Planning to bring your fur baby on summer vacation? That’s my kitten Leo snuggled up in my kid’s car seat, though we make sure to put him in his carrier when we are taking a car ride! Here are 8 more tips that I find helpful when taking my family on vacation.
- Don’t forget the medication your pet is prescribed but also don’t forget the food. An abrupt change in a pet’s diet can cause vomiting or diarrhea and nothing puts a damper on a holiday like cleaning up poo and vomit.
- Consider bringing a jug of water from your home to provide water or mix with water at your destination. Some water differs in smell and taste. Cats and small dogs particularly may go on a water strike if they don’t like the smell or taste of water.
- Pets should ideally travel in a carrier. The carrier should be well ventilated and large enough for them to turn around freely and lie down/stretch out. If you are travelling with your cat a litterbox should fit inside.
- If your pet is not used to the car or a carrier then start with short, frequent trips. Put your pet inside the carrier and reward them with treats before putting them in the car.
- Taking short, frequent trips before a long car ride will help you learn if your pet gets car sick! Feed a light meal 3-4 hours prior to travel to prevent nausea. If car sickness is a problem Compassion Veterinary Center can help with medications to help improve the experience for the whole family!
- Don’t allow your pet to put their head outside the window. Although they love the breeze injury from flying objects and/or severe injury to the corneal surface of the eyes could occur.
- Your pet’s travel kit should include the health papers and records. If an accident or illness occurs, you may need to see a vet on an emergency basis. Take the time to research ER vets in the area you are travelling. Compassion Veterinary Center clients have full access to the pet’s medical records online thanks to our practice management software called eVet Practice. If the worst happens and a trip to an ER is needed while on vacation the ER veterinarian will be able to access the complete medical history of any CVC patient.
- Ensure your pet has a collar with an ID tag imprinted with your travel phone number. In addition, we HIGHLY recommend a microchip, which can be performed at Compassion Veterinary Center. It is a simple, quick 15 second injection. The first thing any vet hospital or animal shelter does is scan a stray or found pet for a microchip. This chip will link your pet to you and us! Please call CVC if you would like to have your pet microchipped or have any questions on this service.