Rabies suspected - compulsory vaccination for dogs on trips
- Written by Portal Editor
Veterinarians and their organizations, following a renewed case of rabies in Italy, recall the obligation to vaccinate pets accompanying travelers on holiday.
Although animal health experts give the all-clear for an official request in Italy, currently the so-called distemper virus is rife. If you want to travel to Croatia or Italy with your four-legged friend during your annual holiday, you must observe some regulations. Of course, these rules also apply to long-term travelers, especially if certain periods of residence have been exceeded in not EU belonging countries before returning to EU countries.
Most recently in Carinthia in 2002 a rabies outbreak created lot of problems. In 2008 Austria was declared free of "terrestrial rabies". Even in neighboring countries there have been no documented cases of distemper infestation for some time.
Increased cases of viral disease distemper
According to information from the zoological institute Padova in Italy, however, cases of the virus disease distemper in wild animals have been increasingly found, which can also be dangerous for dogs and cats. "Against distemper our dogs are vaccinated. Travelers should always check their pet's vaccination before they travel, "advises animal welfare expert Ingrid Fischinger. To vaccinate against rabies is generally obligatory for foreign travel. A pet passport must be carried in any case.
Very important: Before traveling to Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine, a blood test for rabies antibodies must be performed.