Dog Travel Challenges
09 Sep 2008
A couple years ago when we were getting ready to leave on a combination business/family trip our Great Pyrenees was hit by a car and instead of packing, we ended up at the vet. Although it was terribly frightening at first, by the time we got him to the vet he seemed to be coming around and the vet thought he would be ok but wanted him to stay for observation. Since our plans couldn’t be changed, we arranged to have him stay for the week so that he could have trained care.
The good news is that when we got back to the vets to pick him up he was happy and bouncing around like nothing had happened. You can imagine our relief.
Traveling can be a real challange when it comes to pets, whether you take them with you are leave them in someone else’s care.
In an article by Market Wire about travel for pet owners there were some valuable tips given about traveling without your pet. This was inspired by Lynn Gervais of Kelowna, B.C., who won a travel contest. Here are some of the highlights.
- To reduce your stress level, consider leaving your pet at home with a trusted caregiver that you know will take good care of your pet.
- If you are leaving your pet with a trusted relative, friend or putting them in a pet hotel, be sure to leave detailed instructions on their daily habits, dietary patterns, favorite toys etc. Be especially careful about this if your pet has any known dog food allergies or other allergies.
- Leave contact information for your dog’s veterinarian in case of emergency.
- If you hire a dog-sitter to come by your house, provide the name and contact information of a neighbor who has a key to your home in case of emergencies.
- Position yourself as nearby – have the sitter play a home video so the dog can hear or see you.
- Keep in touch – call and say “hello” on the sitter’s cell phone so they can hear your voice – it’s proven to be soothing for them.
For more information on traveling with your dog, check out the rest of the article at MARKET WIRE
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/air-miles-pets-traveling-tips/
story.aspx?guid=%7B0C535EE2-B990-455E-91D8-C6C1A2622B96%7D&dist=hppr
If you have your own tips for caring for your pets while traveling, leave a comment below.
2 Responses
2008 Sep 09
American dogs, like American people, are gaining more and more excess weight. They may live contentedly with their owners, but a lot of dogs are less active than they should be and eat less appropriate diets than dogs did only 10 to 20 years ago. We see more illness, more vet bills and dogs with much shorter life spans as well.
2008 Oct 03
Nice site for Dog travel
I visit your site and got more information, good keep it up
thanks