PETS Process In Detail

You have choices other than BA & Virgin if you fly from LA to another US city first.  If you are worried about the long flight, this might be a good option.  Also, with the rules regarding deworming prior to your animal entering the UK, a long flight may run the risk of delays and cancellations, and your animal would have to be dewormed again before being released into your custody on the other side of the pond.

If you fly from LA to Boston, for example, you can have your dog dewormed in Boston, stay overnight, and fly out the next day.  IcelandAir is an approved animal carrier for the Boston to London route, and they have a short layover in Iceland, which may ease your worries about the dog watering issue. 

Also one plus about using IcelandAir is that your animal can be checked as extra baggage, and the fees/cost of your animals transportation would decrease significantly.

Is the PETS process essentially "all or nothing"? For example: It is now mid-January. I am getting married in May and *hopefully* moving to the UK in June. I most likely won't be able to start the PETS process until the beginning of February. Would I be able to start the PETS process here beginning February 1st and going until June 14th, fly over with my dog and then only have her in actual quarantine for the two remaining months? Or would I have to end up quarantining her for the entire 6 months? I could've sworn I read somewhere that PETS could be started here and finished there.

Does that make sense?

I believe you can do what you describe, as the USDA vet will endorse the paperwork once the blood tests come back, so you would be OK to fly. Someone else posted about their pet going into quarantine for a week or two because they were short of the 6 months, so I'm pretty sure it's doable.

This is the same form (veterinary certificate) as the one posted in the first post, right?

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

Found it on the DEFRA website... So I guess it doesn't matter if we use this one or the other??

I just want to make sure I have this right... After the microchipping, my cat is only required 1 shot (rabies), then wait a bit before the blood test. Then, wait for the vet to receive the results back (they receive the stickered copy that I need, in the mail???) and if all is ok, I should mail the EU 998 form off to get signed by my USDA state vet? Would it be ideal to send this off 2months before the 6month period ends, so that I have 3ish months to sort out travel? I should be ok on the vaccine if I get a 1 or 3year vaccine right?

So get that sent off, then received back, then 24hrs before flight, i take my cat to the vet to get the tick/tapeworm vaccine - that's recorded on the veterinary certificate...

My mom will be the one doing all this for me on her end... So since it'll be her doing it all, dropping him off at the airport, what paperwork does she need and what paperwork do I need? Or does the paperwork stay with the cat on his crate???

Forms being EU form 998+Rabies Pass form+Fit to fly letter from vet. Are the customs forms given to you at the airport at check-in?

This is the same form (veterinary certificate) as the one posted in the first post, right?

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

Found it on the DEFRA website... So I guess it doesn't matter if we use this one or the other??

That is the long-format version, which should be fine. (I think they prefer the shorter one as it's less pages to get shuffled/lost.)

I just want to make sure I have this right... After the microchipping, my cat is only required 1 shot (rabies), then wait a bit before the blood test. Then, wait for the vet to receive the results back (they receive the stickered copy that I need, in the mail???) and if all is ok, I should mail the EU 998 form off to get signed by my USDA state vet? Would it be ideal to send this off 2months before the 6month period ends, so that I have 3ish months to sort out travel? I should be ok on the vaccine if I get a 1 or 3year vaccine right?

- Your vet should get the results (with sticker) in the mail
- You may be able to do the USDA stuff via fax or in-person, but should check with your state's USDA vet to be sure
- 2mos prior to 6mo period would give you ~4 months to travel
- Either a 1yr or 3yr vaccine is fine, it just determines when you need to re-vaccinate again

So get that sent off, then received back, then 24hrs before flight, i take my cat to the vet to get the tick/tapeworm vaccine - that's recorded on the veterinary certificate...

24-48 hours before check-in for the flight (which is usually ~4 hours before the plane actually takes off)

My mom will be the one doing all this for me on her end... So since it'll be her doing it all, dropping him off at the airport, what paperwork does she need and what paperwork do I need? Or does the paperwork stay with the cat on his crate???

Paperwork always stays with the animal. I left all of my PETS paperwork with my mom, and had to fill out a form for an agent on the UK end here. I believe my mom also filled out a basic contact info form as well, since she was the US contact person and I was the UK one. That was it, though.

Forms being EU form 998+Rabies Pass form+Fit to fly letter from vet. Are the customs forms given to you at the airport at check-in?

I think the agent form I filled in here in the UK was also for customs. Check with your airline to see if they need anything extra - some want temperature acclimation forms. You also need the rabies certificate and proof of microchipping (if you have it).

Hi!

This info is fantastic!!  Thanks so very much!!

My dog was microchipped and got her microchip & rabies vaccination in June 2010.  I now see that there are a couple of details I need to revisit.

But I have a couple of questions...

How persnickety are they regarding dates?  My vet used the American format for dates in a couple of the places on the form.  Luckily, no misinterpretation is possible, since 6-14-2010 can ONLY be June 14 ... no 14th month...  Do I need to worry about this, or would I be better off to get the vet to re-do the form?  My vet DID correct the date and initial it...

Second question, most important!...  I would like to send my dog over to my wife ahead of my own move from the US to the UK.  This will be a flight out of Dulles in Wash, DC, to Heathrow via BA, as I understand the requirements.  Assuming the EC 998 is okay, will my wife have any problems in picking up my dog without me being there at Heathrow?  I would plan on depart the US and arriving in the UK a few days after my dog is sent... ??

