URGENT - 48hr to 24hr Before Flying Question for Tick/Worm Treatment????

Hi,

My name should be Mr. Panic!

I have just booked my own flight over to the UK, now that I have my visa is in hand.  My pup is ready to go, except for that last step of tick / worm treatment and the health certificate.

We are flying out of Dulles (Washington, DC) to Heathrow on July 11.  Well, okay, MY flight is booked, but the restriction is that HER flight can't be booked until 5 to 12 days before the flight, so as I understand it directly from British Airways, the earliest I can book the flight for my dog is on June 30.  Hoping this bit is correct ... AND that I will not run into any problems!!! 

The nice guy at British Airways told me the tick/worm treatment can be done at ANY TIME before the flight, AS LONG AS it was done NO LONGER than 48 hours in advance of the flight.  This does not jive with information I'd previously gotten here.  My notes say the tick/worm treatment must be done NOT LESS THAN 24 hrs before flight and NOT MORE THAN 48 hrs before flight.  WHICH IS RIGHT???

I am panicked!!!!!!!  The plan was to get her to the vet on the morning of the flight for the treatment!!!  I don't drive, and so am having to rely on someone to take me, my dog, and all my luggage to the airport.  The flight, on July 11, is a MONDAY at 8:45pm!!!  Even if I took her to the vet on Saturday, the vet doesn't stay open THAT LATE, and so getting the treatment on Saturday would be beyond the 48 hr deadline.  The vet is not open on Sunday!!!!!  My only choice then, is what I had planned on what the guy at British Airways told me ... that I could get her treated the morning of the flight, which obviously is LESS THAN 24 hrs before flight!!!

What do I do??

Cheers!
~Teddy

- When my boys flew BA from Dulles, I was allowed to book them 14 days pre-flight, so you may try calling then.

- The tick/tapeworm treatment needs to be done 24-48 hours before CHECK-IN for the flight.

DEFRA's page:

Step 5 – Before your pet enters the UK, it must be treated against ticks and a tapeworm - Your pet must be treated against ticks and tapeworms not less than 24 hours and not more than 48 hours before it is checked in with an approved transport company for its journey into the UK.

So if the plane takes off at 8:45pm, generally they'll want your dog there at/around 4:45pm. That means that you should get the tick/tapeworm done between 4:45pm 2 days before (Saturday) and 4:45pm the day before (Sunday). (My mom mistakenly thought it was within 24hrs of check-in, so we had some last-minute panic!)

- Maybe call around and see what vets are open? Some people have posted that they've gotten their vet to come in for a special appointment on the weekend. (My boys flew out at 6pm on a Thursday, so luckily my mom had most of Wednesday to get them in to see the vet.)

- You might also see if your pet can check-in a little earlier? I don't know if this is an option, but it would at least mean you're not trying to find a vet to come in LATE on a weekend day (I think a fair number of vets are open Saturdays, but not Sundays). I booked on a Thursday specifically so that doing the vetwork would be easier. (Friday would've been OK, too, except that animals aren't accepted in at Heathrow on Saturday mornings.)

Good luck!

ETA:
Absolute worst case scenario, I believe, is if you do the morning-of routine, your dog would have to stay at the Animal Reception Centre until the 24-48hrs have completed. Or possibly, have the treatment re-applied upon landing and then stay for 24hrs beyond that. Definitely not ideal, but at least it would just be a day. You may want to call DEFRA, though, and confirm. That said, depending on BA's procedures, they may not let her on the plane if the PETS scheme hasn't been followed completely. (I'm not sure how hard-nosed the airlines are on that sort of thing, if everything else is in order.)

Calm down.... as EN said, BA will want to you check in about 4 hours in advance which means you can have the treatment done as early as 4:45 on the Saturday.

If your vet isnt open at all on Saturdays/Sundays, thats still ok - it doesnt have to be YOUR vet who does the treatment.  I am sure you have some emergency vets in your area who are open 24/7.  It may cost a bit extra, but they should be able to take care of it on Saturday evening or Sunday morning.

except that animals aren't accepted in at Heathrow on Saturday mornings.)

...perhaps this has changed since Aug 09, but my dog flew into Heathrow on a Saturday morning...

