LEGISLATION
VACCINE BOOSTER REQUIRED WHEN VALIDITY
MSD-Nobivac No N/A 3 years
Merial-Rabisin Yes Between 1 month & 12 months Primary: 1 year
Boosters: 3 years
Zoetis-Defensor 3 Yes Between 1 month and 12 months Primary: 1 year
Boosters: 3 years
Rabigen Mono N/A N/A 1 year
Example 1: One-year-old patient vaccinated with
Rabisin on the 01/01/2018.
Vaccinated again with Rabisin on the 01/06/2018.
Validity of last rabies vaccination: 3 years. • Ensure that the microchip numbers on ALL
documentation correspond.
• Australia & New Zealand’s rules differ-please refer
to these countries’ particular import requirements.
Example 2: One-year-old patient vaccinated with
Rabisin on the 01/01/2018.
Vaccinated with Defensor 3 on the 01/06/2018.
Validity of last rabies vaccination: 1 year. Ecto & endo-parasite control
The exception...Namibia:
• No microchip required, although recommended.
• Validity of rabies vaccinations follows that of
South African legislation and logic. i.e. regardless
of the manufacturer of vaccine used: primary
vaccination validity is one year
•
•
Booster vaccination validity: Three years (Cat:
One year)
Exception: Rabigen Mono validity is always only
one year.
• Primary vaccination only considered valid 30 days
after vaccination. Day of vaccination=day 0.
• Booster vaccinations are valid from the day of
vaccination.
• If a puppy is younger than 3 months of age the
dam’s rabies vaccination record must be up to
date, and proven to be so with relevant supporting
documentation.
Titer testing (EU)
•
•
Blood drawn for Rabies titer testing must be
drawn a minimum of 30 days after vaccination
(day of vaccination=day 0).
If the patient’s rabies vaccination record is up
to date and kept this way, as per manufacturer’s
instructions, a rabies titer test can be performed
at any point.
• Canine Bravecto®, although often used extra-
label for the control of ectoparasites in our feline
patients, is not considered as valid ectoparasite
control in cats.
• In Australia only topical ectoparasite control is
considered as being effective, so unfortunately
our oral ectoparacitides are a no-go.
• In the EU only dogs, not cats, need to be de-
wormed. Only dogs en-route to Finland, Ireland,
Malta and the UK require endoparasite treatment.
Health Checks
• Ensure that the correct template is completed;
province specific.
• Normally needs to be completed 5-10 days before
export, look at the specific importing countries’
requirements.
• For Namibia, within seven days of export, not
thirty days. This is a common mistake; the
wording on the Namibian import/export permit
is often misinterpreted. The clause concerning
thirty days refers to animals returning to South
Africa from Namibia, and not those travelling to
Namibia from South Africa.
Please always advise your clients to bring the
documentation dictating the relevant importing
countries’ requirements to export consultations.
For more information regarding import requirements
of specific countries a useful site is:
www.elsenburg.com/services/3rd-level/basic/veterinary-
services-export-control.
Issue 02 | MAY 2019 | 29