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I am moving from dubai to the UK and want to bring my dog. He has all her rabies test up to date but apparently she still has to go into quarantine for 6 months anyway because she is coming from a country that is not on the pet passport list. I really don’t want to do this as he could not cope with that. Also the price is ridiculously expensive. Is there anyone with experience of going through this that can suggest an alternative to quarantine? Thanks for the help

Do a search for pet exporters in Dubai/UK that make all the arrangements to transport animals.

Exporting pets is different for the type of pet (cat, dog, bird, reptile) and depending on the countries you are coming from and going to.

A good place to start is by contacting the equivalent of the ministry of water/environment for the country you are moving to (embassies should have these details) They should be able to provide you with a set of procedures and list of tests and paperwork required.

UK www.defra.gov.uk (look under “Pet Travel Scheme”)

The rules are subject to change at any time so please do not assume you know the current regs, please check.

At time of writing this the regulations for avoiding the need for quarantine in the UK are :

1 ID chip placement if animal does not already have one. Then once the chip has been scanned and recorded by vet the rabies vaccination is given and must be recorded in animals vaccination card, stamped, dated and signed.

2 Minimum of 30 days later blood sample taken for testing (this is to give body chance to react to vaccine and produce the antibodies).
ID chip scanned again and number recorded. (Vaccination card will need to be seen by the vet)
This blood test is to prove the vaccination worked and the animal has a high enough level of antibodies to prevent infection with rabies.
The bloods can be taken after longer than 30 days up to 1 year after vaccination, but the antibody level will fall possibly leading to a FAIL for the blood test. So we normally recommend the test is done 30-120 days after the vaccination.

3 Results will be sent through from UK lab showing a PASS or FAIL. If the test was a pass then it is 6 months for the date the blood was taken from the animal before it will be allowed to enter the UK without the need for quarantine. You will need to collect an original signed copy of the results from the vets which carried out your test.

So long as annual rabies vaccinations are carried out on the due date or earlier then this rabies blood test result stays valid.
If you are even 1 day late with the annual booster then the full test will need to be carried out again.

There are additional preflight requirements for a health check, internal and external parasite treatments but this is normally organized by the pet shipping agent within the 2-3 days prior to export.

All I can say to you is that if you loved your pet, then the cost of keeping it with you should not be an issue. You made that pet a member of your family. If you feel that the cost is a hardship, do not abandon the dog. See if you can rehome it or contact K9 friends, for one, and there are other people who take in animals that are no longer wanted or serve a purpose. That dog is your faithful friend who loves you. How faithful and how much do you love it???

Cielo, Your only alternative to an expensive 6 Month quarantine , unfortunately, is a taxidermist. While I’m sure Bora’s advice is well intended, it is slightly misleading, as the PETS passport scheme is only valid for pets whose travel originates from the UK and you are right in your findings that dogs originating from this part of the world are subject to the DEFRA quarantine laws.

While I usually bow to Dillon's superior knowledge on most subjects I would question this one The way I understand it is that you can bring your dog into the UK under the PET scheme from listed non European countries as long as it meets THE RULES. The UAE is a listed non EU country (which includes Dubai, of course) and one of the rules is that the animal has not travelled outside of this country (the UAE) in the last six months. There are other rules which you need to look into before considering whether your pet fits the bill.

http://www.defra.gov.uk/search/results. ... .uk%2F#834

This information was updated on September 15th 2010.

My info was a bit dated (about a year old). Pulled it from another forum.

It irks me to no end when someone takes on a pet and then when it is no longer convenient, gets rid of it. It is irresponsible to take on a pet unless you are prepared to make the commitment. People don't stay in Dubai forever and before taking on a pet need to ask themself if they are going to being fully committed, which includes relocating the animal if and when it should occur. Any way you look at it - abandonment, rehoming, even quarantine, the animal suffers. But at least with quarantine the owner and pet are reunited. I know that the UK has changed it's laws about quarantine, and as long as you have everything in order, it should go smoothly - absent quarantine.

Funny how people can find the money for things that they want or think they need, but when it comes to a faithful animal, the cost is just too much to bear.

Where there is a will, there is a way.

Bethsmum wrote:While I usually bow to Dillon's superior knowledge on most subjects I would question this one The way I understand it is that you can bring your dog into the UK under the PET scheme from listed non European countries as long as it meets THE RULES. The UAE is a listed non EU country (which includes Dubai, of course) and one of the rules is that the animal has not travelled outside of this country (the UAE) in the last six months. There are other rules which you need to look into before considering whether your pet fits the bill.

http://www.defra.gov.uk/search/results. ... .uk%2F#834

This information was updated on September 15th 2010.

And you are indeed right to question my earlier misleading post BM, for after reading the DEFRA guidelines, here I sit with my tail between my legs, your and Bora’s advice is in fact a true reflection of the due process of bringing a pet into the UK from the UAE avoiding the quarantine period, my most sincere apologies to all, for my earlier misinformed post.

Dillon, we all can't know everything, contrary to what a lot of people claim here. The Defra website is on my favourites.