When to book vet for return to UK Forums

rayhook

We're taking our chihuahua to France/Spain soon and will return in late June. He's all chipped etc. and we have a list of vets in the Calais area for when we return. Can anyone tell me their experience when they came to book an appointment for worming for the return to the UK please? Did you have to wait long; did you book well advance or when you got back to Calais; or maybe when you set out.

Any guidance would be much appreciated.

Ray

Mashy

Hi Ray.
First couple of times we booked an appointment before we left Calais for our holiday.
Now we are much more relaxed.
We are aware of the time scales for treatment ie between 24 and 48 hours before returning to England. As we normally have a booking on a Sunday at about 10 am to return we know we can have our dog treated from 10 am on the previous Friday and before 10 am on Saturday. We therefore now look for a vet whilst returning to Calais and there seems to be no problem at most places. We have used a vet at Givet, Brugges, Trouville and Orleans so far.
Hope this helps
Mashy

Briarose

Hi see my posts ref the vet we used this week
http://www.motorhomefacts.com/ftopic-17312-30.html he told me to ring a day or two before we want the appointment and was lovely.........ask for Patrick as the receptionist doesn't speak english.

The drive from there to Calais is approx 2.5 hours so a nice place to visit on the way back and very easy to get to............only a few kilometres off the main road on the way back from Spain.

I felt very confident that he knew exactly what he was doing with the passport and he spoke good english, he also said we were welcome next time to take our own frontline treatment with us.

zulurita

Ditto previous posts.

We have used the vet at Forges-les-Eaux several times and is handy as there is an Aire de Service opp municipal camp site. I think the address and surgery times are elsewhere in another post but if needed just pm me and I will give it to you.

We tend to book an appt for friday 6pm if we are leaving France 9am Sunday. We have also called in to vets on our outward journey to make appt.

rayhook

Thanks all - we'll follow your advice and book a day or three ahead once we start heading North. Getting itchy feet now, mid-April still seems a long way away.....

Ray & Amanda

RAH

Don't relax too much, as we did. We took the mutt, Precious, to the vet in Heidelberg, Germany - 25 Euros - and meandered to Calais after a stopover in France.

Our fare did not allow us to ferry across until 10:40 pm, which was a few hours out of date for the pet passport stamp. So I went across and the wife tacked up the bills:

- Hotel (EUR 70)
- French Vet (Euro 60)
- Passage (Free courtesy of P&O)
- Rental Car (to catch up with me at the campsite)
- Stress (hers)

If Precious would have been a "wiener dog", she may had to contend with my BBQ Shocked

So do "some" planning! And happy travels!

rayhook

RAH,

You've not put a price on your wife's stress? If it was Amanda's (my wife), I'd still be suffering from it ......

Ray (also RAH - spooky)

zulurita

It is always well to remember that the dog must have the treatment 24 to 48 hours before travel.

So it is wise to know your date and time of travel (or rather the time you take pet for check in as that is the time they go by).

Eg: if ferry or shuttle 10.00am on Sat book in is usually 45mins to 1 hour beforehand say 9.00 am the pet must be treated before 9.00 am on the Friday to meet the 24 hr time. We would tend in that case to have a vets appointment on the Thurs around 5pm or 6pm depending on surgery times.

Or 10.40 pm (book in say 09.40 again say Sat) then vet Fri am or Fri 5 or 6pm.

Briarose

Vennwood

I agree that timing is vital. We usually see where we are or will be in relation to ferry time then using the nearest Tourist Info Office, we phone ahead and make an appointment. On many occassions the TIO has made the call for us. We have had a variety of charges over the past 4 years - the pattern seems to be the closer you are to Calais the more expensive the Vet bill. Overall though we have never had a problem actually getting an appointment - all have been very obliging The cheapest - Strasbourg 10 Euros to Graveline, the most expensive - 49 Euros