🇧🇬Adopting a rescue dog from Bulgaria

Bulgaria, like Romania, is an Eastern European country with a large population of shelter and street dogs, rehomed to the UK through registered rescues.

Getting a Bulgarian dog to the UK

Bulgaria is an EU country, so the entry rules are the standard microchip, rabies vaccination, 21-day wait and tapeworm treatment — see the rabies and 21-day guide. Dogs generally travel by road across Europe, or by air.

The health tests that matter

As an Eastern European country, Bulgaria shares Romania's health picture, with Brucella canis the headline concern — it's considered endemic in Eastern Europe, and ESCCAP UK & Ireland has called for testing of dogs imported from endemic countries to be made compulsory. A full imported-dog blood panel (Brucella, Leishmania, Ehrlichia, Babesia, heartworm) is worth discussing with your vet.

The dogs

Bulgarian rescue dogs are predominantly mixed-breed shelter and street dogs of every size and age, rather than any particular breed type.

Sources

• GOV.UK — bringing your pet to Great Britain
• ESCCAP UK & Ireland
• BVA — the disease risk from imported dogs