Could we skip to the Blood Draw or not?

Hi all, my OH and I have recently decided to return to the UK and we are going to bring our Siamese cats with us.

I have a few questions about the Defra PETS process:

1) We got them microchipped back in 2006. They each received 2 microchips - an ISO (15digit) chip and a US chip. I do have the microchip certificate for one of the cats (which lists both chip numbers), but I don't have a cert for the other (even tho they were both done simultaneously). Is this likely to pose a problem? The place we had it done was also in a different state, so it may bed difficult to get in touch with them.

2) We got their last rabies vacc in 2008; it was a 3yr shot that 'expires' in June 2011. Could we go straight to a blood test for them since we got their microchip in '06 and the rabies in '08? Or should we go ahead and have their vaccs done right now, and then wait for the blood test since they will need a re-vacc before we actually move over there?

3) Do we need to provide the vet with the forms to fill out, or will he/she have them? Are the forms on the Defra website? I'm confused about what/where to find these forms? Did I overlook them on the site?

4) Where does a USDA come into the equation here? Do we need to go to the USDA vet for the rabies vacc, or do we need to visit a USDA vet for the blood draw, or if a USDA vet only used to sign off on certain paperwork?

5) Kinda not related to Defra, but did any of you go out of your way to ensure there were as few flight connections as possible to minimize the amount of time on the planes?  I can drive about 90min to Cincinnati, which has a direct flight to Gatwick, but from there we'd have to get a connection up to Glasgow. How much time should we give between connections for the pets to be cleared? Should we give it a full day between flights?


Cheers for your help!

ETA: added an additional question

1) We got them microchipped back in 2006. They each received 2 microchips - an ISO (15digit) chip and a US chip. I do have the microchip certificate for one of the cats (which lists both chip numbers), but I don't have a cert for the other (even tho they were both done simultaneously). Is this likely to pose a problem? The place we had it done was also in a different state, so it may bed difficult to get in touch with them.

2) We got their last rabies vacc in 2008; it was a 3yr shot that 'expires' in June 2011. Could we go straight to a blood test for them since we got their microchip in '06 and the rabies in '08? Or should we go ahead and have their vaccs done right now, and then wait for the blood test since they will need a re-vacc before we actually move over there?

So the problem is that if you can't prove that the chips were done in 2006, there's no way USDA/DEFRA can confirm that they were done prior to 2008 when the vaccination was done.

I would get your vet to write a statement to the effect of "I examined Fluffy and Snowball at 1:00pm on June 1, 2011. At the time of examination, Fluffy had the following microchips: [number 1/type] [number 2/type]. Snowball had the following microchips: [number 1/type] [number 2/type]. At 1:30pm on June 1, 2011, I administered the following vaccine to Fluffy [insert batch/serial/other info]. I administered the following vaccine to Snowball [insert batch/serial/other info]."

That way you have "proof" that the microchips were done before the vaccine, and you have all the vaccine info.

The one possibility is if your rabies certificates from 2008 include microchip numbers, but that still doesn't prove that the vaccine was done at 1:05pm and the chip at 1:00pm rather than vice-verse.

You shouldn't need to re-vaccinate twice, though, unless you're not planning on moving for a long time. If the 2008 ones expire in June, get them re-vaccinated now and start the process, and then re-vaccinate again whenever the new vaccine expires (2012 if it's a 1-year, 2014 if it's a 3-year).

3) Do we need to provide the vet with the forms to fill out, or will he/she have them? Are the forms on the Defra website? I'm confused about what/where to find these forms? Did I overlook them on the site?

The vet will not have them. I wrote up my details of the PETS process in a sticky thread (here) that includes links to forms.

4) Where does a USDA come into the equation here? Do we need to go to the USDA vet for the rabies vacc, or do we need to visit a USDA vet for the blood draw, or if a USDA vet only used to sign off on certain paperwork?

Regular vet for rabies vaccination, blood draw, pre-flight tick/tapeworm health check, etc. USDA vet purely for paperwork sign-off.

5) Kinda not related to Defra, but did any of you go out of your way to ensure there were as few flight connections as possible to minimize the amount of time on the planes?  I can drive about 90min to Cincinnati, which has a direct flight to Gatwick, but from there we'd have to get a connection up to Glasgow. How much time should we give between connections for the pets to be cleared? Should we give it a full day between flights?

