Want to take your pet on vacation?

Summer is coming, so we have prepared a brief overview of what you must not forget if you are going on holiday with your pet.

Want to take your pet on vacation?

Summer is coming, so we have prepared a brief overview of what you must not forget if you are going on holiday with your pet. Every time you travel with your pet, whether it is a trip to or outside the European Union, your pet will need a valid passport and rabies vaccination. In addition to these generally applicable conditions, individual states can add others that you must meet when traveling to that country. Everything is explained in detail in the article, so read on.

Non - commercial movements of pet animals

What does that actually mean? The EU considers dogs, cats and ferrets to be a pet. The term "non-commercial movement" conceals roads with animals when they do not earn money, usually holidays or trips. However, this is a maximum of five pets per owner, so beware if you are a great animal lover.

Pet passport

Wherever you travel with your pet, your pet will need its own valid passport. This will be issued to you by authorized veterinarians. In our veterinary clinic PrimaVet, issuing a pet passport is a matter of course while you wait. The passport is issued with the identification of the animal, which means the application of a subcutaneous chip. The chip is usually applied to the left side of the neck and the procedure is very similar to conventional vaccination.

Anti-rabies vaccination

Another condition is a valid vaccination of the animal against rabies. This should only be done after the passport has been issued and hence the chip application. This is important because data on rabies vaccination is reported directly in the passport but also in the central pet register. This register serves to enable authorized persons to look up data about rabies vaccination according to the chip number, but also, for example, information about the owner in case the pet is lost. You can check whether your veterinarian has fulfilled his obligation and entered your pet data in the central register by the passport number on the website of the State Veterinary and Food Administration of the Slovak Republic.

Puppy dogs, cats and ferrets up to 12 weeks of age may travel only from and to certain countries, but must always be chipped, accompanied by a passport and accompanied by a mother who fulfills all the above conditions. The reason is that rabies are vaccinated animals up to 3 months of age. In rabbits vaccinated for the first time, it takes some time for the animal's immune system to react and produce sufficient antibodies. Therefore, the first vaccination is considered valid only three weeks after its administration.

If you are going to travel with your pet this season, keep in mind that vaccination against rabies should only be done after the passport has been issued. Data on rabies vaccinations carried out before the passport is issued are not recognized. Therefore, the first rabies vaccination, which is entered in the animal's passport, is considered valid until day 21. This is very important to realize, because in practice this means that you should get your passport together with rabies vaccination about a month before your planned vacation.

Other requirements of individual EU countries

Individual States may impose additional conditions on the entry of animals into their territory. Usually it is deworming of the animal or its treatment against ticks, sometimes it is necessary to determine the titer of anti-rabies antibodies.

1 - 5 days before entering the UK, Ireland, Malta and Finland, the dogs must be dewormed. Your veterinarian will write your deworming certificate in your passport.

However, these requirements are constantly changing. Therefore, be sure to inquire about the exact requirements of the country you are traveling to before traveling. Similarly, when traveling outside the EU, the conditions of the countries are very different, so start to do so well in advance.

In our veterinary clinic PrimaVet we will try to help you and keep your fingers crossed so that you can travel with your pets, but especially in peace.