Taking dogs to France !! (1 Viewer)

[FIDGET]

Hi , to all you seasoned travelers with pooches ,

Taking dogs to France !! What's your experience ?

We are thinking of taking our cocker spaniel next year,
we've been to France several times, but never taken the dog with us before (I've almost convinced the better half that there's no problem).

We will be planning to use the tunnel, is there any restrictions or costs when using the tunnel .
also what's the vets cost in the UK and in France ?

How do you find the vets in France & is there a list,
Hopefully with map refs ?

Anything in particular to worry about or places to avoid ?

All help will be appreciated

:sin:Terry :sin: FIDGET:sin:

 

[Phill D]

we take our Cocker Spaniel over all the time no issues. you do need to be aware of the rule ( the real ones not what some folk believe ) so read this:-
https://www.gov.uk/take-pet-abroad

you need a pet passport through your vet and micro chipp the dog, costs vary depending on your vet, this will take a short while to sort so best get it a few months in advance.

the tunnel is what we use its simple £30 fee for the dog.

see a vet on way back get passport stamped, when you arrive at port to return just keep to the right as you enter the booths and follow the yellow sign with a black paw print on it.
park take dog , passport and travel docs to the office, scan dog micro chip check pet passport boarding pass issued off you go.

 

[Phill D]

PS we carry a Dog First aid kit>>>>:Blush:

tick treatments, Scalibor collar, tick removal tool, antiseptic , spare collar and lead,etc. etc.

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[Phill D]

Hi , to all you seasoned travelers with pooches ,

Taking dogs to France !! What's your experience ?

We are thinking of taking our cocker spaniel next year,
we've been to France several times, but never taken the dog with us before (I've almost convinced the better half that there's no problem).

We will be planning to use the tunnel, is there any restrictions or costs when using the tunnel .
also what's the vets cost in the UK and in France ?

[HI]How do you find the vets in France & is there a list,
Hopefully with map refs ?[/HI]

Anything in particular to worry about or places to avoid ?

All help will be appreciated

:sin:Terry :sin: FIDGET:sin:

theres a download on the forum kept upto date by member Roryboys dad i think its very comprehensive... you can pay anything from euro 15 to euro 70 for the same thing. we have used same vet for past 4 years and the cost has been static at 40 euros.

 

[Phill D]

Hi , to all you seasoned travelers with pooches ,

Taking dogs to France !! What's your experience ?

We are thinking of taking our cocker spaniel next year,
we've been to France several times, but never taken the dog with us before (I've almost convinced the better half that there's no problem).

We will be planning to use the tunnel, is there any restrictions or costs when using the tunnel .
also what's the vets cost in the UK and in France ?

How do you find the vets in France & is there a list,
Hopefully with map refs ?

[HI] Anything in particular to worry about or places to avoid ?
[/HI]
All help will be appreciated

:sin:Terry :sin: FIDGET:sin:

be aware that there is a higher incidence of ticks in France and the wooded areas and long grass can be a problem, just check the dog over if youve been out walking in one of these areas and remove them. we have had a couple of times where we had to remove several ticks after walking in the woods. but really not a problem.
the further south you go there is a risk of sand fly bites for the dog.... a missname as they are not in sand. oh: we have no issues but we put on a scalibor collar about a week before going way south and have had no issues.
our vet told me last week that there is now a vacination for the infection that "can" be caused by sand fly.

i am making it sound all bad..... it aint... just be aware, the heat is likely to be as much a threat as anything if not properly looked after.

the dog will love the travelling ours does.:thumb:

 

[Reallyretired]

We take ours every time. It's £15 each way on the tunnel. We would not use a ferry as the dogs have to stay in the van on the car deck, which is noisy and smelly.

Vets we have paid between €8 and €45 for basically the same thing. Like any vet they charge what they like so a good idea to find out the price first.
Coming back you go to the pet customs first (follow the pawprint sign). You don't do anything extra when going out.

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[Larby]

We use the Ferries, mine just curls up and sleeps. No checks going out. When returning the check-in clerk hands you the scanner, you blip the dog and hand back so he/she can check chip on Passport. You get a certificate of proof and a hanging card with mark to show a pet on board.
That's it. I use vet at Calais, park outside, no appointment, no need to speak French, they know what needs doing, approx €30.
You can't return until 24 hours have elapsed but must travel within 5 days.
I had my dog's standard health check one day and asked for Rabies jab, done there and then with Passport included, just under £90 two years ago.
You can travel after 21 days. That's it.
Happy dog, happy owners and how much for Kennels?
The French love their dogs so no problems. They can go in shops, have seen them in Restaurants as well. Usually small though.
Vets also have a green cross as well as pharmacies.

 

[Minxy]

Okey dokey, here goes!

Passport: Get your dog micro-chipped, then vaccinated for rabies and the passport produced, after 3 weeks the dog will then be good to go! The rabies vaccine usually lasts for 2 years so make sure this is the one that your vet uses and not the 1 year one. At one time you used to be able to get a 3 year vaccine but this is as rare as rocking horse manure now. You might find it worth shopping around with various vets though as their vaccination and passport costs can vary enormously ... for the SAME thing!