My pets flew direct from DC -> LHR, so I can't help there. I know others have done connections before, though. Personally, I would probably opt for a reasonably short connection time, so that you don't get the pets "settled" and then go "psych, another plane ride!". For my cat, he would have been seriously ticked off if I'd brought him to a new place and let him explore for a day and then thrown him back in the carrier for another flight.

Hope that helps.

5) Kinda not related to Defra, but did any of you go out of your way to ensure there were as few flight connections as possible to minimize the amount of time on the planes?  I can drive about 90min to Cincinnati, which has a direct flight to Gatwick, but from there we'd have to get a connection up to Glasgow. How much time should we give between connections for the pets to be cleared? Should we give it a full day between flights?

At Heathrow's Animal Reception Center the sign says to allow up to four hours for pets to be processed.

We spent the night in a B&B near the airport so the pets could recover a bit then rented a car and drove up north. The less time in an aircraft the better I think. Before the flight we drove for two days to get to Denver and our dogs were fine with that.

Andy

So the problem is that if you can't prove that the chips were done in 2006, there's no way USDA/DEFRA can confirm that they were done prior to 2008 when the vaccination was done.

I would get your vet to write a statement to the effect of "I examined Fluffy and Snowball at 1:00pm on June 1, 2011. At the time of examination, Fluffy had the following microchips: [number 1/type] [number 2/type]. Snowball had the following microchips: [number 1/type] [number 2/type]. At 1:30pm on June 1, 2011, I administered the following vaccine to Fluffy [insert batch/serial/other info]. I administered the following vaccine to Snowball [insert batch/serial/other info]."

That way you have "proof" that the microchips were done before the vaccine, and you have all the vaccine info.

So if I type up the letter in advance, leaving fill-in-the-blanks for the vet to fill in for the microchip info, and have the vet sign it of course, that would be sufficient for DEFRA? I'm assuming that the vet practice will have their own certificate they will print off for the actual rabies vacc, so that would be on a separate document. That would be ok I hope.

The one possibility is if your rabies certificates from 2008 include microchip numbers, but that still doesn't prove that the vaccine was done at 1:05pm and the chip at 1:00pm rather than vice-verse.

You shouldn't need to re-vaccinate twice, though, unless you're not planning on moving for a long time. If the 2008 ones expire in June, get them re-vaccinated now and start the process, and then re-vaccinate again whenever the new vaccine expires (2012 if it's a 1-year, 2014 if it's a 3-year).

We'll go ahead and get them their rabies vacc prior to the blood draw then. Since it is so close to the expiry of it, it makes sense to get it done now regardless. Do we still need to wait 21 days for the blood draw to occur, or can we do it sooner, since they are already chipped (and we get that statement that proves it)? That way we could begin the 6mo countdown sooner.

The vet will not have them. I wrote up my details of the PETS process in a sticky thread (here) that includes links to forms.

I see there are two EC 998 forms - I see that the shorter one is preferred. Is there a situation where we would need to do the long one instead?

Did you pay your vet for the blood test, or did you pay the KC lab for the blood tests?

On the EC 998 there is a space for the serial number of the certificate? What certificate is this asking in reference to?

Where does the "Third country official veterinary certificate" come into play? Do we need it?

Regular vet for rabies vaccination, blood draw, pre-flight tick/tapeworm health check, etc. USDA vet purely for paperwork sign-off.

Ok, so in looking at the EC 998 form, I assume that our local vet fills in sections I thru IV, and the USDA vet fills in section V after he/she sees the blood test results? I assume that the USDA does not actually have to examine the cats, he/she just needs to see the required paperwork with the rabies vacc and the blood test results?

For section VI, I understand that can only be done about 24hrs prior to flying. Does it matter what type of flea/tick treatment we give the pets? We usually use Advantage. After the local vet administers the flea/tick treatment to the cats, I assume they sign off on the EC form, and there is no need to get a USDA vet to sign off?

Also, just to clarify, can we use any vet that is USDA certified? Or does it have to be from the USDA office for our state?

What is section VII? I have never heard of Echinococcus? Is it necessary for all pets?

Also, our cats have NEVER been good travelers, even by car, so I can only imagine how upset they're going to be traveling by plane. They continuously howl the entire time (and since they're Siamese, they can howl pretty loudly). Is it possible that we could use some type of mild sedative to help keep them calm or sleep through the worst of it?

