Health And Welfare

The very basics to aim for for both your cats & dogs should be:

1 . Annual vaccinations - 40 to 45€ per year

2 . Worming - usually at least twice a year and cost depends on products

3 . Flea treatment - frequency determined by time of year ie 4 to 6 weekly throughout summer and every 8 to 10 weeks throughout winter. Some products for cats can include wormer.

Vaccinations are extremely important as due to the number of animals here that are not vaccinated you can not be sure that your dog or cat won't come into contact with a diseased dog or cat. We experienced this first hand at the refuge in 2008 when we lost about 40 kittens and about 20 adult cats to Typhus which wiped them out in an incredibly short space of time.

For those of you that need to put a pet in kennels when you go away they won't be accepted without proof of vaccination and dog owners wanting to go camping please note that most camp grounds will also want proof of vaccination!

Please vaccinate!!

Over and above the basic animal veterinary healthcare you should:

1 . Spay or neuter your pets - up to 125€ for a female and up to 70€ for a male

Sterilization has so many benefits and no negative impacts on your pets! The cost is a one off and once spayed your cat or dog will have no unwanted kittens or pups which you would struggle to home and may end up getting put down and for bitches the risk of mamary tumours are very reduced. Wait until your bitch has had her first season - seek veterinary advice on timescales!

Neutering your male dog will stop him running off after bitches on heat and will make him a lot less agressive or dominant. Peace of mind for you and he won't be bothering other dogs. Male cats will also stop straying, will become even more affectionate and should not start spraying to mark their territory if caught in time. They will not go picking fights with other toms so less vet bills to patch him up and treat abcesses!

PET PASSPORTS

There is no need for you to leave your pet at home or to have to rehome a pet if you decide to move back to the UK.

Save on kennel fees in the longterm and have the peace of mind of keeping your pet with you.

The cost for a dog, to include microchipping, rabies vaccination, blood testing to confirm the correct rabys immunity and the passport itself - 210€.

The approximate cost of your pre-departure vet visit (control + flea & wormer treatment) - 30€

The approximate charge by the ferry/tunnel companies (if bringing the pet back to France) - 45€

If adopting a dog that is already microchipped this won't have to be repeated so overall costs are reduced.

LEGAL REQUIREMENTS

By law your dog needs to be identifiable either by tattooing or micro-chipping. This became obligatory under the decree n° 99-5 of 6th January 1999.

By law anyone selling or giving away a dog needs to get a release certificate from a vet under the decree n° 2008-1216 of 25th November 2008.