Has anyone ever taken their dogs or pets to the UK from the Philippines? I am looking into taking our two dogs which are mixed breeds but we love them to bits. We have looked at some things but finding it difficult to get full information . Any pointers in the right direction will be gratefully received.
I looked into this. My understanding is that since the Philippines is not a member of the pet passport scheme, and is an unlisted country, that you need a vetinary certificate from a vet and the animal must be microchipped with the details on the documents matching the chip number. I believe that this process must also involve a rabies vaccination. You also need to ensure that the animal flies in an approved travel container with the airline and it doesn't work out cheap. I found this out one time when I flew cats from the UK to the USA (which is the 'easy' route - it's much harder coming back). There is a risk that the animal may be required to be in quarantine for up to 4 months when they arrive in the UK. It works out pretty expensive and is a bit of a pain. For that reason we didn't pursue it - as being potentially unfair to the animal and to our pockets! This website contains some more information. https://www.gov.uk/take-pet-abroad/overview
I think @subseastu took his dog to PI and back a few years ago. Maybe he can give some hands-on advice too.
Yep, but isn't it a 6 month quarantine period for non Pet Passport countries? One thing that will probably nix your chances is the regulations that the airlines follow/impose to do with maximum time in the air, minimum time between flight sectors and the maximum permitted air temperature at all airports. I think you can rule-out KLM and Philippine Airlines since both are non-stop and over 12 hours in duration. Any flight via the Gulf would need to arrive in the Gulf late at night. As you rightly say, it's going to cost a fortune with the pet's ticket rivalling the Business Class fare, on top of that are Vet's fees, quarantine boarding kennel fees, etc., etc. Depending on which kennel you choose you may or may not be able to visit the pet during the quarantine period.
The thread below is what @HaloHalo was talking about, you should find it useful; http://www.british-filipino.com/ind...s-way-getting-a-dog-from-here-to-the-uk.9994/
Must be awful if the dog gets lost in transit. You arrive at Heathrow, and your dog arrives in Peking!
It is v expensive and time consuming. The hardest part was getting an export license to export a blood sample of the dog to a recognised lab for rabies testing. In the end I gave up and just transported the dog. He failed the first rabies test (can happen due to a bad batch of the drug). When that happens another injection is given in the UK kennel and the whole waiting process starts again. I believe DEFRA have reduced the quarantine period now to 3 months but can't quite remember. I did spend a lot in the end. The hardest part after realising its not worth messing about and just send your dog once you met the basic requirements ie passport etc is finding a registered kennel near you. Also don't visit your dog. Every time you turn up it thinks you're taking it with you. Its harder on the dog than you, trust me. In the end we didn't visit him just waited for the quarantine time to be up. With 2 dogs its going to be very expensive. Best thing I can recommend is visit the defra website and call them, they where very helpful to me. Also bear in mind mine was a returning dog in that it originated in the UK not that that really matters as my daft vet in the UK only gave a 12 month rabies jab, you can get 1, 2 or 3 year jabs. https://www.gov.uk/take-pet-abroad
Must also add I'd really consider leaving them there. Cost wise including the extended stay in quarantine was about £3500 for 1 dog. I would not do it again.
Thanks for the info , I have contacted a company now that are members of IPATA, and they are a Filipino company. They have informed me that the blood test to be taken and sent abroad with all documents will cost in the region of $700 per dog, not cheap at all but a lot cheaper than boarding kennels. I have checked online with Qatar airlines who allow them as excess baggage and the cost at the moment is $560 each, I am quoting $ s as that is what I am getting it in at the moment. It will not be until next year that I will be making the decision. But thanks again for the info.
Interesting, are you saying that by doing the blood test, the dogs will not have to be quarantined in England?
That seems a very good deal. The thing that ramped up my costs was the dog failing the rabies test on arrival in the UK. Also you have to arrive in the uk within 5 days of your dog. Make sure the company that you use are recognised by DEFRA otherwise they won't accept the results, at the time there was no company in the Phils that was accredited. Talk to DEFRA and they should send you a list of labs that are acceptable. That is correct (at the time I did it). the hardest part was getting a license for export animal bi-product (blood sample). My vet in the Phils was next to useless so I went the other route.
That is the problem here finding the right people who know what they are doing. I found the two companies here through talking with a kennels in the UK who put me onto IPATA. They are recognised by the UK. Only one of the companies have replied, but they have given me plenty to think about at the moment, at least they seem professional, just hope that does not change.
I would double check with DERFA to be safe. Will you be able to get the pet passport completed as well? Remember its now law (I think) to have dogs micro-chipped in the UK as well. You may want to look into that as well if you've not already.
