When deciding if your pet should travel with you, consider the alternatives: have a responsible friend or relative look after your pet, board your pet at a reputable kennel or hire a pet-sitter to visit, feed, and exercise your pet.
If you decide to take your pet with you:
*Check to be sure pets are allowed at your destination. Many hotels/motels do not accept pets.
*Make sure that your dog is used to car travel - a holiday excursion should not be his first trip in a car. If you know that he is likely to be sick or excitable in the car, then ask your veterinarian to prescribe some travel sickness medication - this usually also has a tranquilizing effect.
*Do not let your dog travel loose in your vehicle. Place him in a carrier so that if you are involved in an accident, he will not be thrown about in the car. Should you be injured, other people will be able to care for him. Put his name on the carrier as well as any special instructions. Of course, make sure the carrier is also secured to the back seat with a seat belt.
*Make regular stops to allow him to relieve himself if necessary and offer him water to drink. Keep him on a lead when you exercise him and never let him run loose at a service station or near a busy road.
*Do not leave your pet in a stationary car in hot weather. Never leave him in direct sunlight; always park in the shade. Even in dull weather, dogs should not be left in cars for more than 5-10 minutes. Make sure that he has some drinking water. Leave the windows open wide enough to allow fresh air in but not him out! Window attachments are available that allow the window to be left open, without your dog escaping. You might consider one of those solar powered fans that fit in the window. The fan fits snugly in the window, the sun powers the fan, and air is circulate within your vehicle. On a warm day, the inside of a parked car can reach over 100 degrees in minutes. Since dogs are unable to cool off through perspiration, they pant, and even a short trip to the grocery store can be lethal.
*Do not let your dog put his head out of a moving vehicle as this can lead to eye injuries and may cause an accident.
*Do not let your do ride in the back of a pick-up truck. It is very dangerous, and in some states, it is illegal The sun can heat a truck bed enough to burn the pads on your dog's feet, and flying debris may cause other injuries. A dog that is allowed to ride in the back of a pick-up truck, tied or untied, may be strangled or thrown from the vehicle into traffic
*Make a list of Emergency Veterinary Clinics in the area to which you're headed and take his vaccination records with you along with your veterinarian’s phone number.
*Replace your pet's I.D. tag with a temporary one displaying your temporary address.
*Don't let fleas become unwanted souvenirs! If your pet got fleas while you got a tan, have a veterinarian treat the animal before you return home. And, when you return home from your trip, make sure to thoroughly vacuum your rugs and furniture before you let your pet inside because during your trip, any fleas and ticks in your house may have multiplied, and your pet could become infested as soon as his paws hit the floor.
Avoid traveling by airplane with your pet unless absolutely necessary. High humidity and temperatures can suffocate an animal forced to remain in the plane's cargo hold over long periods of time. The airline may allow you to take a cat or small dog on board with you. If your pet must travel in the cargo hold, try to travel during cooler times of the day, make sure you are on a direct flight and travel on the same flight as your pet. Always inform the flight attendant that your pet is in the cargo hold. Never ship short-nosed animals such as Boston
Article by: Sallie S.
Article by: Sallie S.
