Dog Export to Australia

Re: Dog Export to Australia

Colin Thomson — Tue, 18 Nov 2014 15:23:05 GMT

[quote user="Thomas Johnson"]I agree that it's very useful to get the protocols from the Australian Consulate, but remember that as a UK OV you only have authorisation to sign DEFRA export forms, not Australian import forms.[/quote]

As an LVI / OV yes, but as a private vet you can sign anything - provided it complies with RCVS guidelines, of course. One good thing about DEFRA is that they always produce certificates which are signable - ie you can comply with RCVS guidleines.

Colin

Re: Dog Export to Australia

emma_j — Tue, 18 Nov 2014 11:50:19 GMT

Australian guidelines are all available online

http://www.agriculture.gov.au/biosecurity/cat-dogs/step-by-step-guides/category-3-step-by-step-guide-for-dogs

But basically yes things have changed, you can now certify they are vaccinated rather than have to do lepto blood tests.

Re: Dog Export to Australia

Malcolm Ness — Tue, 18 Nov 2014 11:25:14 GMT

[quote user="Colin Thomson"] you can't rely on Defra [/quote]

Some statements can be taken out of context and still have real meaning.

Advice I was given as a student has stood the test of time. "Listen carefully to what the Ministry man says but if it isn't written down on a piece of paper and signed by him then assume that he never said it ............ because he might"

Re: Dog Export to Australia

Thomas Johnson — Tue, 18 Nov 2014 08:42:17 GMT

[quote user="Colin Thomson"]

I always get the client to get the required protocols from the Australian Consulate. Its Australia's rules, you can't rely on Defra being up to date, and its the client's responsibility to ask for the right things IMO.

But yes, Australia is always a challenge.

[/quote]

I agree that it's very useful to get the protocols from the Australian Consulate, but remember that as a UK OV you only have authorisation to sign DEFRA export forms, not Australian import forms.

Re: Dog Export to Australia

Colin Thomson — Tue, 18 Nov 2014 00:05:17 GMT

But yes, Australia is always a challenge.

Colin

Re: Dog Export to Australia

Rob Davis — Mon, 17 Nov 2014 16:02:54 GMT

[quote user="Laura Stapleton"]Although they were keen to highlight that things could change again. [/quote]

Indeed... the timings of some of the blood tests / treatments changed between my client first applying for the import permit and us completing the export documentation - they like to keep us on our toes!

Re: Dog Export to Australia

Laura Stapleton — Mon, 17 Nov 2014 15:56:22 GMT

Thank you for your input guys. It is all very confusing. DEFRA (or the Animal and Plant department, or whatever they are called now) finally sent me some info which confirms the above (bloods tests or current vaccination). Although they were keen to highlight that things could change again.

Re: Dog Export to Australia

Rob Davis — Wed, 12 Nov 2014 14:50:19 GMT

[quote user="Stephen Courtney"]I had one client who tole me AFTER the annual vaccine was given that thy were going to Australia within a few months...that dog passed the blood test easily which has left me a little sceptical about the leapt vaccines.[/quote]

As I understand it, the immunity conferred by lepto vaccination is mainly cellular-based so antibody levels are not a reliable indicator of immune status. That is why when testing antibodies to see if boosters are necessary, lepto is not included. They used to advise not doing lepto vaccination within 6months of doing the blood test for export if I remember correctly, but beyond this time the antibody level should drop off, although cell-modulated immunity is maintained.

Re: Dog Export to Australia

Stephen Courtney — Wed, 12 Nov 2014 13:42:37 GMT

Interesting news about the lepto thingy - much easier if they can simply be vaccinated instead of blood tested.

I had one client who tole me AFTER the annual vaccine was given that thy were going to Australia within a few months...that dog passed the blood test easily which has left me a little sceptical about the leapt vaccines.

Re: Dog Export to Australia

Kirsten Simpson — Tue, 11 Nov 2014 17:53:58 GMT

Oooh! I had a client in this morning for rabies vac as he is going to move to Oz next year and I advised him not to get Lepto at his booster in the new year just incase! That would be fab if the rules have changed. I will ring DEFRA as well to make sure.

Re: Dog Export to Australia

Hannah Wynne Richards — Tue, 11 Nov 2014 15:34:12 GMT

Ex client of mine - used to be a lecturer in the marine bilogy dept at Swansea Uni. He landed a dream job in Australia - being paid to go swimming on the Barrier Reef - OK there was more to the job than that, lecturing, tutorials lab work - but still! ( I'm not jealous as you can see)

Anyway, the dog had been regularly vaccinated. A combination of vaccination certs, and blood tests (can't remember exact details now) meant it was exported with no problems. I recieved a postcard showing the barrier reef, and "signed" by the dog!

I do remember the paperwork was complicated

Wynne

Re: Dog Export to Australia

James Laidlaw — Mon, 10 Nov 2014 23:32:27 GMT

I think AQIS - quarantine info service equivalent to AHVLA have a website that has a full list of info for he import requirements and you can check with defra/AHVLA for the export requirements. Can be subtle differences between the two sometimes too.

Re: Dog Export to Australia

Martin Atkinson — Mon, 10 Nov 2014 15:35:16 GMT

Given that the dog is not going to Australia for at least 2 years then for me it is a no-brainer, the fact that it may need a blood test is outweighed many times by the risk of contracting leptospirosis. I would say this if it was only 6 months (which is what I seem to recall was the time after which the titre should have fallen enough to pass the test and it has not been a problem for me in the past).

Given what Rob has said then it doesn't sound as though it is an issue anyway but I would explain the situation to the client and if he/she decided to opt out of vaccination I would want a signed disclaimer. Which is a bigger VDS claim - dog dead from lepto plus a human contact with Weil's disease or can't go to Australia for a while?

Re: Dog Export to Australia

Ian Mostyn — Mon, 10 Nov 2014 15:32:00 GMT

I have just done an export for Australia - they have changed the rules and now require a vaccination or negative blood sample. As lepto is commonly included as standard in the UK, I just made sure the dog was current. He got there safely and is out of quarantine so it worked!

Ian

Re: Dog Export to Australia

Rob Davis — Mon, 10 Nov 2014 15:08:47 GMT

I'm just in the process of doing one of these at the moment. We had plenty of warning and so left out the Lepto vaccination last time, but on completing the paperwork I noticed that it now says that Either blood sample for Lepto titre within 45 days of export, Or "the dog was fully vaccinated against Leptospira interrogans serovar Canicola at least 14 days before, and current at, the date of export."

I am pretty sure that it didn't say this before, as I have had problems with lepto vaccinated dogs producing positive titres in the past. It appears that it is now ok to vaccinate instead of blood testing as long as the vaccination is kept up to date and is done at least 14 days before export.

Given that your patient is not likely to return to Australia for a couple of years, I would definitely be vaccinating against Lepto at this stage, but do confirm with DEFRA that I have correctly understood the current rules (as we haven't vaccinated my patient, I haven't bothered to phone them to clarify).