might be that Chicago->Heathrow then training/driving up would work best.. I put my kitty on a Chicago->Heathrow flight (after driving 4 hours to the airport) and then a train into Paddington, sleeping overnight, then a train from King's Cross to Edinburgh, then a drive from Edinburgh to St Andrews and he did fine

No. As long as you can prove that the rabies vaccination was continuous (i.e. never lapsed) since the bloodwork was done, and your travel documents (the EC998 valid for 4mos incl. the 48hr flea/tapeworm treatment) are valid for the date of travel, you should be good to go, even if you're traveling months/years after the valid start date. (This may change in the future, but that's the info I got from DEFRA a few months ago.)

Good luck!

My situation is that my mom has decided she does NOT want to keep Will (after her asking me if she could!). With the wedding soon and the move in January, obviously Will won't be able to come right away, and Mom has agreed to take him until we can move him, but not for "too long".  If I get him chipped and the rabies shot in December, but can't fly him over until I'm back for Thanksgiving 2010, does this mean I can't do the paperwork until July even though he'll be chipped and have the shot already?  I'm confused...

My situation is that my mom has decided she does NOT want to keep Will (after her asking me if she could!). With the wedding soon and the move in January, obviously Will won't be able to come right away, and Mom has agreed to take him until we can move him, but not for "too long".  If I get him chipped and the rabies shot in December, but can't fly him over until I'm back for Thanksgiving 2010, does this mean I can't do the paperwork until July even though he'll be chipped and have the shot already?  I'm confused...

Yes, you won't be able to do the EC998 paperwork until a max of 4 months before he gets on the plane. You'll have the FAVN (bloodwork) paperwork done in December/January, obviously, but the EC998 is only valid for up to 4 months.

(And, I believe, will require 2 vet visits...one to your regular vet to fill out most of the form, and one to the USDA vet to certify the rest. I may be mistaken on this part, though, and it might be possible just to send the blank form to the USDA vet to get it all filled out. You'll still need an extra vet visit for the 48hr flea/tapeworm stuff, though.)

You can also fly him unaccompanied, if you want him there pre-Nov 2010 and your mom is able to get him to an airport. Depending on the airline, there may be extra fees for an unaccompanied pet, though...Virgin quoted me £300+ upon landing, BA claimed their price was inclusive of all fees and regardless of whether my boys were accompanied or not.

(And, I believe, will require 2 vet visits...one to your regular vet to fill out most of the form, and one to the USDA vet to certify the rest. I may be mistaken on this part, though, and it might be possible just to send the blank form to the USDA vet to get it all filled out. You'll still need an extra vet visit for the 48hr flea/tapeworm stuff, though.)
and regardless of whether my boys were accompanied or not.

No, you can't send the blank EU998 form to the USDA vet to get him or her to fill it out -- they are the place that actually looks over what your own hands-on vet has already filled out, and then verifies that it all ties together with the rabies titer and history and the chip number, and then they sign off on it and give it literally the stamp of approval before sending it back to you.

Your vet that is your regular family vet, who will do the preparations, ie, check the chip number or insert a chip if none is already present, then give the rabies booster shot, then take the blood sample for the rabies titer and send it to the Kansas lab, and who will also fill all this information out on the form EU 998, is supposed to be on a list of vets who are what is called "USDA accredited."

But then, come the time that all the completed paperwork is filled out and ready to send off to be verified and stamped, you are sending that to "the USDA vet".....which is actually a USDA office staffed by people who are veterinarians but don't actually do any of the hands on work with your animal -- these guys literally sit in that office all day, dealing with paperwork on not just domestic animals but also paperwork on imported livestock and animal products to or from the US.

You must first call your USDA office serving your state, and verify that your own hands-on vet is accredited by them before letting your vet start the paperwork and preparation, and then you get your vet to chip->vaccine->titer and fill out each relevant section that records these steps on the form "EU 998".

Within four months of travel this form is then sent to your main USDA office along with the rabies titer result so that they can do their bit, and send it back to you approved. The final sections in which the tick and tapeworm treatment is documented doesn't have to be approved by the USDA office (and can't be due to the 48 hour time limitation anyway).

In this area, I think all the vets are USDA certified since they deal with the farm animals a lot. 

Out of everything, I'm looking forward to this the least. My cat hates going to the vet,and when he finds out he has to get several shots PLUS a little chip inserted he's going to be pissed.

midnight_blue - are you saying that the form can be filled out sooner than 4 months and just not sent in until it's time?  I'm really confused now.

even if your vet is USDA accredited you still have to send it off to the actual USDA vet for final approval.

In this area, I think all the vets are USDA certified since they deal with the farm animals a lot.  

Out of everything, I'm looking forward to this the least. My cat hates going to the vet,and when he finds out he has to get several shots PLUS a little chip inserted he's going to be pissed.

midnight_blue - are you saying that the form can be filled out sooner than 4 months and just not sent in until it's time?  I'm really confused now.

I've dug out my forms to take a look before I answer that -- I'm going to go through what's on my form to see what can be filled out when.

What I've got is that my form 998 consists of three sides on two sheets....sections 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 are on page 1 and all this can be filled out immediately by your vet as he or she goes through the preparations, as these sections are not time-sensitive and respectively deal with:

1. the name of the owner,

2. description of the animal,

3. identification of the animal meaning the microchip number and the date on which it was inserted,

4. vaccination against rabies (booster shot), the name of the manufacturer, the batch number, the date of this latest booster, and the date that the animal's protection is valid for (one year, two year etc)

5. rabies seriological test -- this is the result of the rabies titer entered into this field when your titer result comes back from Kansas, plus there is a field for the date on which the blood sample had been drawn from the animal for this.