Return Vet: You have between 1 and 5 days to get the health check and worm treatment done (tick treatment is NOT required now but still an idea to do it yourself). This extended time means you can get it done pretty much wherever you want so long as you are within that time-frame so are not restricted to the 'expensive' ports etc. There are lots of vets all over the place whose charges are much more reasonable and we have used several over the years as we've been taking them abroad with us since 2005. We went to one at Avranches which cost us €47.60 for Drontal tablets and pet checks for 3 dogs. We have also used one at Eu too and they are also very reasonable too. The best one though was one in Belgium a few years ago who only charged us €7 for 2 dogs! :thumb:

Eurotunnel: The cost is now £16 each way (£32 return) per dog as it went up in December I believe. The only difference is that you have to visit the pet passport office to get your dog checked when you come back, so need to allow longer in order to do this. We did find out accidentally though that this can be done in advance ... we ended up at Eurotunnel one teatime when hubby meant to go to Cite Europe (where we were going to spend the night before crossing in the morning) but he took the 'wrong' turning! oh: So, whilst we were there we thought we might as well see if we could get them checked then to save having to do it in the morning ... and we could, no problem at all .. it meant we got a bit more of a lie in the following morning! :thumb:

First aid kit: As well as bandages (get some of the ones that cling to themselves so the little b*ggers can't get them off!), a tick removal tool etc, we also take some tummy upset tablets too (see photo below) as that is the one thing that we find can be a bit of a problem due to us having to buy different food which can make them a bit ... er ... squirty! :Blush: We did go once and ran out ... take it from me it ain't easy to get something for them ... you try explaining to a French pharmacist (they stock stuff for pets too) that your dog has got the squits WITHOUT resorting to a game of charades!!! oh: :Blush:

 

[Roryboys Dad]

Taking a dog abroad is a piece of cake - kennel fees and worries about leaving Fido on his own are a thing of the past.

Get the Pet Passport as soon as possible, make sure you know where the chip is and that annual injections including rabies are up to date - and every thing should be fine.

The cost of transporting Dogs/Cats/Ferrets by Eurotunnel went up from £15 to £16 each way in January this year.

This clip might help you on the return journey - [ame]http://youtu.be/q8cWJWFs0gQ[/ame] – to play at the best picture quality click on the 'cog' (bottom right hand corner of the Youtube clip) and select 720p HD


Recommended Vets can be found on this Google Map - http://goo.gl/maps/dGJM – please let me know if you have any up-to-date prices of any Vet on the map or even any new Vets you may have used within the last year.

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[Dogeared]

We always take our dog, no real issues, 'except' if you fancy a bus ride, just be careful, we went on the bus from our site to Perpignan, 1 euro each way, got there no problem. Bus driver on first bus back told us no dogs allowed, waited until the next bus and tried to get her aboard discretely, as we got on, the driver shouted down the bus for us to get our dog in a bag, we put her in a large bad and were allowed on the bus. not sure how we would have got on if our dog was large.

Dogs seem in general to be welcome anywhere in France, so go and enjoy.

 

[Parcverger]

Don't forget that on your way back to the UK you have up to five days after your appointment with the vet, so you do not need to book the appointment close to the tunnel or ferry. Many of our guests use a local vet and then meander up to their ferry or tunnel terminal over the next couple of days. These days you can be reasonably relaxed and pick your vet to suit your timing.

Bob
www.parcverger.com

 

[Larby]

We always take our dog, no real issues, 'except' if you fancy a bus ride, just be careful, we went on the bus from our site to Perpignan, 1 euro each way, got there no problem. Bus driver on first bus back told us no dogs allowed, waited until the next bus and tried to get her aboard discretely, as we got on, the driver shouted down the bus for us to get our dog in a bag, we put her in a large bad and were allowed on the bus. not sure how we would have got on if our dog was large.

[HI]Dogs seem in general to be welcome anywhere in France, so go and enjoy[/HI].

Dogs can go on buses if carried in bag or placed on lap, not likely with mine.
He does get to have a beach to run about on, even in August.

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[Phill D]

Dogs can go on buses if carried in bag or placed on lap, not likely with mine.
He does get to have a beach to run about on, even in August.

i dont think too many people would be rushing up to him to tell him to get off:Blush:

keep ours well away from the sea.. the beach is a great run out but the sea has to be a long way away.


he drinks the stuff, in copious quantities...oh: the short term effects are bad enough to put up with:Blush: but i am more worried about the potential long term effects:Sad: so he's not allowed to bathe in the sea:thumb:

 

[Minxy]

i dont think too many people would be rushing up to him to tell him to get off:Blush:

keep ours well away from the sea.. the beach is a great run out but the sea has to be a long way away.


he drinks the stuff, in copious quantities...oh: the short term effects are bad enough to put up with:Blush: but i am more worried about the potential long term effects:Sad: so he's not allowed to bathe in the sea:thumb:

We've got one that doesn't seem to realise that splashing about in the sea and grabbing at the water at 'invisible' balls and stones has unfortunate effects ... at both ends! We now make sure she has a good run for about 20 mins or so AFTER being in the sea to try to allow her to 'vent' in order to minimise the disruption in the van!

 

[Larby]

Being a Staffie he doesn't head for water like say a Labrador. He will paddle and go up to his belly but doesn't swim. He licks the water to start with but refrains straight away. He loves to run around like a horse let out into a field when we go on first. We go to the beach just along from Calais at Sangatte once we have been to the Vets.

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[brynric]

Since our retirement, Beth has made 5 return trips on the tunnel in 2years. On each occasion we've used different vets (no, we've used one in Ypres twice) and each one has spoken fair English. We've always managed to book an appointment a day in advance, but we will try St Valerie sur Somme next as they have a no appointment evening session. Costs have usually been €30 + except the last in Tours when we were charged for other medication.
Our only problem? On our first return at the tunnel we missed the very obvious pet checking sign. We couldn't check in the van until we'd dealt with the dog and we had an embarrassing queue until someone came to explain and show us where to go. Otherwise it's a straight forward experience, even for Beth who is a most anxious dog.