PETS Scheme Timeline- Pls Verify

I just want to verify the timeline here, in case I missed something.  Right now I am too paranoid to trust myself.  I lost my little dog early Saturday morning, and I am devastated.  I am not leaving my new puppy behind- no way.  Even if my husband has to go ahead before me, I am staying behind with the dog. 

Here's what I understand to be the timeline so far:

1)  First shots administered by breeder.
2)  Second shots scheduled Nov 1
3)  Third shots, including rabies, about Nov. 23. 
4)  Blood drawn 21 days later about Dec. 14
5)  Certificate can be issued if neg. for rabies and she can leave as early as June 14
6)  Tick and Tapeworm treatment 24-48 hours prior to flight



Is this the right form? 

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/en/oj/2004/l_358/l_35820041203en00120017.pdf

When I need to get the blood sample, I tell my vet where to send it, and then he evaluates the tests, signs the paperwork and then what?

Where do I apply for the certificate?  Sorry.  All I am finding is that my vet can advise me on where to apply.?!?!

Sorry for all the questions.  I am still grieving my loss, and I don't have much confidence that I won't make a mistake.  Being animal lovers, hopefully you guys can understand why I am trying to be thorough in making sure I can bring her over in a timely manner and not be seperated.

The steps should be:

1)  First shots administered by breeder.
2)  Second shots scheduled Nov 1
3a) You must get your pup microchipped before she is vaccinated for rabies. (It can be done the same day, but it must be done prior to the rabies shot.)
3b)  Third shots, including rabies, about Nov. 23.
4)  Blood drawn 21 days later about Dec. 14
5)  Certificate can be issued if neg. for rabies and she can leave as early as June 14
5b) Get the EC998 form filled out within 4 months of anticipated travel (if June 14, then on/after Feb 14). This form must be sent off to your state USDA vet to be certified.
6)  Tick and Tapeworm treatment 24-48 hours prior to flight Be sure to get documentation of this, as well as that part of the EC998 form filled out to reflect this being done.

The form you linked is the "sample" form, and is apparently not preferred by DEFRA. Other posters have linked to this form http://ec.europa.eu/food/animal/liveanimals/pets/sanco10767r4_en.doc (which has the same info, but is more condensed).

For the blood sample, you'll download the FAVN form (available here) and give that to your vet to fill out. They will send it off to KS for testing, along with the blood. (Make sure your vet fills out all the fields - mine left off the crucial "blood draw date" one, that informs DEFRA when the 6-month countdown begins!)  KSU will send back the completed form about a month later. Make sure the vet gives you the form KSU sends you, which has the physical results sticker on it (as opposed to a photocopy while the vet keeps the original)...DEFRA uses the sticker to detect that the form is original and not forged/invalid.

Which certificate are you talking about applying for? The documents you should need are:
1. Completed FAVN form showing a positive result for the blood test
2. Rabies certificate proving vaccination
3. The completed EC998 form within 4 months' of travel, including data on the tick/tapeworm treatment 24-48hrs before travel, certified by the USDA vet
4. (Depending on airline requirements) APHIS form from the USDA showing the pet is healthy
5. (Depending on airline requirements) Health certificate from your regular vet stating the pet is healthy to travel

(I also plan to include my receipts from my vet showing the dates of getting all these procedures done.)

(Most airlines require #4 or #5, not both. British Airways, Virgin, and Continental have all told me they want #5 but not #4.)

There's a pretty detailed fact sheet available from DEFRA that does a good job of outlining all the info.

Finally, look into what approved routes are available, and make sure there are no special requirements for your airline/locations. (Some airlines won't fly pets in certain temperatures, etc.)

Hope that helps!

Thank you for your response.

Sorry I left the microchipping out. That's the first thing I will do.  I've already let my vet office know that we'll be needing one when we visit. 

My regular vet can fill out the EC998 form (not the one I linked to but the other one) then he sends this of the the state's USDA branch to be certified.  That is the only certificate we have to send off for, correct? 

Sorry for so many questions, I don't think my vet will know very much about this as he is mainly a cattle vet and probably doesn't come across this very often.

My regular vet can fill out the EC998 form (not the one I linked to but the other one) then he sends this of the the state's USDA branch to be certified.  That is the only certificate we have to send off for, correct?

That and the bloodwork from KS, yes. Be sure that your vet is USDA approved, though. (I think most are, but just call the USDA office to check.)

Equestrianerd is absolutely right.  Do verify that your vet is USDA certified.  In the few talks I've had with my federal USDA vet (at the state capital) she's said that she won't sign off on the EC998 unless the vet doing the rabies vaccination and rabies titre is USDA certified.  And the easiest way to find this out is call the federal USDA vet directly. 

When I first started this process, I tried calling my vets office, but none of the admin staff knew anything about it.  Then I had a bit of a scare because my vet told me she was, but after she had done the rabies vaccination, I called the fed vet - just to verify and double check - and she said that my vet wasn't on her list. 

Turns out she is USDA certified, but the federal vet had her under her maiden name.  I've got it all straightened out now, but I was quite upset by it at the time... 

Good luck! 

