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The Government is committed to achieving a Brexit deal with the EU. But in the unlikely event we do not reach an agreement, we need to plan for every eventuality. To make sure your pet is able to travel from the UK to the EU after 29 March 2019 in any scenario, you should contact your vet at least 4 months before travelling to get the latest advice. Rules for Pet Travel The rules for taking your pet to any EU country will change if the UK leaves the EU with no deal and is treated as an unlisted country. You must get your dog, cat or ferret microchipped and then vaccinated against rabies before it can travel. However, to allow effective contingency planning in the worst case scenario of the UK not being granted third country status, you’ll need to take the following steps to make sure your pet can travel after 29 March 2019:
If there’s no deal, existing pet passports issued in the UK will NOT be valid for travel to the EU. You should contact your vet at least 4 months before you plan on travelling to any EU country. A successful blood test is only required for first time travel to an EU country. This is provided that your pet’s rabies vaccinations are kept up to date with boosters before the expiry date of the previous vaccination. Your pet health certificate would be valid for:
On arrival in the EU, pet owners travelling with their pets would be required to enter through a designated Travellers’ Point of Entry (TPE). At the TPE, the pet owner may be asked to present proof of microchip, rabies vaccination and the blood test result alongside their pet’s health certificate. Repeat trips to the EU Pets that have previously had a blood test and have an up-to-date rabies vaccination do not need to repeat the blood test. Your pet will need a health certificate for each trip to the EU. To get a new health certificate you must take your pet to an OV no more than 10 days before you travel. You must take proof of:
Return to the UK Your pet must have one of the following documents when returning to the UK:
Check the Routes BEFORE you travel. On existing approved routes your documents and microchip will be checked. If you’re not travelling on an approved route talk to your vet about what preparations you need to make before travel. There will be no change to the current requirements for pets entering the UK from the EU after 29 March. Travel from countries that are not free from tapeworm (Echinococcus multilocularis) You’ll need to take your dog to a vet between one and five days before returning to the UK for an approved tapeworm treatment. You do not need to treat your dog for tapeworm if you’re coming directly to the UK from Finland, Ireland, Malta or Norway.  Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease of dogs and other mammals that primarily affects the liver and kidneys. This organism thrives in water (puddles etc.). There are many species of Lepto, many of which affect dogs. Some species that affect dogs do not cause any symptoms or illness at all. Weirdly, there is no evidence that Lepto causes disease in cats.
There are a lot of different sub-types of leptospirosis; the main ones are L. icterohaemorrhagiae and L. canicola, but recently L.grippotyphosa and L. bratislava become serious issues. How are dogs infected? Rats and other rodents mainly carry the lepto bacteria, but almost ANY mammal, including people, can also carry it. An animal that is either entirely infected or even just a carrier of the disease can transmit the bacteria. Ingestion of infected urine or rodent-contaminated garbage is the most important means of transmission. Some forms of the bacteria CAN penetrate the damaged or thin skin. For example, dogs swimming in contaminated water can become infected through their skin. The incubation period from infection to clinical signs is usually 4 – 12 days. What are the signs of Lepto? Many Lepto infections go undetected. Other cases can be life-threatening. There are three primary forms of the disease: 1) Hemorrhagic (bleeding) – High fever, lethargy, loss of appetite, multiple small haemorrhages occur in the mouth and on the whites of the eyes, bloody diarrhoea and vomiting. This form is often fatal. 2) Jaundice (liver) – Begins much like the hemorrhagic form with many of the same clinical signs. However, there is yellowing of the mouth and whites of the eyes. In severe cases, the skin will turn yellow as well. 3) Renal (kidney) – This form causes kidney failure. Very lethargic, loss of appetite (weight), vomiting, horrible breath, tongue ulcers, diarrhea, excessive drinking/urinating, blood in urine, abdominal pain, a fever that can come and go. Dogs that survive this form may be left with chronic kidney disease. How is Lepto diagnosed? Because clinical signs can mimic other diseases, a definitive diagnosis can be tricky. Taking blood samples DURING infection and again during the RECOVERY period that shows an increase in antibodies to Leptospira is supportive of the diagnosis. How is it treated? Antibiotics (often long-term) and intensive in-hospital veterinary care. How is it prevented? Leptospirosis Vaccination. We recommend the Nobivac L4 vaccine for your dog as this helps protect agaist the four main strains that pose a risk in the UK to yuor dog. LEPTOSPIROSIS CAN BE TRANSMITTED TO PEOPLE. We have rcently installed a new Blood Analysis Machine at our Wellington surgery; this amazing machine can run essential blood tests on pets in as little as 15 minutes. This is fantastic and can help enormously when trying to get answers why pets are unwell; also to help us ensure their safety when an anesthetic is neceesary.  You may have read in the paper about a suspected , but unconfirmed, case of 'Alabama Rot' in a dog in the Telford area in the last few days. Unfortunately little is known about this disease. There have been under 100 cases in the UK over the last 5 years, so it is important to realise that it is RARE. There may be an environmental cause for the disease - but this has not been proven. Other theories are that it may involve a fungal toxin or bacterial infection. Current advice is that it may help to wash your dog's legs and feet if they are muddy following a walk in woods.
