Rabies could return to Britain if rules are

[Still Waters]

Rabies could return to Britain if plans to reduce the restrictions on the travel of pets between European countries are introduced, vets have warned.

Current rules stipulate a mandatory seven month delay between vaccination against rabies and being allowed to bring an animal into the UK with a European pet passport.

But the EC wishes to harmonise the regulations for all pets travelling between member states and abandon additional controls for rabies, ticks and tapeworms. They say the diseases are now rare and pose little threat.

Writing in Veterinary Record researchers say this goes against the advice given by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).

This specifies dogs and cats from countries wishing to avoid quarantine should be microchipped, vaccinated against rabies and tested a maximum of 24 month and a minimum of 3 months before shipment to confirm they are not at risk of passing on infection.

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[Marby]

My dog spent four months in quarantine after I showed that she had been consistently vaccinated every year since I'd had her when I moved to the UK. We jumped through hoops and spent loads of money on a titer test. She was vaccinated for rabies, thanks to all the hoop jumping, twice in one year in order to be allowed into the country and microchipped twice because her original chip was not compatible with the European ones. Now they are going lax on the rules?

Rabies takes 28 days to incubate, which is really all the time in quarantine an animal needs to show that it isn't infected (along with proper vaccines). I knew coming into the UK that everything my dog and I had to go through was a money grab. While I have no complaints about the quarantine facility, and in fact, still board my dogs there because they have a good time there and are a great kennel, I am feeling slightly resentful at the moment because rabies does exist on the continent but that's okay because we're all a big, happy European family. They are going from overkill to "Eh, who cares...?"

As my dad said when we told him how much it would cost to bring Dixie to the UK: "For that you could get five Dixies." This was right before I pushed him into the swimming pool.

Edited March 19, 2010 by Marby

[chaoszerg]

If you have ever seen my sister, rabies are already here.

[Marby]

If you have ever seen my sister, rabies are already here.

:lol:

[tigger]

wow.. thats just really stupid by the goverment and quarantine body to relax laws on such a dreadful disease. especially for those people who have had to do the right thing to immigrate to england with their pets and spend all that money (but its well worth it to have your fur-kids with you)

thats the one disease that i am so glad we dont have here in australia (well, there is a type of rabies virus in the bats.. but they are handled by specialised carers, and people very rarely come into contact to contract the virus from them). we've had to start the vaccination process along for people who were immigrating to countries that do have the virus tho