First time over the channel with my dog!

The Defra regulations state:  

A vet must treat your dog for tapeworm and record it in the pet passport every time you want to bring it to the UK.

The treatment must have been given no less than 24 hours and no more than 120 hours (5 days) before you enter the UK. Your dog can be refused entry or put into quarantine if
you don’t follow this rule.

You can either visit a vet near to your campsite, or en-route, but make absolutely sure it's within the above time frame and that the vet completes the paperwork properly.  Most French vets have a 'turn up' surgery, but some campsite receptions will keep
a list and will make an appointment for you.

The pet will be scanned at the Pet check-in at the French Eurotunnel terminal - so make sure you allow extra time for this.  There is now a 'drive-in' section, where you simply drive through, are handed a scanner, hand back the scanner and your documents,
and if the chip reads correctly you can go through.  A good idea is to take your pet to the vet just before you go to make sure the chip is working.

It cost 86 euros per dog so a bit steep,

My son paid just 11 euros for his dog (he took his own treatment) and the vet gave him a Scalibor collar to try, too! He'd been given samples to hand out by the company which sells them!  That was at a small vet's practice in Ruoms in the Ardeche

We have paid between €10 and €30 in Germany. The nearer you get to Calais the higher the price.....

Travelling to Italy in June via the tunnel with car and caravan. Obviously need a pet passport, but how do you go about vet checks for return trip two weeks later? Advice please!

A couple of things to be aware of:

- Italy is one of the places where Leishmaniasis is found.  Also some other nasty things like Lyme disease make protection from ticks desirable.  Fore those reasons a Scalibor collar or something equivalent is strongly recommended.  This site gives a good guide.

- Italy isn't quite as dog friendly as the rest of europe and public transport often requires the dog be muzzled.  Take one just in case.

- The best way to organise vet checks is to get the campsite reception to make the booking for you.  WHilst most (not all!) vets speak some english the same cannot be said of their receptionists :-)

- After the vet has signed and stamped the pet passport check and double check that they've done it correctly.  If you only find out when at pet passport control then it's usually too late to do anything other than get it done again and postpone your return.

I agree that €86 is extortionate.  €30-40 per dog including tablets seems to be the going rate,  Even so it's money for old rope for the vets.

PS: please don't be put off by the above - it's quite straightforward really and the dogs will love it

peedee - I'll alter that - is the 'Did not speak English' still applicable?

Have you got a price for this years Vet's visit?

I know €86 seems ridiculous per dog, I thought it was  €86 for the two but my mum is sure it was each. We had them seen down in the Cote D'azur so may be more expensive. I also made the fatal mistake of not asking the price beforehand so was handed the hefty bill. To be fair my dogs were checked more thoroughly than they have ever been in England.

They have the Leishmaniasis in the south of France as well, we opted for advantix because it seemed the best option for our dogs the scalibor collar has to be on for a while before leaving and we have very small dogs so we were worried the collar would irritate them. The vet in France seemed to think Advantix was an acceptable option.This being said I'm pretty sure there is a vaccine you can get if worried.

Thank you Keith and Margaret for the map its really helpful I will definitely be using it to find a cheaper vet next time around!

Would it be of any help to give you the details of a vet in Estagel, in the Aude, who speaks perfect English.  She was recommended by friends.  At the time we didn't realise we didn't need the 'worming tablet' for a cat (should have gone to specsavers!).
 She told us that no worming tablet was required, but said she would check with our officials, and actually rang Defra whilst we were there, examined the cat, scanned her chip to make sure it was working, pronounced her very fit and well, signed her passport
as 'fit to travel' and didn't charge us a cent.  

We stopped at a campsite calledLa Bein just 7 km from the tunnel they have vets telephone numbers and locations we paid 40 euros the nearer you are to the tunnel the more expensive it is

We took our Dog on the chunnel this year and it was easy. We paid 60 euros at a Vet in Brittany which we thought very steep. 

crissy – many thanks for the information – Vet added to Google Map

fatbelly - yes, you were robbed. You can name and shame it you want to.

Thank you Brian for that excellent link.   It gives a good outline of the problems that can be encountered on mainland Europe if your dog is not protected.    I know personally because we have 4 dogs and one of them is leish positive.  She is a Spanish rescue dog and developed the disease 2 years after coming over from Spain.   I would recommend anyone going to Europe south of Lyon or Toulouse to see their vet BEFORE they go. That way you can make sure your dog has all the necessary protection for the trip.

Hi

We used Clinique Vet de Rue 34 Route du Crotoy 80120 Rue France.

excellent. Forgotten exact amount but was n't expensive and examined the dog.

Bayeux we used Doctor Tran Clinique Vet. Bayeux 17 Rue dy Dr Michel. Would not return €40 used our own medication and no receipt given!