So if I write up the letter in advance, leaving fill-in-the-blanks for the vet to fill in for the microchip info, and have the vet sign it of course, that would be sufficient for DEFRA?

That should be fine. I typed in all the info onto my EC 998 form and gave that to the vet to sign (so that there was no confusion with names/date formats, and so it was legible), and they were fine with it.

I'm assuming that the vet practice will have their own certificate they will print off for the actual rabies vacc, so that would be on a separate document. That would be ok I hope.

Yes. You'll want to see if the vet's office can add the microchip # to the rabies certificate so that it's crystal clear that the chip # existed pre-vaccine (and so that all the paperwork is easy to match up/identify).

Do we still need to wait 21 days for the blood draw to occur, or can we do it sooner, since they are already chipped (and we get that statement that proves it)? That way we could begin the 6mo countdown sooner.

You'd want to ask your vet, but you should be fine. I re-vaccinated my pets when they were 9 months in to a 3-year vaccine (with 1-year vaccines for PETS), waited 12 days, and their results came in WELL over the minimum required, so I probably could have skipped the 12 day wait. I wasn't in a hurry, though.

I see there are two EC 998 forms - I see that the shorter one is preferred. Is there a situation where we would need to do the long one instead?

No, it's just formatting. The info is the same.

I assume the FAVN form is the document that Kansas City will send us the test results on? The link in your sticky for the FAVN form no longer works, btw. Is there a document that our vet will need to send with the blood to the KC lab? Did you pay your vet for the blood test, or did you pay the KC lab for the blood tests?

Yes, KS will put the results and the sticker on the FAVN and send it back to your vet. I gave my vet the FAVN form, and they took blood, and about a month later I had results, so I don't think they sent anything else in. I paid my vet directly for the blood draw and sending things off to KS, I never had to pay KS directly (I'm assuming my vet did as part of their fee).

Ok, so in looking at the EC 998 form, I assume that our local vet fills in sections I thru IV, and the USDA vet fills in section V after he/she sees the blood test results?

Your vet can do section V, the USDA vet does the section right above section VI. (Endorsement by the competent authority.) They are endorsing your vet's info for sections I-V.

For section VI, I understand that can only be done about 24hrs prior to flying. Does it matter what type of flea/tick treatment we give the pets? We usually use Advantage.

What is section VII? I have never heard of Echinococcus? Is it necessary for all pets?

24-48 hours prior to check-in.

Section VII is the tick/tapeworm treatment. DEFRA has rules for the ingredient (praziquantel) in the tapeworm medication (Echinococcus). It is required for all pets. I remember telling my mom that Revolution wasn't allowed (possibly only for cats), so I'd avoid that, but I don't think they have any other rules.

Also, our cats have NEVER been good travelers, even by car, so I can only imagine how upset they're going to be traveling by plane. They continuously howl the entire time (and since they're Siamese, they can howl pretty loudly). Is it possible that we could use some type of mild sedative to help keep them calm or sleep through the worst of it?

You're not allowed to sedate your pets - for one, the vet has no way of knowing how long the sedation will last. Altitude, pressure changes, temperature changes, stress, etc will all affect how well the sedation works. Finally, there's the concern of what happens if your pet has an adverse reaction to the sedation while stuck in the bottom of a plane at 30,000 feet.

My cat also cries CONSTANTLY when he's in a crate. He hates it. He handled the flight amazingly well, though, and was practically mute when I picked him up (he hadn't lost his voice, but I think he realised sometime during the journey that it was pointless and only my dog could hear him). He settled in fine after about a week and is now back to "OMG I hate this!" when I put him in his crate for any reason.

Thanks for the quick response Equestrianerd (love your name btw!). I seem to be more worried about making sure I understand how to bring our cats, than I am about my own visa!  

I edited my post above to ask a few more questions, so I'll just repeat them here.

On my type written letter, should I make sure the vet notes both of the microchip numbers that our cats have, since they have two types? Or should I just have them verify/list the ISO chip numbers? I'd think DEFRA just wants to see the ISO ones, but if their scanners pick up the other type, I don't want them to be confused and ask why it wasn't documented that they have two.

