Pet Passports
Microchipping
Insurance
Saying goodbye
Instruction prior to
  anaesthesia
Adders          
Ticks
Dental care
Guinea Pigs
Firework code
Travelling with Pets 1
Travelling with Pets 2
Household hazards

The steps to obtaining a ‘Comprehensive’ Pet Passport are as follows:

1 First, your pet needs to be microchipped.
2.They then must be vaccinated against rabies. This can be done at the same time as the microchipping.
3.Two to four weeks after the rabies vaccination, a blood sample is taken to measure the level of antibodies against rabies that the vaccine has produced. Providing the minimum level is attained then a Passport can be issued,but it will not allow re-entry to the UK immediately. Six months has to elapse after the date the successful blood sample was taken. Before this six month period has elapsed, your pet will be able to travel out of the UK to other EU countries, but will not be allowed to return to the UK.
4.Every time your pet comes back into the UK they have to be treated by a vet for ticks and tapeworms 24 - 48 hours before embarkation.
NB Providing the rabies vaccination is boosted before the date it is due then the Passport can just be updated. If the rabies vaccination is allowed to lapse, then steps 2 and 3 will have to be repeated and another six month period elapse before re-entry to the UK is allowed.

To obtain a 'Basic Passport', a pet needs to be microchipped and given a rabies vaccination. A blood test is not required. A 'Basic Passport' will not allow a pet re-entry to the UK. A 'Basic Passport' is used where an owner is emigrating and has no intention of returning to the Uk with the pet. It replaces the need for DEFRA export papers.

It would seem that some ferry companies and airlines may require a 'fitness to travel certificate' which can be written by us a few days before travel following a clinical examination of your pet. Please check well in advance if this is needed.

Travel regulations are changing all the time and we would strongly advise always to check with DEFRA each time you travel in case your intended destination has become restricted for some reason. Not all countries are on the DEFRA list of permitted destinations, travel to one of these countries with your pet will mean 6 months quarantine on return to the UK.

For the latest information contact DEFRA on 0800 241 1710 or www. defra.gov.uk(go to A-Z and look up Pet Travel).

Every year thousands of pets become lost and cannot be reunited with their owners simply because nobody knows who their owners are. Collars and tags often become lost or come off.

Microchipping is a simple procedure that involves injecting the microchip, which is the size of a grain of rice, under the skin, over the shoulder area.

Each chip carries a unique number which can be read using a special scanner. The numbers are stored with your details on a central data base which can be accessed at any time. Stray animals are scanned and if chipped can be reunited quickly with their owners.

Micro chipping cannot guarantee the return of a lost pet but it greatly increases the chances.

There are a vast number of companies offering different types of insurance cover for your pets (currently dogs, cats rabbits and horses) and it is important to check which is the most suitable for your circumstances. We at Midforest Veterinary Practice are very keen to encourage owners to insure their pets for treatment costs. It is much easier to recommend and give the very best treatment if costs do not have to be taken into consideration.

Policies generally fall into 2 categories, short term and long term. Short term means that an illness or injury is covered for 12 months, if it goes on longer than that it becomes excluded and the owner has to pay for ongoing treatment. Long term policies continue to pay out for the life of the pet, however, they may be an excess to pay for each year the claim continues.

Short term policies are much cheaper than long term but with the limitation mentioned. We would recommend long term policies if they can be afforded but some insurance is better than none.

Always check through the small print to make sure the policy suits your needs. Regrettably, thanks to new legislation from the government’s Financial Services Authority from 2005 we as veterinary practices will be severely restricted on what we can advise about insurance companies and their policies. It’s a move that’s intended to protect the public with the selling of insurance in general but unfortunately it stops us from recommending specific products.

For further information the website www.insureyourpet.co.uk provides comprehensive pet-healthcare insurance information.

Part of the responsibility of caring for your pet means making the difficult decision to have him put to sleep if and when he becomes too ill to enjoy a meaningful quality of life. The vet will advise and help you when the time comes to say goodbye but you can be reassured by the fact that it will be done very quickly and sympathetically, either at the surgery or in your own home (subject to arrangement). Every care is taken to ensure that your pet does not become distressed and, if necessary, a sedative is given first to keep him calm and peaceful. The vet will then carefully inject the animal with an overdose of anaesthetic and he will drift off to sleep.

