A veterinary passport for a cat is its main document. It is issued immediately during a visit to the veterinarian with the first vaccinations. Then all information from vaccination, treatment against parasites and other information is entered into it. This article will tell you how to make a passport for a cat.
Veterinary passport of the cat.
What documents are desirable to have for a dog and a cat?
When buying a puppy or kitten, you can get the first documents from the breeder - this is the purchase and sale agreement and the animal's registration. However, not every breeder can issue such papers.
In Russia, any person can breed animals, but few of them register their nursery as an official organization. Thus, some sellers simply cannot have a formalized purchase and sale agreement and pet registration.
But if you purchased a purebred animal in an official nursery (breeding), then you will definitely be given all the necessary documents. In this case, for the further possibility of your pet’s participation in exhibitions and breeding, you can also complete a pedigree a little later.
But not everyone wants to buy a puppy or kitten. Often our new friends come to us from the street. And, of course, you won’t find any contracts or metrics with them, and it will be simply impossible to draw up these documents from anyone.
In this case, only one document will be in the foreground - the veterinary passport.
Which animals can and cannot be transported on an airplane?
Typically, pet dogs and cats fly on airplanes without any problems. But some airlines prohibit the carriage of dogs with a flattened muzzle , such as pugs, bulldogs, boxers, Shih Tzus and Pekingese. Due to the structure of their nose, they can suffocate during the flight. For the same reason, cats of brachycephalic breeds with upturned noses (Burmese, Persian, exotic, Himalayan) are denied flights, but such a ban is less common.
Not all airlines allow you to take ferrets, hares, rabbits, turtles and birds with you, but you can still find a carrier. It’s much more difficult with rodents: almost no one carries them either in the cabin or in luggage. Among the rare carriers that are loyal to hamsters and guinea pigs are Finnair and Belavia. The chance of carrying reptiles, amphibians, reptiles or arthropods on an airplane is also close to zero.
The list of permitted and prohibited animals is usually clearly stated on the airline's website. For example, dogs, cats, birds (except raptors), fish and turtles will be allowed on board Vueling, and rodents, lagomorphs (for example, rabbits), mustelids (for example, ferrets), farm animals, birds of prey and reptiles will be refused carriage. If your pet is not on the list, call the airline and ask if it can be carried and under what conditions.
If the animal is on the prohibited list , all is not lost. Rodents, snakes, spiders and generally any animals that are not allowed in checked baggage or hand luggage can be sent as cargo, that is, unaccompanied baggage. This is how circuses and zoos transport animals, so you can take anyone - even a penguin, crocodile or salamander, the main thing is to prepare the documents and comply with the requirements for transportation. An example of transportation requirements can be found on the S7 cargo service website.
What is a veterinary passport and where is the best place to get one?
You can obtain a veterinary passport for cats and dogs in the Alisavet network of veterinary clinics
An international veterinary passport for a dog, cat and other animals is a document that is filled out by veterinarians and the owner throughout the life of the animal. It records the data of the pet, the owner and, of course, records about the preventive procedures performed (for example, treatment for internal and external parasites, etc.).
But the main function of a veterinary passport is to store information about vaccinations performed (vaccinations for cats and dogs). This is the most important thing for any of your movements with an animal in cities within the country and when traveling abroad.
Where can I get a veterinary passport:
- Pick up from the breeder at the time of purchasing the animal (but not always). Usually, practically nothing is filled out in the proposed passport, and the notes on the treatments and vaccinations performed are not confirmed by the seals of the veterinary clinic and the veterinarian. Sometimes the passport already has a rabies vaccination stamp, but usually you won’t see the registration number there. If this is so, in your hands for now there is only a “filkin’s letter”. But this can be fixed - at the first vaccination in the veterinary clinic, the doctor will make all the necessary notes and stamps.
- Buy at a pet store or veterinary pharmacy. You can buy a veterinary passport yourself and fill out the necessary sections in advance (this is written in great detail below in the article). The purpose of such a preliminary purchase is to buy a passport that you like in appearance (the ability to choose), and you will also be able to fill it out carefully and neatly without errors. At this stage, your purchased passport until your visit to the veterinarian is still invalid.
- Receive from a veterinarian during the first vaccination of the animal - the doctor fills out the necessary fields, signs and seals. In this case, you will immediately receive an officially executed document. The veterinarian usually allows you to obtain more detailed information about the pet and the owner at home.
Filling out a veterinary passport by a veterinarian
Thus, it does not matter where you got your veterinary passport from. Only one thing is important - in the end, it must be correctly executed, in accordance with the approved federal law on veterinary medicine.
Unfortunately, some owners still refuse to obtain a veterinary passport at a veterinary clinic and, in order to save money, prefer to vaccinate themselves.
