Vet360 Vet360 Vol 06 Issue 02 | Page 28

LEGISLATION Pet Export Tick the boxes and avoid these common pitfalls Compiled by Dr. Anouska Rixon (BVSc) with special thanks to Dr Fabian Fiff, Dr Tin Htwe & Dr Vincent Hen- wood of the Milnerton Veterinary Export Control Office, Western Cape for their contributions. Save yourself and client time, money and annoyance by following these basic guidelines Rabies vaccinations • Only rabies vaccinations administered on the date of micro-chipping or after are considered. • Rabies vaccinations are only valid if administered after 3 months of age. • Primary vaccinations are only considered effective 30 days after administration. Day of vaccination=day 0. • Booster vaccinations, where relevant, are effective from the day of vaccination. • A registered veterinarian must have administered vet360 Issue 02 | MAY 2019 | 28 the vaccination. Vaccinations administered at welfare facilities, not by a veterinarian, are considered invalid. • Please remember to include your qualification next to your signature in the patient’s vaccination book. • Whether the patient’s rabies vaccination status is valid or not is dependent on the manufacturers’ instructions of the particular vaccine used and not on South African legislation, individual veterinarian’s/private practice’s opinion or common logic. A common pitfall: The validity of a booster vaccination is only so if the vaccination used as a booster is of the same manufacturer as that of the primary vaccination.