Thanks & cheers!
~Teddy

How persnickety are they regarding dates?  My vet used the American format for dates in a couple of the places on the form.  Luckily, no misinterpretation is possible, since 6-14-2010 can ONLY be June 14 ... no 14th month...  Do I need to worry about this, or would I be better off to get the vet to re-do the form?  My vet DID correct the date and initial it...

I think the dates are the one thing they ARE pretty persnickety about. It's up to you whether you re-do the form (has it already been USDA signed-off?) or just go with the vet's correction/initials. Personally, I'd re-do the form if it hasn't yet been signed off by the USDA, but I'm also a bit anal about those sorts of things (which is why I typed in as much info as I could, to prevent anyone from messing up/misunderstanding).

Second question, most important!...  I would like to send my dog over to my wife ahead of my own move from the US to the UK.  This will be a flight out of Dulles in Wash, DC, to Heathrow via BA, as I understand the requirements.  Assuming the EC 998 is okay, will my wife have any problems in picking up my dog without me being there at Heathrow?  I would plan on depart the US and arriving in the UK a few days after my dog is sent... ??

You will need to provide full contact info for your wife so that DEFRA/ARC folks can reach her if need be (and so they know who can come collect your dog). Otherwise it should be fine - they had no problems with different people dropping off/picking up my pets on either end.

- You may be able to do the USDA stuff via fax or in-person, but should check with your state's USDA vet to be sure

Sorry, meant to say fax or by mail (and, for that matter, in-person). Point being that each USDA office likely has their own preferred methods for receiving the documents and sending them back. Mine (in NC) was fine with any method, but I wanted instant results/peace of mind that nothing would get lost, so I went in person to get my stuff signed off.

How persnickety are they regarding dates?  My vet used the American format for dates in a couple of the places on the form.  Luckily, no misinterpretation is possible, since 6-14-2010 can ONLY be June 14 ... no 14th month...  Do I need to worry about this, or would I be better off to get the vet to re-do the form?  My vet DID correct the date and initial it...

when defra came on the ship to check all our paperwork one woman did have to stay behind with her dog because there were some questions about her dates etc.......i really dont know the outcome but i would surely suggest to have them changed just to be on the safe side

Thanks so much for all of the great info. Does anyone know how long AFTER the Bloodwork is drawn and sent to KS that you can enter the UK?  We actually started the process last May when we thought we might be moving but didn't and now we are likely to move this spring. So we had the microchip inserted, the rabies vaccine and blood work was sent to KS and came back good. But we never took the next step. So do we need to start over with new blood work or is it still good as long as the va cine is still valid?  Thanks for any insights!

No, you dont need to start over.  As long as the rabies vaccine is still current, you can extend the process as long as you need without having another blood test.
If your pet was only given a 1 year rabies vaccine (instead of the 3-year vaccine) in May 2010, you will need to get another vaccine before May 2011.

Does anyone know the cost of quarantine? I want my baby over here ASAP, but I'm trying to figure the best way to do this. He just had his bloodwork done yesterday, so the clock won't stop ticking until September 26th. I miss him and want him here now! :-( Also, is the quarantine like "jail" for animals? The problem is my roommate in the US is planning a move to Dubai by the summer, so quarantine may be my only option if he falls through.

There is no set price for quarantine.  It would depend on the facility you choose.  DEFRA has a list of accepted facilities and the closest to you in Winchester looks like it would be in Southampton and according to their website pricing is based on breed, length of stay and a number of other items.  You will have to call them to get a better idea.  http://www.eyersdown.com/

Here is the rest of the DEFRA list for reference: http://archive.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/pets/travel/documents/quarantine-premises.pdf

I just have to say though that if you are thinking of bringing your dog here because you miss him, you will be making an incredibly selfish decision and should really rethink it.  If your dog is currently anywhere other than in a boarding facility in the states, leave him there as long as possible.  Quarantine for six months is a terrible thing to subject your dog to if you have any other choice.  I am sure the staff at these facilities attempt to do their best to offer companionship to the animals there, but be realistic about a quarantine environment and the impact a lengthy stay could have on your dog.

I just have to say though that if you are thinking of bringing your dog here because you miss him, you will be making an incredibly selfish decision and should really rethink it.  If your dog is currently anywhere other than in a boarding facility in the states, leave him there as long as possible.  Quarantine for six months is a terrible thing to subject your dog to if you have any other choice.  I am sure the staff at these facilities attempt to do their best to offer companionship to the animals there, but be realistic about a quarantine environment and the impact a lengthy stay could have on your dog.

Thanks for the info! No, don't get me wrong, I do not want my dog in quarantine. It's just the only person able to keep him is possibly moving to Dubai, so I have no other person to watch my dog. :-(

Thanks for this great,detailed list of things that needs to be done.

I've just noticed that the link for the FAVN form has changed. I believe this is the new link.

http://www.vet.k-state.edu/depts/dmp/service/rabies/pdf/FAVN_Test_Submission_Form.pdf/

Also, what would you guys say be the cheapest way for me to take my 21lbs dog to the UK from Cleveland? I wouldn't put a price on my dog of course but still don't wanna spend 2-3K just for a one way flight but if I have to, I of course would