Also, as a side note, you'll need to check that the particular vet is certified. I originally thought that an entire vet clinic could be certified, but was told that it is done by the individual (which makes more sense, really). Luckily, not only was my vet certified, but he'd signed off on all the paperwork thus far (rather than ending up with multiple vets doing bits and pieces of it).

This post goes off the "timeline" issue, but my trip to England is scheduled for 10-24, and I have run into a confusing situation.  My question is the microchip that has been inserted into my pets.  They have all been given the Homeagain chip with the 10 digit number.  I think that the frequency is 125 khz.  I called my vet about exactly what type of chip that it is, and he is not sure but that it is the standard chip manufactured by Schering Plough that is being distributed everywhere in the US and Canada.  My vet said that they have never heard of any problems with European scanners not being able to read these chips.
I have read that the correct ISO standard chip has a 15 digit code, and the frequency is 134.2 khz, and is the type that is read by the UK scanners.

Has anyone with the Homeagain 10 digit chip had any problems getting their chips read with the UK scanners ?

This seems like such a paranoid question (and I am), but with 11 days to go I am getting very nervous about all the little things that can go wrong.  I can always buy a scanner that will read their microchips, but they are expensive.

One of my cats has a Homeagain chip and there was not a problem with it being read last September at Gatwick ARC.   

Thanks Hollyberry.....Does your chip have the 10 digit character ?

This is something I am paranoid about too.  I worry the microchip will not be the right one.  I'm going to check that my vet is USDA certified first and then worry about the other things later.

My home again chip has the 10 digit number and I've read on this forum; at this website: http://www.wikihow.com/Ship-a-Pet-to-the-UK ; and been told by a personal friend who brought her dogs in through Heathrow - that they can read the home again chip at LHR.  So, I'm flying in without a scanner...  Hope all's okay for both of us.  L

Thanks.....I have read the link, and this is what I am concerned about .......

4.Have your pet microchipped. The microchip MUST conform to the ISO 11784/17785 15-digit microchip regulations. Unfortunately in the US and other countries outside the European Union (EU) a real ISO 11784/17785 chip which operates at 134.2 kHz. Unfortunately in the USA they are not popular and extremely hard to find. A few on-line stores carry them as do various websites operating from the UK.

I have contacted Home Again and they said that the chip does conform to ISO 11784/11785  standard....However based on what I have read it does not conform to the 15 digit world standard because it only has a 10 digit number and 125 khz.  I have also known of other people who are members of this site that have had the 10 digit number microchips, and they have never mentioned a problem getting their animals into the UK.  However I am just a bit nervous, and I just want to be sure if I really need to invest in a scanner.
My thought is that the UK does have the capability of reading this Home again chip (and others simular) because it is so popular in N. America.

Thanks.....I have read the link, and this is what I am concerned about .......

4.Have your pet microchipped. The microchip MUST conform to the ISO 11784/17785 15-digit microchip regulations. Unfortunately in the US and other countries outside the European Union (EU) a real ISO 11784/17785 chip which operates at 134.2 kHz. Unfortunately in the USA they are not popular and extremely hard to find. A few on-line stores carry them as do various websites operating from the UK.

I have contacted Home Again and they said that the chip does conform to ISO 11784/11785  standard....However based on what I have read it does not conform to the 15 digit world standard because it only has a 10 digit number and 125 khz.  I have also known of other people who are members of this site that have had the 10 digit number microchips, and they have never mentioned a problem getting their animals into the UK.  However I am just a bit nervous, and I just want to be sure if I really need to invest in a scanner.
My thought is that the UK does have the capability of reading this Home again chip (and others simular) because it is so popular in N. America.

I'm another of the 10 digit "everything went fine" cases. I too had been panicking and wondering if I needed to rent or buy a reader to bring with me; but everything went fine.

My cat has a HomeAgain 10 digit chip, inserted in 2006 when he was still a kitten at the Humane Society. He successfully entered the UK at Gatwick, processed with no hitches at all by the Gatwick ARC, in July last year (2008) with no problems.

Even though the info says what it says, it has seemed to me -- and I've come across hearsay to the same effect -- that the ARCs are equipped with readers that can handle more than one kind of chip, or to be more precise, the staff probably have several different readers to suit several different kinds of chip that might still be coming at them from all corners of the world.

 This would seem to be a contradiction, then, between the official information that seems to say it must be the 15 digit kind, and what is borne out in reality when those of us with 10 digit HomeAgains have had no problems. All I can say is, as of July 2008 my HomeAgain chip was fine and Gatwick, at least, evidently had the reader for it.

I'm another of the 10 digit "everything went fine" cases. I too had been panicking and wondering if I needed to rent or buy a reader to bring with me; but everything went fine.

My cats both had Home Again chips -- they came through Heathrow in late November 2008 and were completely, 200% fine.  I, too, contemplated buying a reader, but after endless checking and re-checking, I was assured that a HomeAgain chip could be read at the Heathrow ARC.  And it was.   

As it turns out, our London vet's reader works just fine with the HomeAgain chips, too.  I'd heard it would be a problem (and for many, it seems to be) but we lucked out all around.

my dogs had homeagain chips and they were fine too.