Travelling Spain with Two Dogs & a Parrot

A quick trip to the vet & the procedure regarding travelling with dogs to Europe under the PETS travel scheme is clear.

A minimum of 21 days before leaving the UK, our two dogs need their rabies vaccination, pet-passports updated & we're good to go.  Meanwhile Max Cocker Spaniel & Roxy Collie-cross have had their booster jabs.

Brittany Ferries insist all dogs are muzzled so we have a few months to introduce them to these in the safe, secure environment of home.  We also have plenty of time to take them out frequently in the car so they can adjust to travelling.  This is more essential for Roxy than Max who we've driven around since he was a puppy & happily settles in the car.  We feel really fortunate to discover that Roxy also doesn't seem to suffer travel sickness.

Then there's Woody, the African Grey parrot, a breed we know is on the Cites protected list.

Attempting to determine what paperwork is required to travel with Woody began like this:

• Asking our vet if he knew about parrots, but no so advised to call Defra (APHA deprtment) who advised to check with the authorities of the destination company.
• Call to the pet-shop where we bought ten year old Woody a year ago for any advice & instructed to phone Defra & ask about a Cites Article 10 Certificate.
• Researched pet export companies online & contacted a few by email.  The most host helpful explained that whilst an importation certificate was required for France, they had no details for Spain.
• Call to Defra/APHA who promised to send an Article 10 Certificate & recommended we obtain a receipt to prove we'd bought Woody legally.
• Another call to the pet-shop owner who thought he'd actually bred Woody & asked us to read the number on his ankle ring so we could be sent a hatch-certificate.
• No certificate received from Defra.
• Another call to Defra/APHA & an Article 10 Certificate was emailed through.  A document which seemed excessively complex & not right for our circumstances as we won't be using/selling Woody for commercial purposes.
• Woody's ankle ring was twisted & turned, photographed & blown-up, but no markings or number identified.
• Call back to the pet-shop to inform the breeder who insisted, once again, that we call Defra to ascertain exactly what paperwork we needed.
• Yet another call to Defra/APHA who advised we'd been misinformed & Article 10 Certificate was not required, just a letter from a vet to state that Woody was in good health to travel.
• Call to Brittany Ferries who advised a pet-passport was required for parrots as for dogs.
• A further call to the pet-shop to request a receipt to prove we'd bought Woody as I'd feel better having this & also ask for details of micro-chipping a parrot & expert vets to do-so.
• Advised that Chine House Vets in Leicester the most well-know for experience with parrots.  Also searched the Parrot Society website for closer vets than Leicester, an hours drive away.  Called four vets, including Chine House to enquire about chipping & decided Chine House gave the most confidence over the phone.
• Made appointment at Chine House Vetinary Hospital & was impressed with parrot micro-chipping procedure as Woody seemed none the worse for wear.  We now have three chipped pets registered with Petlog.
• Call from pet shop to advise that Woody's Hatch Certificate, a receipt for purchase of the Cockatoo (who we acquired first - another story) & a receipt to state that Woody was an exchange for the Cockatoo (& that no monies changed hands for Woody) were in the post.
• Decided to complete Cites Article 10 Certificate application anyway & called friendly Defra/APHA who advised on completion & said an exportation certificate was also required!
• Sent off Article 10 application form with a cheque for the fee of £31 - only 2nd written from cheque book in more than five years!
• Exporting birds to Spain paperwork (four attachments) emailed through, but there would be no charge for this
• Attempted to decipher what was required & identified a very tight timeline so called Chine House Vets & spent significant time explaining process to a keen receptionist
• Forwarded Defra email & paperwork to vet reception for attention of exotic species vet with my explanation & understanding of procedure which was:
• complete online application form & PDF copy of certificate (which has English & Spanish translation) with full information about Woody, destinantion address & authorised vet contact details
• send this to Defra/APHA who would issue official copy direct to the nominated vet
• no more than 14 days before date of exportation (landing in Spain), a sterile faecal sample to be obtained from Woody by the agreed authorised vet
• sample to be sent to Penrith Government laboratory & results sent back to vet
• official Defra certificate to be received by vet approximately one week before exportation
• Woody back at vets no-more than five days before export by which time the faecal sample results would be ready
• vet to sign & stamp official Defra issued certificate
• I therefore completed the export certificate paperwork with a quick call to Defra to ensure I'm accurately doing-so & email to them
• Call Chine House reception to ask if vet has seen the paperwork & has any further instructions.  Explain process again & discover that Penrith labs only do the Pcittacines test once per week on a Wednesday.
• Make two appointments with same vet one week apart within necessary timescale relevant to our travel, but have to work around his shift & days in surgery
• Receive call from Chine House vets as exotic pet vet wants to see Defra paperwork.  Explain this was emailed & provide date & time when message was sent.
• I'm asked to send this again so do-so with newly acquired procedure, dates of appointments etc which are also explained to this different receptionist on the phone.  I request confirmation from vet that all received & understood OK
• Call to Defra to enquire after both certificates & informed that, due to a back-log, they will be working on the Article 10 the following week whilst the export certificate is scheduled for dispatch to the vet the Friday before our appointment the following Tuesday
• I don't hear from vets so call to inform them of expected arrival of official export certificate & enquire if vet has seen application paperwork.  Assured all is OK
• 13 days before our arrival in Spain, drive over an hour to arrive at vets for 8.30am as receptionist was unsure of the procedure of taking a faecal sample from a bird or how long it may take.  Straightforward process of scraping from newspaper lining Woody's travel cage, but as not quite enough, wait a while for more samples to be produced.  Woody not relaxed enough to poop much more, but advised sufficient has been collected & Woody scanned to ensure chip is reading OK.  It's a Tuesday & vet confirms he will send sample to Penrith & call me in two days when results are back
• No call from vet so phone myself & advised all seems OK on Woody's record, but receptionist cannot advise on test results
• Four days before arrival in Spain, call vets before setting-off to ensure this won't be a wasted journey.
• Arrive at vets & wait whilst vet completes the export certificate (doubling-up as the fit for travel letter too) & he shows Defra issued certificate stating there has been no incidence of Newcastle Disease within a 30 mile radius of Woody's home.

Phew  All done!!!!

Meanwhile, one month before travel, dogs receive their rabies vaccination, but passports need to be picked-up at a later date.

Two weeks before travel, return to local vets with dogs.  Their chips are read, passports photocopied & the dogs are ready to travel...