Advice/observations/first hand experiences Forums

Escaper

Hello

We are planning our trip abroad which starts as of April next for a 6 month period.

We will be travelling with our dog, passport all sorted.

What we are after is advice and experiences of other motorhomers who have travelled with their dog/s through any country and what they experienced, any difficulties, surprises, attitudes, and the like.

We appreciate and know and have accepted that some parts of our trip might/may be restricted with having him with us 24/7.

Thanks in advance

smifee

hi escaper

have taken smudge, a cocker spaniel, to france for 6 months in 2000 when the scheme first started and 3 months to portugal in 2003.

advice:-

1. use the tunnel. you are with the dog all the time.

2. don't hesitate to use a vet because of any language difficulty. don't forget that vets vary in quality abroad as much as in the uk. we found a great vet in france who took a grass seed out of smudge's ear and didn't want to give her back to us. the vets we visited before him were so incompetent they didn't charge us. the only vet we consulted in portugal wasn't up to standard.

3. the nearer you get to africa the more chance the dog has of picking up something horrible. smudge got a water borne lung infection in the algarve. it is highly resistant to antibiotics and it took her 18 months to get over it.

4. the tunnel staff use the time you pass through the checkin as the time your journey starts & not the time your train leaves.

5. for the compulsory treatment before you return to the uk i use a vet a few hundred yards from the campsite & aire near the docks. her name is on previous posts on this subject. if you can't find it doing a search then send me a PM and i'll dig the details out.

6. don't frontline your dog within the month before you return as frontline is part of the compulsory treatment. this is for overdosing not financial reasons.

have a great trip

mike

andyangyh

Good advice to which I would add:-

If you are going to South of France or Spain make sure you treat your dog with Stronghold to protect against heartworm. Get it from your vet here or any vet -and most pharmacies - in France.

Do make sure you check your dog for ticks daily. They can also carry some nasty diseases but the Frontline gives a lot of protection.

Italy suffers from sandflies which can give your dog a nasty disease that it can pass on to you. A Scalibor collar protects against this. Vets and pharmacies again.

This all sounds quite scary but our Sprocker (Springer/Cocker cross) loves going on her travels.

It sometimes seems to me that UK vets are clued up on rabies (which is very rare in dogs in France - 2 cases last year and both in dogs illegally imported from Morocco) but less well-informed about other problems your dog needs to be protected against.

Moondog

Bite?Me? the Jack has been visiting France since the PP started and all the information above is sound and valuable.
Bear in mind French Vets like cash not credit cards.
We use the same exit vet as Smifee so you will have few troubles there.

Well behaved dogs are admired in France.Mine sits quietly outside all the shops whilst i collect bread meat etc. They seem to be amazed.No problems on Camp sites although we dont do the swimming pool/restaurant type.

The French do seem to like restraints whilst walking their dogs and are nervous of other dogs approaching.BM is rescued ,very friendly,but can be aggressive 'sous la laisse'( on the lead)for some reason unknown to me.This is the only time i ever feel slightly unhappy with him.

Often after a few weeks i long for a'bit of culture' museum,art gallery or such but i have to accept that the dog comes first and to leave him in a hot van for a few hours is not something he is used to or will willingly accept.So perhaps you will have to think of this daily aspect to your lives.But all animals are different yours might me trained to accept what my old boy would accept as privations........So we go for yet another walk and try to kill what is left of the local wild life.

Iam sure you will all enjoy it and quickly learn that all routes ; if dogs are with you ,in any French market ,lead to the ChickenRotisserie stall.

Nick

Escaper

Great thanks everyone for your advice.
Had already thought we'd use the chunnel. So thanks for that.

I use Stronghold at the moment because after using Frontline Oscar had a reaction and ended up with a sore the size of fifty pence piece where I have placed the liquid.

Learning Spanish at the moment and going to get my teacher to help with the various sentences I might need in relation to our travels and Oscar.

Have made a note of the Vet thanks for that.

Brought a tick remover and will make it a check list item for each day - he'll enjoy all the attention!!

Oscar is a really sound character - well socialised and I hope will be a complete pleasure to take, although as mentioned we do realised what we doing and are not taking any of it lightly. We love to walk and there's no better way of seeing a town, village, etc, than on foot.

Thanks for all the replies and anyone else with any advice, its all muchly appreciated.

Thanks for the tip of a Scalibor collar (will invest in one)

zulurita

Just to add that in Spain and Portugal you CANNOT take dogs on public transport Sad

In France no problems and of course you can go into restaurants with them as well Smile

We have used several vets in France now, usually a days drive to the port or Tunnel, this saves us hanging around Calais or wherever for 24 hours. All vets have been good.

We did use a vet in Mojacar, Spain when it came to renewing our springers annual injections and that was fine no problems.

It is GREAT taking our Springer and obviously day trips in Spain/Portugal are planned around her and making sure she is protected from local diseases heartworm, sandflies etc.