Buying pets in Russia, Belarus unsafe, says Latvian authority

[bunia2010]

The Food and Veterinary Service (PVD) is urging Latvian residents not to purchase dogs, cats, and domestic ferrets in Russia and Belarus, as it is not safe, the service said on 17th February.

Last week, rabies was confirmed in a dog in Germany that had been imported into the European Union from Russia via a Latvian border control point. The animal shipment had all the necessary accompanying documents, including a rabies antibody titration test confirming the effectiveness of the rabies vaccination.

The PVD had previously approached the European Commission, calling for strict restrictions on the import of dogs, cats, and ferrets from Russia and Belarus, as the control services of several countries, including Latvia, had found that animals were being imported with forged vaccination certificates.

Rabies, which is a dangerous and deadly disease for both animals and humans, has a long incubation period (up to 6 months) during which animals do not yet show clinical signs of rabies and appear to be healthy. Therefore, when animals are moved, control services can only rely on accompanying documents, which should provide guarantees that the animal has been vaccinated and does not pose a threat to anyone.

The last case of rabies in wild animals in Latvia was detected in 2010, while the last case in domestic animals was detected in 2012. Latvia has been granted rabies-free status.