...perhaps this has changed since Aug 09, but my dog flew into Heathrow on a Saturday morning...

Perhaps it's a BA-specific rule? I was told they couldn't fly out Friday night, anyway, as there would be no one to process them the next day when they arrived. (This was April '10.)

Very strange.  She flew BA too.  Oh well.

You ok now, Teddy?

Perhaps it's a BA-specific rule? I was told they couldn't fly out Friday night, anyway, as there would be no one to process them the next day when they arrived. (This was April '10.)

Thanks to EVERYONE for these replies ... I *think* I'm breathing again... !!  :-)

Just wanted to add a bit about the Friday thing.  When I talked to BA about all this, I was told that they don't fly any animals (at least out of Dulles) because the Friday flights from Dulles to Heathrow carry some sort of hazardous chemicals.  No idea what kind of chemicals they have on-board, but must be something unhealthy for pets.  I think that's the reason for the Friday / Saturday thing.

Unfortunately, my dog's vet closes at 3pm on Saturday, so looks like I will be searching for an emergency vet clinic.  Does the vet have to have some kind of USDA certification to complete the EEC 998, or will just any veterinarian do?

ANY chance there's anyone here in the DC area who knows of a vet that is open later on Saturday???

Thanks & cheers!
~Teddy

The vet my parents use is only open until 1pm. I think any vet can do the tick/tapeworm, though I had my mom book in with the USDA approved vet just to be safe.

I would also ensure that the vet was USDA/APHIS certified just to be on the safe side.  You can easily check any vet's name by calling the VS area office for DC. They can't give you a list of certified vets, but can check a name you supply them.

I dont know how close this may be to you, but a quick Google search pulled up this 24/7 vet hospital: http://www.friendshiphospital.com/

I want to report my experience in hopes that it will help others.  This is what I have learned as it applies to flying a dog from Dulles to Heathrow via British Airways -- the required route for where I live and will be departing.  My regular vet, College Park Animal Hospital in College Park, Maryland, did not know ANYTHING about the process despite being USDA certified, and I am having to re-do all the last steps!  I am now using Friendship Animal Hospital in Washington, DC.  This is a 24-hour animal hospital and actually employs someone who coordinates all the steps in getting a pet ready to fly to England (or other foreign country).

#1 -- Do all the initial stuff -- microchipping, rabies vaccination, lab titer results from Kansas, wait the required 6 months, etc. Be sure the vet you use is "certified" or whatever it is by the USDA, not just any old vet.  Make sure your EEC 998 is completed up to the very last step -- tick / tapeworm treatment.

#2 -- Book your flight for your dog with British Airways.  I was TOLD over the phone by BA that they would only book the flight in a window of not MORE than 12 days before the departure nor LESS than 5 days before departure.  This did not seem to be true in practice.  I was able to book my flight on the June 28 for a July 11 departure, though I only received email confirmation yesterday.

#3 -- Make an appoint with your vet for APHIS 7001 health check.  Friendship Animal Hospital would not make an appointment for this step until AFTER I had a confirmed flight date for my pet!  (The clinic *may* make the appointment based on you telling them that you've booked the flight -- it seems like they are not so stringent as to require actual PROOF of flight booking.  But I was definitely told they wouldn't waste a vet's time if there was no booking in place.)  The health check has to be done 10 days before departure (I *think*... not 100% clear if the health check itself must be done 10 days, but read on...)

#4 -- Make your appointment with the USDA vet -- for the state of Maryland, this office is located in Annapolis.  You must bring with you: 
the EEC 998 (completed all save for the tick/tapeworm treatment
the APHIS 7001 health check (completed by regular USDA "certified" vet)
the rabies titer results from Kansas (check if original is required or copy is sufficient -- I had the original so didn't need to find out -- I *think* a copy is okay, but check to be safe)
the original rabies vaccination certificate

#5 -- Appointment with USDA-certified vet for tick/tapeworm treatment, and completion of last section of EEC 998.  As has been repeated many times, including the 500 times I nervously asked the question myself :-) , this step MUST be done no MORE than 48 before and no LESS than 24 hours after ... flight departure.  Unsure here exactly?  Don't know if the criteria is the flight departure time or the time you drop your pet off at the British Airways World Cargo Center?  But I was told that all this info is recorded in military time.  My appointment is scheduled so that it falls within the window either way, so I don't know the answer -- sure someone else does.