Most owners take the option of leaving their pet with us to arrange cremation. It is possible to request that your pet’s ashes be returned although an additional charge has to be made for this. Alternatively, many owners prefer to take their pet home to bury in the garden and are comforted by remembering their pet with a permanent reminder such as a plaque or plant in a favourite place in the garden.

Perhaps, however, the greatest comfort to any grieving owner is the knowledge that they have done the best for their pet throughout his life and helped to provide him with a dignified and peaceful end to his old life. We now offer a bereavement counselling service to owners who are over-whelmed by the emotions they experience. Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you feel you are not coping well with your grief.

There is also some evidence that cats and dogs from multi-cat/dog households go through their own grieving process at the loss of a companion so try and offer them lots of reassurance and attention to help compensate for their loss too.

Please bring your dog/cat to the surgery on your appointment date between 8.30-9.00 am (please do not arrive earlier unless previously arranged).

Do not feed the patient after 8.00 pm the evening before the operation. Water may be provided until early the next morning. Keep cats in the house overnight so that you can be certain they have had no access to food and make sure they don’t disappear!

On the morning of the operation, please take your dog for a short walk on a lead to allow him/her to empty bowels and bladder.

For the majority of surgical procedures the patient will be able to go home after 4.00 pm the same day. We ask that you telephone the surgery between 2.00 pm and 3.00 pm when you will be given an approximate time for collection of your pet. Please note that the surgery closes at 6.00 pm at Lyndhurst and 6.30 pm at Totton. We would prefer it if your pet can be collected half an hour before surgery closes but please let us know if this is difficult for you.

In some cases where the patient is slow to recover from the anaesthetic or has undergone major surgery they may need to be hospitalised overnight.

If you have any questions regarding your pet’s operation, please telephone the Totton surgery on 023 8066 0400 - and the Lyndhurst surgery on 023 8028 2358.

Please note: You will be asked on the morning of the surgery if you would like a blood test (costing £35) which will check your pet’s general health before anaesthesia and is done to help minimise anaesthetic risk. This is completely optional.

You will also be asked to provide an emergency contact telephone number. This must be a number or numbers that we can reach you on at any time of the day in case the vet needs to ask any questions.

James Elliott BVetMed MRCVS CertVR,
Principal at Midforest Vets writes

Visitors to the New Forest can be assured of a warm welcome, especially from a particular inhabitant who really likes to get under your skin.

The tick is a delightful creature that sucks blood and it’s not too fussy about whose blood. If that’s not bad enough, a few of them carry Lyme’s disease that can cause disease in dogs and humans.

Ticks start life as tiny 6 legged nymphs called ‘seed ticks’ that climb to the top of foliage to await their hapless victim to brush by whereupon they jump on and with a hypodermic-needle like mouth draw a small amount of blood. Then they drop off and hide away somewhere dark and damp and for the rest of the year grow into the lentil size next stage.

The following year, the eight legged ‘2nd year tick’ is ready to go again, feeds once and drops off and for the rest of the year grows into the mature adult.

In the third year, the adult feeds just one more time inflating to the size of a pea, drops off, lays eggs and dies! (was it really worth the trouble I hear you ask!)

Ticks vary in colour according to species from pale cream through to brick red and dark blue.

If a tick is found on a pet then the best method of removing it is with a special ‘tick hook’ removing tool. The secret to successful removal is to twist the tick and not pull, the tick hook makes this much easier. Forget burning them off with cigarettes Humphrey Bogart style and whisky is only useful to toast your success afterwards.

Prevention is better than cure and ticks can be discouraged from latching on to pets by a range of products available from your veterinary surgeon.

As a foot note, the signs of Lyme’s disease to watch out for in humans are a red spot that develops at the bite site weeks afterwards and spreads to become a large red patch followed by flu like symptoms. Lyme’s disease can be serious so seek medical attention as soon as you suspect a problem.