PETS scheme- why do we bother!!

Re: PETS scheme- why do we bother!!

David Hopper — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 16:10:49 GMT

[quote user="emma o'connor"]

So the UK managed to keep the clause whereby animals entering the UK have to be treated with a product effective against Echinoccous multilocularis. A run in with a client this morning has made me wonder why we bothered, as it seems some of the French vets are not enforcing this rule. They have just told me they take the worm tablets to the vet, who signs their passport but doesn't actually make sure the product is administered. The client then goes away and doesn't actually worm the dog as he was only done a few weeks ago and they didn't want to overdose him

I have given them a verbal slap on the wrist, explaining the serious implications for human health if this tapeworm takes a hold in the UK, and hopefully they will abide by the rules themselves in the future

Rant over, I was on duty last night, so not very tolerant this morning and needed to let off steam!

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I was involved with some of the research into this scheme. I can not understand why the tick treatment was withdrawn judging by the number of ticks we identified on dogs in quarantine before the PETS scheme, and some not very nice ones!

A friend had his paperwork signed by a vet in Greece without him ever seeing his dog?

Re: PETS scheme- why do we bother!!

Bob Russell — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 14:02:40 GMT

Try dealing with the UKBA.

DEFRA are little gems in comparison.

UKBA undertake to respond to all queries within 20 working days and every time my wife had to renew her visa within the UK they undertook to process 90% of them within 6 months! This is despite paying £1000 to renew!

Beat that!!

Re: PETS scheme- why do we bother!!

patrick murphy — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 13:46:18 GMT

I just tried to order new passports, had to e-mail, and they promised me action within 15 working days. O would be frightened to try to report something of importance to them

Re: PETS scheme- why do we bother!!

Jo Cobbett — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 22:12:00 GMT

[quote user="Busybee"]

[quote user="Jo Jones"]

When I did my LVI training (3 years ago) we were told that nearly all of us would be asked to do a TB test supervised by someone from DEFRA/AH in our first year. I've never heard of anyone who has had this done. Anyone out there?

[/quote]

yep, I did my LVI training in May 2011 and had a supervised DEFRA test Nov 2011. So did my colleague. Pretty much everyone I know that's done the LVI training has had a supervised test.

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So it's not just an urban myth!! Thanks!

Re: PETS scheme- why do we bother!!

Charlotte Marshall — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 22:10:25 GMT

A couple of our vets had their small animal LVI training a couple of years ago and when they came back I had to go over it all again with them anyway. Seemed they had talked a lot about export health certificates but not really gone through the PETS passport. Seemed a waste of them going if I had to train them anyway!

Re: PETS scheme- why do we bother!!

Busybee — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 19:17:55 GMT

[quote user="Jo Jones"]

[/quote]

yep, I did my LVI training in May 2011 and had a supervised DEFRA test Nov 2011. So did my colleague. Pretty much everyone I know that's done the LVI training has had a supervised test.

Re: PETS scheme- why do we bother!!

Jo Cobbett — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 18:26:20 GMT

Re: PETS scheme- why do we bother!!

Nicola Lawlor — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 09:01:08 GMT

Are people letting DEFRA know when these breaches of the regulations are happening? If they are not informed then it makes it unlikely anything will be done. At least if they know just maybe things could somehow be changed and tightened up.

Re: PETS scheme- why do we bother!!

Wren — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 15:06:47 GMT

Nope, mine was rather lacking too (and I suspect delivered by the same people ). I did mine in 2001 at the tail end of FMD and I learnt a lot about filling in Autumn Movement Licences (remember them?) and making sure that the 'tasks' bit of your expenses claim form was filled in correctly and precious little else. Maybe 5 minutes on PETS and nothing on the practical aspects of TB testing, only making sure your TB52 and TB52a were correctly completed.

I have just been teaching a new grad how to TB test - they need to do a supervised test before acceptance onto the LVI course these days - and had to tell her that no-one had ever taught me either in theory or practice how to do it so she might be better off watching the video on the AHVLA site. I suspect LVI training these days will probably focus on how to work SAM...

Re: PETS scheme- why do we bother!!

Michael Woodhouse — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 00:15:10 GMT

Was everyone else's LVI training more thorough than mine? Not sure I learnt very much. I did drink a lot of DEFRA coffee to keep awake. Most of the day was spent on the epidemiology of TB that was wasted on a room full of recently graduated vets who had swatted and passed their finals.

I cannot believe in 5 years at vet college we cannot squeeze in a day of public health that would qualify us as LVIs. If they ran it on a Saturday I'd have gone in for it.

Re: PETS scheme- why do we bother!!

Stephen Courtney — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 21:40:00 GMT

There is nothing new in any of this. Continental vets see no value to the regulations and are not interested in enforcing them. in addition they have no professional impediment to signing things in a cavalier way that could get them struck off in the UK.

Maybe we set our own pedestal too high? Certainly it isn't a level playing field.

Re: PETS scheme- why do we bother!!

Jo Cobbett — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 13:45:43 GMT

I took my dogs to Germany two years ago for the European flyball championships, and I was just given drontal and effipro to apply myself, and the passport was signed. The year before in Belguim, the vet administered Frontline and Droncit to my dog directly before they signed the passport, but they were asking people what time there ferry was, and what time and date they would like written in the pasport that the animal had the products. As far as I can tell there is no equivalent to our VI training, any vet there can sign a passport, and the stamps they use are just practice stamps, not individual to the vet or issued by any sort of governing body.

Re: PETS scheme- why do we bother!!

James Laidlaw — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 13:41:56 GMT

My partners parents went to France with a friend who got the tablets at the French vets, had the passport signed, but the tablets weren't given. Owner forgot to give them until getting on the Ferry so only a few hours before arrival. There's no way of policing it effectively though, so I don't know what more can be done? The fact that only UK vets are licensed and have the official stamp, while outside the UK any vet can deal with the paperwork (I think this is correct) opens the whole system up to problems too, but I imagine increasing licencing across the EU to provide a benefit solely to the UK would be seen as a waste of time and money.

I think the best you can do is what you've done, educate your clients as to the reasons behind the scheme and the importance, and hope they take it more seriously than those who aren't following the system properly.