Ensuring Safe Travel for Your Pets

From securing hotel and car accommodations to making sure you bring enough pairs of clean underwear, taking care of travel details for yourself and your family adds up to a stressful checklist. Additionally, taking a trip with a four-legged companion can increase the stress if you don’t know what you’re in for.

But fret not – here is some basic information that all pet-owners should know before embarking on an adventure with their beloved animal friends.

Before the trip:

To prepare for any sort of trip, make sure your pet wears a collar with an ID tag. For long distance travel, it is a good idea to have two tags: one with a home address and one with a destination address. For added precaution, consider implanting a microchip in your pet. The tiny microchip will make it substantially easier to find your pet if something goes awry. Make sure all contact information is up-to-date.

Check in with your veterinarian to make sure your pet is in good health to travel. If your pet will be on an airplane, request a health certificate that is not more than 10 days old prior to your departure date. When crossing state lines or international borders, bring your pet’s medical information with proof of vaccinations.

In your bag, bring a leash, grooming supplies, waste scoop, plastic bags, medication, and a pet first-aid kit. Bring your pet’s favorite toy, food, and bowl as comfort items.

By Car:

• Do keep your cats in carriers. Most cats do not enjoy car rides, so this is the standard approach to travelling with feline pets.
• Do keep dogs, even if they like car rides, in restraining harnesses. These harnesses buckle into car seatbelts, ensuring pooches will stay put. If your dog doesn’t enjoy car rides, keep your pooch in a carrier.
• Do strap carriers down with a seatbelt. This will provide the carrier from sliding around during the car ride.
• Don’t spring an extended car ride upon a pet that has not gone on one before. Get your pet used to the feeling of car travel by going on short drives first.
• Do keep your pets in the backseat. While passenger air bags are helpful to humans, their spontaneous deployment can be harmful to pets.
• Don’t leave your pet in an unattended car. Even on a mildly warm day, a car’s temperature can rise quickly and be fatal to your pet.
• Do keep your pets’ heads inside the car. Letting pets ride with their heads out of the window can result in lung infections and inner ear damage.
• Do make pit stops to give your pet opportunities to walk around, stretch their legs, and go to the bathroom.

By Plane:

• Do travel mid-week. Weekend flights can be busy and hectic, which can cause increased stress for your animal.
• Do choose carriers that are well ventilated and provide ample room for your pet to stand up, lie down, and move around.
• Don’t give your pets sedatives or tranquilizers during a flight, as they can muddle your pets’ senses and make them more apt to injury.
• Don’t put a leash in the carrier. Without supervision, your pet could get tangled in it.
• Do choose non-stop flights.
• Don’t feed your pet for two hours prior to flying. This allows time for your pet’s tummy contents to settle before take-off.
• Do mark your pet’s carrier stickers that say, “Live Animal” and “This End Up.” Additionally, include information such as your flight number and destination.

By Victoria Nguyen, editorial.

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Tags: pets, travel