So you want to take a dog from Gambia to Europe?
Recently, Linda and I travelled from The Gambia to Norway and we brought our faithful lodge dog, ‘Yoga’ with us.
Since her companion ‘Seven‘ passed away last year, she had been so very sad and we didn’t want to leave her behind.
Also, Yoga is nearly eight years old and we felt she could retire from her life as a lodge dog and live out her days with Linda’s parents, pampered and loved.
Now we are in Norway I felt it might be useful to let other dog lovers know what is involved when bringing a furry friend home to Europe from the Gambia.
Searching online for information didn’t help much but our friend Caddy did. She had helped others in the past and knew exactly what we should do.
The process was to our delight and surprise, very easy.
Get a dog passport in The Gambia
So first of all Caddy directed us to Bart Goossens, Bart is the senior vet at Kombo Veterinary Clinic. A nicer man you couldn’t wish for. He explained everything we needed to do and also the timescales they needed to be done.
Checklist
Note to self. Don’t leave things to the last minute, the procedure isn’t difficult but can take several weeks to complete.
The first thing if your dog isn’t already microchipped is to get that done. Without a working chip in your dog’s neck, it won’t be allowed into any country. Even with all other papers and certificates.
Second, your dog will need to have its inoculations against rabies, distemper, parvovirus, and adenovirus (also called hepatitis). When these have been completed a blood test will be taken ( Anti-rabies antibody testing ) and sent for analysis to make sure your dog has enough protection. This can take several weeks before you receive a result.
Third, is that your dog will need to be wormed around 72 hrs but not less than 24 hrs before travel. The treatment must be approved for use in the country it’s being given in and contain praziquantel or an equivalent proven to be effective against the Echinococcus multilocularis tapeworm. The treatments blister pack should be attached to your paperwork also.
Fourth, you will need to visit Abuko and speak with Dr Ousman Ceesay, he will authorise your travel passport as long as all the prior paperwork is done, he doesn’t need to see your dog, just the paperwork.
Five, again in Abuko, a small payment of 500 dalasis is required.
It may sound obvious but please ensure you have a travel box which meets the airline’s requirements beforehand. Obtaining one in The Gambia can be difficult. We experienced problems finding one but were very lucky that Bart had one he said we could use.
Oh, and don’t forget to book your dog’s flight😉
In The Gambia
In Norway
Yoga has settled into her new life very well indeed and will not be travelling back to The Gambia. I know many readers of this blog have probably spent time with her and wish her well, she says thanks to you all 😉
I would say the airline that offers the quickest and most direct route, I used Air Brussells who were very good but I think most airlines offer a high level of care for our canine friends!
I was frantically researching, how I to go about making arrangements to return to the UK with my two dogs, I have grown from pups in the Gambia.
It was thrilled when I came across your site and enjoyed reading Yoga and your journey. The information was very informative and provided me with all the answers racing through my mind.
However, the only question I have is what airline would you recommend flying with to accommodate my dogs travel needs?