KLM Restricts the Import of Puppies to the EU

Apparently there has been quite a problem with puppy mills sending unvaccinated puppies and kittens into EU Member Countries.

Consequently, the VMA (The Netherlands equivalent of the USDA/FDA) has decreed that puppies and kittens which are not vaccinated against rabies may not enter The Netherlands, NOR may the transit through Amsterdam to other destinations. This is a vital ruling as KLM's is one of the primary airlines used to safely transport companion animals and Amsterdam is KLM's hub.

As a practical matter, this means that pets must be at least 16 weeks old before they can travel on KLM as most Vets will not vaccinate against rabies until the pet is 12 weeks old, and then regulations require the rabies vaccine to be at least 30 days old before travel.

This new rule only applies to un-accompanied pets and not when the owner is on the same flight.

EU Member Countries

We often post regarding "EU Regulations". As it is not always easy to tell, we wanted to publish a complete list of the countries which are officially members of the EU. The complete Wikipedia definition is HERE.

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.