Typically, symptoms of Alabama Rot include ulcers or red patches of skin which are generally found on the legs, tummy or around the muzzle. This can then seemingly progress into renal failure for some reason that is, as yet, unclear. Prompt treatment is advised in any suspicious cases, but this can only be supportive in nature and normally includes giving intravenous fluids and other supportive measures, whilst monitoring for renal issues. It may be a good idea to bath your dog after a walk, especially in muddy areas and woodlands. There have been several reports in the media this week about unexplained dog deaths in the New Forest and other districts. The media interest was generated after two cases of dogs with skin lesions and acute kidney injury were recognised in the New Forest in late 2013. Whilst the majority of the reported cases were documented between December 2012 and March 2013 in the New Forest, cases were also reported in Cornwall, Dorset, Surrey, Worcestershire and County Durham. There have been a number of recent cases in the UK and indeed, the West Midlands around Wolverhampton. The condition is known as cutaneous and renal glomerular vasculopathy (CRGV) or colloquially "Alabama Rot".
It is important to note that this problem has only affected a small number of dogs. In affected dogs, the skin lesions seen were typically one to four centimetres in length and were sometimes pre-dated by a focal swelling. They have generally, but not exclusively, been below the knee or elbow and have typically had the appearance of an erosion or ulcer. The affected dogs went on to develop clinical signs of acute kidney injury over the subsequent two to seven days. It is possible that the damage is caused by a bacterial toxin, but no-one knows what the cause is at this stage. BVA President and vet Robin Hargreaves said: “Dog owners in these regions will feel understandably anxious about the recent cases but it seems that only a very small proportion of the dogs walked in these areas each day have been affected. Owners should make sure they are aware of the signs and symptoms and contact their vet immediately if they have any concerns. It would be advisable to avoid walking your dog in muddy areas, especially after recent rainfall. Washing your dogs legs thoroughly after a muddy walk would also be sensible. We will keep you updated as soon as more news is available. Dog owners have been warned about deadly tick borne disease Babesiosis that has been seen in Britain for the first time.
One dog has died from the immune disease and four are seriously ill. The initial outbreak recently happened in Harlow, Essex but there is a danger of it travelling further. One dog has already died and four are seriously ill after they contracted Babesiosis, a blood parasite which causes animals’ immune systems to attack their own blood cells. It is spread by tick bites. It is thought that an infected tick may have been brought into the UK by a dog coming from the continent under the Pet Passport Scheme. The ticks that spread the disease are not the endemic UK tick (Ixodes ricinus) but a much less common tick (Dermacentor reticulatus) that are rarely found in Britain. Dermacentor spp. ticks are mainly active from the autumn through to spring (ie. over the winter), unlike the common tick (Ixodes ricinus) which is more active over the summer. Owners should regularly do a thorough body check of their dog to find ticks, which are visible to the naked eye, but can be drawn to dark, hidden areas of the animal’s body such as ears, groin and between the toes. Signs of ticks include dogs excessively scratching or licking a particular area. If you find a tick, it needs to be removed carefully, ideally using a proper tick removing tool; these are available from the surgery. These remove the whole tick easily. In addition to being vigilant, a anti-tick product should be used regularly to protect your dog. We recommend BRAVECTO, a tablet that gives THREE MONTHS excellent protection from ticks and also fleas. Please ask for further details.  Tick numbers in the UK are increasing and they are feeding earlier in the year and for longer. As well as being unpleasant they can be spread a bacterial infection called Borrelia Burgdorferi; which causes an illness called Lyme Disease. This disease can affect humans as well as dogs and in a recent UK survey, 2.3% of ticks tested carried this organism.
Lyme Disease can take a while to develop and can cause fever, anorexia, swollen joints, lameness in affected dogs and in chronic cases can lead to renal failure,poly-arthritis, neurological disease and heart failure. Successful tick control is essential to reduce the risk of transmission of this disease to dogs.  There has been a Leptospirosis (Weil's Disease) outbreak in dogs in the Bristol/Bath area during November and December 2014. There have been 9 reported Leptospirosis cases, all confirmed apart from one. Sadly to date four of these nine dogs have died. The cases seem to come from varying locations which appear unconnected, and have occurred in a variety of breeds and ages of dog.
Six of the affected dogs had been vaccinated with a bivalent Leptospirosis vaccine within the last 13 months; there was an unknown vaccination history in 1 dog and 2 dogs had not been vaccinated against Leptospirosis for 18 months or longer. In the two cases with sufficient work up to serovars level the “Bratislava” serovar have been identified. This is not covered by traditional bivalent Leptospirosis vaccines, but are uniquely covered in the UK by Nobivac L4, MSD Animal Health’s tetravalent Leptospirosis vaccine. THIS IS THE NEW VACCINE THAT WREKIN VIEW CHANGED TO OVER TWELVE MONTHS AGO. This outbreak provides good evidence that effective vaccination for our dogs against Leptospirosis is vital.
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