Pet Travel Scheme not so popular amongst UK pet owners

On Friday, I talked about travelling abroad with your pets and what’s important considering, like the Pet Travel Scheme (PETS).

It appears that the scheme isn’t really popular or well-known from Brits with only 6% of pet owning holidaymakers having requested an EU Pet Passport according to a survey conducted by Holidaylettings.co.uk.

58% of respondents prefer to leave their pets with a friend or dog/cat sitter. 28% of them use catteries and kennels instead.

So what is exactly the PETS?

The Pet Travel Scheme sets out rules to follow in order for your pet to travel in approved European countries and re-enter the UK without the need for quarantine. The objective is to provide Brits with more flexibility when it comes to go on holidays with their 4-legged friends but mainly to keep the UK rabies-free.

In order to benefit from the PETS, you need to:

1. have your pet micro-chipped
2. have your pet vaccinated against rabies after the micro-chipping
3. have a blood test taken from your pet to make sure the rabies vaccination is up to standards
4. request a Pet Passport

Under the scheme, before you come back to the UK, you must:

1. treat your pet against ticks and tapeworms between 24 and 48 hours before returning, no earlier and no later
2. make sure your pet travels back with an approved transport company

For more information, and if you haven’t been put off yet but this rather complex and strict scheme, you can visit the DEFRA website for exact details. In my mind, this is real trouble for any pet owner to go through and the restrictions set by the scheme can easily explain why the PETS success remains very limited. If you still want to take your cat or dog on a European trip, then you may also want to arrange overseas pet insurance to protect you against quarantine costs should your pet be denied re-entry into the UK, the loss of your pet passport and emergency vet fees.