We have nothing against it: it makes no difference where the animal was given a high-quality vaccine - at home or in the clinic. It will work in any case. But here the question is different - how to prove to others that the vaccination was really done? And to whom and why to prove this - read on.
Is it possible to fly with puppies and kittens - in Russia and abroad?
In law
In Russia there are strict rules. The unified veterinary requirements of the EAEU prohibit the movement, export and import of dogs and cats that have not been vaccinated against rabies. In this case, the vaccination must be done no later than 20 days before departure.
In practice, this means that if a puppy or kitten has not yet been vaccinated against rabies due to its age, then it is impossible to take it abroad, import it into Russia and other EAEU countries, or even legally move from one city to another within the country. The first vaccination is usually given at 12 weeks, then another 20 days are waited until immunity is formed - and only then can you fly. If in doubt, read the letter from the Eurasian Economic Commission and the instructions from Rosselkhoznadzor with explanations.
In the European Union, the import of puppies, kittens and ferrets without vaccination against rabies is prescribed in EU Regulation No. 576/2013 . If there are no additional rules in an EU country, then under this regulation it is allowed to import animals without a rabies vaccination at all, if they are not yet 12 weeks old. At 12–16 weeks, you can go immediately after vaccination, rather than wait another 21 days. In both cases, one of the following conditions must be met: 1) the cub travels with a mother who feeds it and who has a valid rabies vaccination received before its birth, 2) the owner or other accompanying person provides a declaration that since the moment of birth the cub has not came into contact with wild animals that carry rabies.
EU countries may impose additional rules . If you are entering not from Europe, but from a third country, then an animal without vaccination against rabies will be accepted in Estonia and Austria, but will not be allowed into the UK, Finland and Belgium.
According to airline rules
Once you are sure that the puppy or kitten can be picked up from one country and transported to another, check whether they will be accepted on board the plane. Many airlines only transport animals if they are of a certain age - usually 10-12 weeks.
Read about the rules for transporting animals in different airlines, how to prepare for a flight so that everything goes well, and what experienced dog and cat lovers advise you to take into account.
What is the value of a veterinary passport?
Unfortunately, not everyone understands why a veterinary passport is needed for a dog, cat, ferret or rabbit. And it’s even more difficult to imagine how it can save you from possible lawsuits.
There are only 3 reasons to obtain a veterinary passport:
- This document makes it possible to monitor the health of your pet. Namely: know the exact dates of vaccinations, various treatments against parasites and operations performed. It's comfortable. It is unlikely that you circle the required dates in a red circle on the calendar and then store the torn pages as an archive. But once every six months it won’t be difficult to look into the treasured book.
- An international veterinary passport will allow you and your pet to be anywhere in the world. With the help of a correctly executed document, there are no problems in obtaining the necessary certificates for the export of an animal. And if it seems to you that you will never go anywhere with your dog or cat, believe me, there are different cases.
- And here is the third reason, about which there are so few words. Animals are animals, and no matter how gentle and affectionate your pet is, there will always be a provocateur for an aggressive reaction. And this will not mean at all that your dog or cat is solely to blame.
Most often, animals are simply trying to protect themselves or their offspring. And there can be quite a few provocateurs for aggression - often these are children who do not yet know how to properly treat our smaller brothers, as well as people who do not like four-legged animals or are terribly afraid of them. In this case, biochemical reactions play an important role, due to which complete antipathy arises between a person and a particular animal.
“Bitten by a dog”, “bitten by a cat” are some of the common reasons why people go to emergency rooms. We sincerely hope that you never have to literally “tear” your dog away from a person or another dog. But if this happens, show respect and first apologize. We are sure that you are a prudent and sensible person who will not blame anyone except yourself and your pet for this situation. They can bite anytime and anywhere, including you or your animal - that’s life. There is no need to make a scandal during such a stressful situation - emotions will easily flare up from any spoken word.
In addition to apologizing, you should immediately offer to provide assistance to the victim and provide your pet’s veterinary passport. If your animal has received all the necessary vaccinations, including vaccination against rabies, then you give the victim the opportunity not to torment himself with the question - is there a risk of contracting rabies or not? In this case, the risk of contracting a fatal viral disease is practically absent.
In any case, final conclusions can be drawn only after a general examination of the animal by a veterinarian and if there is a note in the veterinary passport about the vaccination. Without official confirmation that your pet has received a rabies vaccine, you doom the person to specialized medical treatment.
In addition, the victim may sue you, where he will have to prove that you did not deliberately set your dog on this citizen and that in no case did you want to be a participant in the spread of a dangerous viral infection. Believe me, there are no such lawsuits.
Do not think that this can bypass you - anyone can be a victim, including yourself. At least now you know that there is a very important document - a veterinary passport, which, together with your respect for the victim, will help eliminate unpleasant consequences in the future.
What does the price depend on?
