If you are planning a trip to Scotland and would like to take your pet with you, there are a few requirements you will need to meet. This article lists the most important ones, but should not be considered all-inclusive.
You should get complete information on the requirements for taking your pet to Scotland and start fulfilling them as soon as possible. It can take as long as six months, and sometimes longer, to obtain and receive all necessary certificates and paperwork required.
One of the first things you need to do during the six-month time period (or sooner, if you can) is have your pet microchipped with a chip that is considered ISO (International Standards Organization) compliant. This microchip is different than the ones that are normally used in the United States and Canada. It contains a 15-digit number, which has not been encrypted.
The reason the microchip must be ISO compliant is because foreign scanners will not read the others. If you cannot have your pet microchipped with an ISO compliant chip, you will have to supply your own scanner. However, if there is any trouble with reading the microchip, your pet will be denied entrance into Scotland. For this reason, you may want to have the microchip tested often before you leave.
Once your vet has implanted a microchip, your pet must receive another rabies shot at that time, even if it had been previously inoculated. The rabies vaccine used must come from inactivated rabies virus, and your pet must be at least three months old.
Since you are going to be spending quite a bit of time at the vet’s office, you will have plenty of opportunity to ask about pet insurance. This can be a particularly good investment, as it is still possible your pet may become sick or injured while on vacation.
Tags: Canada, Dog, Microchip implant (animal), Pet insurance, Rabies, Scotland, United States, Veterinarian