News Article

More than 10,000 dogs and cats have now successfully entered the country under the Pet Travel Scheme. But some were delayed because pre-travel checks found something wrong with their tick and tapeworm certification.

Pets must be treated against ticks and tapeworms between 24 and 48 hours before entering the UK, in order to prevent the parasites - which can harm both animals and people - becoming established here.

Earlier this year the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food (MAFF) sent out a questionnaire to 400 pet owners who had experienced problems with tick and tapeworm certification. They were asked which country they visited, ease of locating a vet and information about the treatment and certification given by the vet.

As a result of the survey which revealed that the main problems were that the certificate of treatment issued by some vets was not an official one, the certificate had been incorrectly filled in or that the animal had been treated at the wrong time (outside the 24-48 hour period before entry), MAFF is making extra information available through the PETS helpline and website.

A specimen copy of the official certificate used by French vets has been placed on the PETS website along with details of every Consulate General's office in France.

Baroness Hayman, MAFF Minister of State, said:

"The Pet Travel Scheme has been successfully used by thousands of dogs and cats since its introduction but we are concerned that a small proportion of owners have experienced difficulties. As the scheme becomes more widely used, these problems should ease. We are using the results of this survey to see which particular areas need to be addressed and how we can help future travellers avoid any delay to their journey.

"Some owners have experienced problems in obtaining the correct certificate for tick and tapeworm treatment from vets in Europe. We are now making more information available through our website and helpline so that pet owners know precisely what is required and what to request from their vets."

MAFF is now carrying out a wider survey of Pet Travel Scheme users.

Additional travel information is available in our monthly magazine articles written by Renee Hemming from Ledogstop.com