The cost of obtaining a veterinary passport for dogs depends on the price list of the selected veterinary clinic. The price tag may differ depending on the conditions of document execution - a personal visit to a doctor will cost less than a house call.
The form for a veterinary passport itself can be purchased in the range from 20-100 rubles . An important criterion for registration is the deadline. It is clear that if you urgently need to get a passport in 2-3 hours , the owner will have to pay more.
Filling out a veterinary passport is the task of a veterinarian
After looking through the veterinary passport, you will notice that your share of filling it out is limited only to entering basic data about the animal, information about the breeder and about yourself as the final owner of the pet.
Therefore, having once filled out the first columns of your passport, you can now safely pass the baton to the doctors of veterinary clinics. The fact is that a veterinary passport is considered an official document only if it bears the seals and signatures of veterinary specialists.
Filling out an international veterinary passport at the Alisavet veterinary clinic
But so that you understand what the doctor writes in your pet’s veterinary passport and why this is necessary at all, the following explanations will not be superfluous.
Column “Pet card number”
This section is not included in all veterinary passports. It makes sense to fill it out if you are always seen at the same veterinary clinic - the doctor simply writes down the number of your pet’s outpatient card. If you visit different veterinary clinics, then filling out this section does not make sense.
Columns “Microchip number” and “Barcode”
This section must be completed at the veterinary clinic immediately after your pet is microchipped. Chipping is radio frequency identification of animals using special microchips.
An identification microchip is a miniature electronic circuit containing a unique 15-digit code according to the ISO 11784/11785 standard. The first three digits are the country code, the next 4 are the manufacturer's code, and the last digits are the unique animal code.
Decoding the identification microchip number
The manufacturer attaches from 3 to 5 identical barcodes to each microchip. The veterinarian will paste one barcode into the animal registration log for full reporting of his actions to higher authorities.
The doctor will paste the second barcode into the required column of your pet’s veterinary passport, and will simply give the rest to you in case the documents are lost or damaged - this way you can easily restore your passport at any veterinary clinic.
The microchip is injected subcutaneously into the animal once using a special device - the procedure is unpleasant, but completely safe. It is advisable to introduce a microchip BEFORE vaccination. This will officially prove that all vaccinations are given to your pet and not to anyone else.
Since the chip itself contains only a set of numbers (and nothing more!), after microchipping, the veterinarian is obliged to immediately enter detailed information about the animal and its owner into a single database. This is necessary to associate the entered microchip number with a specific pet and its owner.
When traveling when crossing the border, employees can use a special scanner to check the microchip number and compare it with the number included in the veterinary passport. The correspondence of the 15-digit number proves that exactly the animal specified in the document is being transported to the country.
Also, a microchip can play a positive role if a pet is lost or an animal is found on the street. Having found out the chip number at the veterinary clinic, there is a high chance of finding the owner of the lost item. But you should know that not every medical institution has a special scanner.
Columns “Date of microchip implantation” and “Location of microchip placement”
These sections are also completed by the veterinarian immediately after microchipping the animal. The date of insertion of the chip must be real. On the same day, all the necessary information must be entered into a single database.
The location of the microchip is usually the skin in the area of the withers or any shoulder blade. The veterinarian will enter in the column exactly the information where he entered the microcircuit (for example, the area of the left shoulder blade).
Please note that sometimes the microchip may move from its insertion site. Therefore, when scanning an animal, it is advisable to take a larger body coverage. By the way, you can easily find out if an animal has a microchip or not - just take an X-ray. Of course, you won’t see the 15-digit number, but it’s not difficult to see the microchip itself in the resulting image (a veterinarian can help you).
Column “Veterinary Certificate” – section “Registration”
This section is filled out by a veterinarian only when your pet is given a rabies vaccine (an example of filling is published above). The registration number in the passport must correspond to the number in the animal registration register, which the veterinarian fills out immediately after vaccination. The date must be valid, which will also be confirmed by the data in the registration journal of the veterinary clinic.
All registration logs are ultimately transferred to a higher organization - SBBZH (station for combating animal diseases of a certain district). Thus, the vaccine number will become officially registered for a specific pet, which eliminates any problems with paperwork. Information about vaccinations and microchipping is stored in the SBBZ for several years.
Also in the “Registration” column, the doctor writes his last name and initials, after which he puts his signature and two seals:
- one oval or rectangular seal of a medical institution (with the full name of the veterinary clinic and contact information);
- the second is the veterinarian’s personal seal (usually round in shape), which fully displays the specialist’s last name, first name and patronymic.
Stamps must appear on handwritten notes with at least one edge - this confirms the accuracy of the information entered.
The veterinarian fills out the veterinary passport and stamps it
When vaccinating against other diseases, the veterinarian does not fill out this section.