All these fields mentioned above can be filled out as and when your vet is doing each procedure, or afterwards as long as all dates and information are recorded somewhere in order to write it in.

Page 2 seems to be a different story as far as I recall now, looking at this. There is a section headed "Official veterinarian authorised by the competent authority -- this my vet filled out with her name, the clinic's stamp, and her signature, but with a date that fell with the four months.

If  I remember correctly, yes, don't let your vet sign off on this section until within the four months before travel. He should sign this section as close as possible to the time you send all your paperwork to the main USDA office.

After this, there is an endorsement field where the USDA vet stamps and signs and seals, followed by section 6 and 7 tick and tapeworm treatment, which is once again filled out by your own vet, with a final section again repeating a field in which your vet must enter his details, name, signature and stamp again, this time at the same date of the tick and tapeworm treatment.

So, those first five sections, the information can be filled out as each procedure is completed -- just don't have your vet sign and date the field that comes after section five, until within the window of the four months before travel.

I COULD be wrong about this, and it may be different depending on if you have to then delay the animal's travel date but just keep up the vaccination renewals, as the titer is good indefinitely as long as rabies vaccinations boosters are not allowed to lapse.

But in an ordinary timeline I'm pretty sure this is how I remember things going. I had assistance from a company specialising in pet transportation and I remember being told myself what I've just told you.

even if your vet is USDA accredited you still have to send it off to the actual USDA vet for final approval.

Yes, that's what I was trying to explain but also that you can't just send a blank 998 to that USDA vet -- your own (accredited)  vet must first fill it out with your animal's information, then you send it to the USDA vet, because this information is what the USDA office is actually wanting to see in the first place.

Thanks midnight_blue. I think I understand it now.

So, the vet visits are as follows:

1) Will to get his chip and shot
2) Will to get blood drawn (two weeks after shot?). Blood gets sent to Kansas (with my forms, I asume?)
3) four months before he travels, someone brings paperwork into Vet's office to get filled out, but Will does not need to go.  I sent documents to USDA, get documents back.
4) Will visits vet 48 hours before travel to get treated for tick/worms.

If I don't move him by the time his shot expires, do we start all over again?

2) Will to get blood drawn (two weeks after shot?). Blood gets sent to Kansas (with my forms, I asume?)

My vet recommended 21 days between vaccine and blood draw. I had it done 12 days later, though, as my boys both had current 3 year vaccines as well as the 1-year vaccine they got the day they saw the vet for microchipping. Their results came in at > 2.5mL, and the minimum required to "pass" is 0.5mL. I think the 21 days is only if your animal's vaccine is not current.

I gave my vet the FAVN form (available on the KS state rabies website), and they sent it off with the bloodwork. I got back the completed FAVN report with the sticker showing the results.

3) four months before he travels, someone brings paperwork into Vet's office to get filled out, but Will does not need to go.  I sent documents to USDA, get documents back.
4) Will visits vet 48 hours before travel to get treated for tick/worms.

If I don't move him by the time his shot expires, do we start all over again?

Correct for 3 and 4. If you don't let his shot expire (i.e. his shot expires in June 2010 and you get a new shot in May 2010), and have the certificates to prove this (showing that there's no lapse in time), you just fill out the EC998 form when you know you're <= 4 months out from flying. I assume your vet would list both vaccines (to prove that things were done in the correct order and the vaccination is current), and then you'd include both certificates to reiterate that the vaccine is current.

My vet recommended 21 days between vaccine and blood draw. I had it done 12 days later, though, as my boys both had current 3 year vaccines as well as the 1-year vaccine they got the day they saw the vet for microchipping. Their results came in at > 2.5mL, and the minimum required to "pass" is 0.5mL. I think the 21 days is only if your animal's vaccine is not current.

I gave my vet the FAVN form (available on the KS state rabies website), and they sent it off with the bloodwork. I got back the completed FAVN report with the sticker showing the results.

Correct for 3 and 4. If you don't let his shot expire (i.e. his shot expires in June 2010 and you get a new shot in May 2010), and have the certificates to prove this (showing that there's no lapse in time), you just fill out the EC998 form when you know you're <= 4 months out from flying. I assume your vet would list both vaccines (to prove that things were done in the correct order and the vaccination is current), and then you'd include both certificates to reiterate that the vaccine is current.

Equestrianerd says it all, this is what you need to do.

You can either keep good records (you and vet) of all the info that will need to be filled out on 998, or, as I did, have your vet fill out the first five sections as those stages happen, but simply hold off on filling out the actual vet signature and date section.

The first five sections deal only with information, and any dates involved in those sections are simply recording/noting the chip, vaccination and blood draw dates.

When it is finally time for the vet to fill out the part that they sign and date before you send all this to the USDA office, this signature of your vet's needs to be in blue ink. This is because DEFRA feels that black ink can look too much like a photocopy that someone can fake.

When your animal gets to the UK and you get your papers handed back to you, you will find that the staff at the animal reception centre have actually dripped water onto various parts of the writing, just to make sure there is ink to blur and it's not just a photocopy but an original hand written form.  

To be on the safe side, I had my vet fill out the whole thing in blue ink!! This may have been overkill, but there you go.


It's only the FAVN form that gets sent off to Kansas with the blood sample.

If you don't move by the time the rabies shot expires, get another rabies shot BEFORE it expires. As long as you did everything in proper order and keep the rabies shots current you don't have to redo the blood draw. Take it from me. I did this whole process at least 5 years before I moved. I just had a butload of vaccine renewal certificates from each year when I got them their shots. Just get the microchip number on them, the lot number, the expiration date, etc. (most of which is on the form anyway).