#6 -- Your pet must be taken to the British Airways World Cargo Center AT LEAST 4 hours before departure.

The pet international travel coordinator at Friendship Animal Hospital in Washington, DC, told me there were cases where BA had allowed the pet to travel, but when the pet arrived at the Animal Reception Centre in Heathrow, the pet was turned around and shipped back to the US because something about the paperwork was not spot perfect.

When you get your pet's emailed flight confirmation from British Airways, you will receive a map showing where the Animal Reception Centre is located at Heathrow.  Most important, you will receive an attached C5 form which is the customs form for bringing a live animal into the UK.  The form must be filled out -- for ordinary pets, really nothing too much more that printing your name and address in the UK with minimal info about your pet and signing it -- and then the form must be FAXED according to instruction given in the email (at least in my confirmation, the form was faxed to James Cargo Services Ltd in Berkshire).

This is the sum total of my knowledge thus far.  I have had to re-do all the last steps because I didn't think the USDA had to sign off on the APHIS 7001 health check.  If what I've found out is true, it may well be that BA will allow pets to travel without that step, and that unknowledgeable vets will send you and your pet off without telling you that this needs to be done, but if what the coordinator at Friendship Animal Hospital told me was true, than you could be in danger of having your pet refused entry into the country -- or I guess perhaps put into quarantine at the worst?  Not sure!

Anyway, major, major headache on my end.  So, just hoping my experience will be helpful to someone who is just coming to this stage.

~Teddy

ps  Last point -- probably said elsewhere in amongst all the threads, but I was told by BA not to expect my pet to be at the Animal Reception Centre until 4 hrs AFTER flight arrival!  So ... I guess be prepared for a wait!

The health check has to be done 10 days before departure (I *think*... not 100% clear if the health check itself must be done 10 days, but read on…)

FWIW, when I flew my pets (April 2010) Dulles -> Heathrow with BA, they did not require an APHIS 7001 form at all. This may be a new requirement, though. When I flew my other cat (domestic) in November 2009, I did need an APHIS form, and it was valid for travel within 10 days. (Health check + form filled out on the same day.)

the rabies titer results from Kansas (check if original is required or copy is sufficient -- I had the original so didn't need to find out -- I *think* a copy is okay, but check to be safe)

This should be the original with the physical sticker. There have been stories of people having issues by using a photocopy, as well as DEFRA specifically checking (dripping water on the EC 998 form to make sure it's original ink, etc).

this step MUST be done no MORE than 48 before and no LESS than 24 hours after ... flight departure.  Unsure here exactly?  Don't know if the criteria is the flight departure time or the time you drop your pet off at the British Airways World Cargo Center?

As I said before, and as is listed on DEFRA's site, it is prior to check-in, meaning when you drop your pet off at BA World Cargo Center. The folks at the World Cargo Center are responsible for verifying all of your paperwork, including the timeframe of the tick/tapeworm treatment.

ps  Last point -- probably said elsewhere in amongst all the threads, but I was told by BA not to expect my pet to be at the Animal Reception Centre until 4 hrs AFTER flight arrival!  So ... I guess be prepared for a wait!

YMMV. There's a big sign at the ARC saying that the wait time should be ~4 hours. However, I arrived at 10am on a Friday, was told my pets were being processed, and we walked out about 11am. They said my boys had gotten to the ARC around 10:15 (flight supposedly landed at 9:40).

When they do your dogs tick and tapeworm treatment make SURE they record the time (hour) not just the date! I made that mistake and didn't realize it until I was dropping off my cats at BA cargo in Dallas.Luckily, I was able to get the Vet to quickly fax me the corrected paperwork.Make sure they also read your dogs microchip at that last Vet check.

                                            Good luck

Our cat just went to the UK with my husband on Delta; we were very careful to have the tick/tapeworm treatment the morning before the flight to be within the 24 to 48-hour rule. Also make sure you get the USDA paperwork - required by some airlines.

It was easier for the cat to immigrate than I....I'm still in the US, cat and husband are in our new house in the UK.

Worst case is they will treat your animal upon arrival and hold in the UK for a day after treatment, from what I understand.