Boxes for marking administered (used) vaccines
In different veterinary passports, this section can be formatted differently:
- if the cover does not say which animal this document is for, then the columns usually have the following columns: date, type of vaccine, series number, veterinarian’s signature and seal (in this case, the doctor simply writes down the records of vaccinations done one after another);
Sample of filling out the vaccination section in a veterinary passport
- if on the cover of the veterinary passport it is written for whom it is intended (cat, dog), then the headings usually clearly indicate what mark each column is for.
Possible sections in the veterinary passport about vaccinations given
In this case, the doctor makes notes about the vaccinations performed in the appropriate sections: the vaccination against rabies is recorded in one column, the complex vaccine in another, and the vaccination against dermatophytoses in the third. Although vaccination against dermatophytes has long been discouraged.
Column “Deworming, treatment against fleas and ticks”
In this section, entries can be made by both the veterinarian and the owner.
If you are administering a deworming medication yourself and are treating it for external parasites, then your task is to enter the date of treatment, the name of the drug used (a sticker is often included) and its dosage. In this case, the entry will remain without the veterinarian’s stamp (without official confirmation).
When planning a trip to another country, it is advisable to have the necessary treatments done by a veterinarian at your appointment. Then immediately ask him to fill out this section of the passport, sign and stamp the medical institution.
The requirements in each country are different and change quite often, so all the details before completing the documents should be clarified in advance with the SBBZH of your district (this institution ultimately issues the final documents for the export of the animal). You can also find out detailed information about the rules for transporting pets at the consulate of a certain state or from tour operators who enter into an agreement before traveling.
Sample of filling out sections “Deworming” and “Diagnostic tests” in a veterinary passport
Column "Diagnostic studies"
It is not necessary to fill out this column, but it is recommended - this way you will not forget when and what important studies were carried out on your pet, and this can help the veterinarian navigate an emergency situation if there is no outpatient card at hand. Of course, it is impossible to fit a lot of information into such a section, but it is better to write down the most important ones.
Other graphs
Also, an international veterinary passport for a dog or cat may contain the following sections:
- reproductive health - information about castration, sterilization of a cat or dog, pregnancy, childbirth and even the number of newborns;
- special notes - for recording any important information that it is desirable to record, but there is no corresponding column;
- and so on and so forth.
These fields are not strictly required to be filled out. But if they are present in your pet’s document, then it is advisable to fill them out as needed.
Also in passports you can find pages with useful information:
- physiological indicators (body temperature, respiratory rate, etc.);
- reminders on preventive procedures (dog vaccination, cat vaccination, treatment for worms, fleas, ticks, etc.);
- possible diets and nutritional advice.
You have learned a lot of information about important documents in your pet's life. But if we could not answer all your questions about how to fill out a veterinary passport for a dog or cat, then be sure to fill out the form for a call back. We will not only tell you how to do this, but also tell you how to properly prepare your animal for the upcoming vaccination.
How to fill it out correctly
The passport must be completed only by a veterinarian. He enters information into the appropriate columns and sections. If the kitten’s date of birth is not reliably known, approximate data is entered in the breed section, for outbred individuals, “mixed breed” is entered.
All entries are made in blue or black ink in clear, legible handwriting. Information about vaccinations and surgical operations is entered immediately after the procedures themselves. This section is also filled out exclusively by a clinic specialist.
Chipping
A chip is a microcircuit with a unique 15-digit code, a receiver, a transmitter, a multi-turn antenna and a code memory unit. The microcircuit is contained in a sterile biocompatible glass capsule. The size is slightly larger than a grain of rice. The length of the device is 13 mm, diameter 2 mm. The unique number remains assigned to the cat for life; this original passport is entered into the database of the world electronic system (ISO 11784, ISO 11785 standards).
What information is entered into the chip:
- Date of Birth;
- gender of the animal;
- breed;
- color;
- owner’s personal information and phone number;
If you want to take your cat abroad, you should know that not all countries accept animals without a chip.
Advantages of introducing a microchip into cats:
- the chances of returning a lost animal are high;
- in good veterinary clinics, a scanner quickly reads information and simplifies the procedure for accepting an animal;
- a chipped cat cannot be replaced, and a stolen animal cannot be used at exhibitions.
It is worth mentioning that scanners for reading information from a chip are not yet available everywhere. But this is good protection for seals of rare and especially valuable breeds that attend international exhibitions. If you want to take your cat abroad, you should know that not all countries accept animals without a chip.
Actions to take if an animal's veterinary passport is lost
If the document is lost, it will have to be reissued. To do this, you need to contact the place where the lost document was issued. If the animal has been microchipped, restoring the information will not take much time. It is enough to read the data using a special device.
Microchipping a dog
Important! If it is impossible to restore the data, you will have to vaccinate your pet again, conduct an examination, and try on sizes.
A veterinary passport for a dog is the main document that gives the right to transport a pet across the border. Even if the animal gets lost in a foreign country, a passport will help prove the rights to the dog.