On the EC 998, I see there is a space for a serial number of certificate. What cert is this referencing? Is there a serial number on the FAVN and this is what they want? ETA: Ok, so the vet doesn't actually fill out the EC 998 the day that the rabies vacc is given. They are supposed to wait until the FAVN results come in. Then I take the EC 998 to the vet to be filled in. Does that sound right?

What is the "third country official veterinary certificate" and do we need it?

Can we get any USDA certified vet to sign off on the paperwork? I thought most vets were certified? Or is there a specific one per state? I followed the links provided in your sticky to the office of the USDA for my state, so is that who really needs to sign off on the paperwork? If so, do they actually need to see/examine our cats, or are they just signing off on the EC 998, using the paperwork from our local vet and the FAVN report?

I keep seeing the reference to a 'pet passport'. How do we get one, or do we really even need it?

Thanks for the quick response Equestrianerd (love your name btw!). I seem to be more worried about making sure I understand how to bring our cats, than I am about my own visa!  

Thanks! Yeah, I stressed a lot more over my pets' paperwork than I did my citizenship.

On my type written letter, should I make sure the vet notes both of the microchip numbers that our cats have, since they have two types? Or should I just have them verify/list the ISO chip numbers? I'd think DEFRA just wants to see the ISO ones, but if their scanners pick up the other type, I don't want them to be confused and ask why it wasn't documented that they have two.

I would have them note both. If they accidentally pick up the non-ISO ones, they'll know to re-scan to look for a 2nd one, otherwise they could just think it's the wrong animal and chuck them in quarantine.

On the EC 998, I see there is a space for a serial number of certificate. What cert is this referencing? Is there a serial number on the FAVN and this is what they want?

Your rabies certificate should have a serial and/or batch number. If it doesn't list it, ask your vet when you get it done.

ETA: Ok, so the vet doesn't actually fill out the EC 998 the day that the rabies vacc is given. They are supposed to wait until the FAVN results come in. Then I take the EC 998 to the vet to be filled in. Does that sound right?

You/the vet can fill out sections I-IV (basic info), but yeah, section V is when you get the results back, otherwise they can't certify that they did the whole process AND the results were positive.

What is the "third country official veterinary certificate" and do we need it?

Yes, that's the EC 998 form.

Can we get any USDA certified vet to sign off on the paperwork? I thought most vets were certified? Or is there a specific one per state? I followed the links provided in your sticky to the office of the USDA for my state, so is that who really needs to sign off on the paperwork? If so, do they actually need to see/examine our cats, or are they just signing off on the EC 998, using the paperwork from our local vet and the FAVN report?

So there are (at least) 2 vets in the process. Your local vet who's doing the microchipping/vaccinating/etc...they need to be USDA approved (contact the USDA office for your state to find out if your vet is). Then the USDA state vet (usually only 1 per state? but may be more - again, check your state) signs off on the stuff your local vet did. Local vet: sees the pets and does everything hands-on, signs off on what they did. USDA: only sees paperwork, signs off that everything is in order procedure-wise (i.e. you have proof of microchipping, valid rabies vaccine, valid bloodwork results, etc.).

I keep seeing the reference to a 'pet passport'. How do we get one, or do we really even need it?

You can get that once you're in the UK if you want (my vet charged ~£45 per pet). It replaces the EC 998 form so that if you take your pets out of the UK again, as long as their rabies vaccination stays up-to-date, they never have to do the PETS process/quarantine again. (They still require the tick/tapeworm thing for all incoming animals, regardless of location/time away, but that's it.) I got it mostly so that I could have the one booklet showing all the vaccines and their renewal dates - I may take my dog to Europe with me at some point, but I don't plan on shlepping my cat anywhere unless I'm going somewhere long-term.

Thank you sooo much for clarifying things for us!   

Ok, so I found a document that may prove when my cats got their chips back in 2006. I wanted to attach it and let you all review it to see if you think it would acceptable as proof. How can I attach a pdf here? Or is that even possible?

Basically, it's a Vaccine History Report, but it lists both the microchip numbers. The date on the report is back in 2006, and I know it's the day they actually got the chips. Do you think that sounds like adequate proof, or should I still have the vet fill in a type-written note I create?

Sounds promising to me. Perhaps call your USDA state vet office to see if they have specific requirements for documentation. They'll be the ones signing off on the paperwork, so they're the best source of information for that sort of thing.