How to travel safely with your pet

Author: Jake

If you have travel plans this season, you may be facing a difficult decision: take along your furry pal or leave them behind. While there are a number of safety concerns that should be considered when making your decision, the number of pet friendly holiday cottages offering accommodations for your pet makes travelling with your four-legged friend easy. If you’ve decided to take your cat or dog on your holiday, be aware of the safety issues surrounding pet travel.

1.  Health
It is absolutely essential that your pet is in top condition before you subject them to the physical and mental stress of travel. While our pets love being with us and are often happier to travel than they are to stay in a boarding facility, the trip may still bring on a mild bout of anxiety. Your pet should visit the veterinarian for a physical examination within two weeks of your departure. If you are travelling by plane or to another country, be sure to research specific pet health requirements.

2. Diet
Because you may not be able to easily find your pet’s brand of food once you’ve arrived at your destination, it is recommended that you pack along enough food to last the length of your trip. If you cook for your pet, staying in self catering accommodations will make it easy for you to maintain your pet’s diet. Be sure to bring bottled water as well as water quality can vary from city to city. Do your best to avoid feeding your pet in a moving vehicle like a car or airplane as they stand a better than average chance of developing gastritis.

An image above shows a dog at the steering wheel. It’s best to avoid doing this for a safe journey!
Image Source: http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2180/2492997582_2e735e7842_m.jpg
Image Courtesy: http://www.flickr.com/photos/timtimes/

3. Identification
Accidents happen and even the most conscientious pet owners can lose track of their pets. The best form of identification for your travel companion is a microchip combined with an identification tag worn on the collar. If your pet is already microchipped, be sure to update your contact information on the company’s website as well as your pet’s photo if necessary. A microchip is virtually useless if your contact information is incorrect.

4. Veterinary Clinics
Before you leave, be sure to locate a veterinary hospital or emergency pet hospital local to your destination. Should something happen to your pet while on holiday, you don’t want to waste precious minutes having to search for the nearest hospital. Once you’ve located a clinic, map out directions to the clinic from your cottage.

Car Travel Dos and Don’ts

If you are travelling by car, your pet’s safety will be in your hands. Follow these dos and don’ts to be sure your pet stays safe on the open road.

As the image above shows, traveling with your dog can be great fun!
Image Courtesy: http://www.flickr.com/photos/frazzledjen/ Image Source: http://farm1.staticflickr.com/80/224760817_5268b5d4f7_m.jpg

Do:
- Secure your pet in the vehicle. Carriers and seat belt harnesses are available for pets of all sizes.
- Stop frequently. Your pet needs to stretch their legs and go to the bathroom just like you do.
- Pack bottled water and a collapsible bowl. You can’t be sure that the rest stop will have supplies available for you to water your pet.
- Pack pet waste bags and pick up after your pet. In some areas, leaving your pet’s waste behind is a violation of the law, not to mention just plain rude.

Don’t:
- Leave your pet in the car on a warm day. Even with the windows slightly open, the temperature inside of a vehicle is about 20 to 30 degrees hotter than outside.
- Let your pet ride unsecured. Should you be involved in an accident, your pet not only runs the risk of being severely injured but may act as a projectile inside the vehicle, injuring others.
- Let your dog ride with his head out of the window. Flying road debris can cause corneal abrasions and other serious damage to your pet’s eyes.

Travelling with your pet is a fantastic option made easier with the number of pet friendly accommodations and travel gear offered by a variety of manufacturers. Instead of boarding your dog or cat this season, take them along. They deserve a holiday, too!

Tags: pet, pet friendly holiday cottages, self catering, travel, travel safely

This entry was posted on Monday, December 19th, 2011 at 11:59 am and is filed under Accommodation. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.