Most of the pet owners prefer to be accompanied by their four-legged family members while traveling. As a result, when you include your fur baby to have a vacation, you have to think about some more new travel plans like how to carry your pet safely, taking essential paperwork’s, taking care of your pet’s health issues before traveling etc.
Wherever you are planning to move, you must ensure a comfortable and affordable journey by taking preparations in advance. In this article, I will enlighten you with some useful tips that will help you to keep your pet healthy and happy throughout the journey.
Let’s have a look on these tips given below:
Cosy carrier
Select a suitable carrier that must be well ventilated from at least to three sides and the bottom must be covered by soft padding material. Make sure that the crate is spacious enough for the pet to roam around and to stand up inside it. The crate should be placed in the back seat of the vehicle with the harness properly buckled, so it won’t slide during motion.
Make the pet familiar with the new crate
As you have to introduce your pet to a new special travel crate, make sure your pet is accustomed enough to it’s new carrier. Keep it’sfavourite treats or stuff inside the carrier to attract the pet to the crate. Once it feels comfortable staying inside the crate, the travel process will go smoothly.
Rehearse with short trips
Pets are generally not fond of moving. Therefore, to prepare it for a long journey, take it for some frequent short trips to make it familiar with the traveling process and gradually increase the distance and duration of the journey. This step will also help you to observe if there is any health problem occurring to your pet while traveling.
Take essential medicines
Don’t forget to take the basic essential pet medications while traveling. Such as medicines for upset stomach, motion sickness, nutraceutical supplements, vet prescribed tranquilized etc.
Go for health check up
Take your pet for a proper health review from an accredited veterinarian before journey. Also, gather all the health certificates and vaccination records signed by that licensed vet that you might need for interstate shipment and airlines transportation.
Follow disciplined schedule
Try to follow a fixed schedule to feed your pet and maintain the same even when you are travelling. Carry home cooked food and bottled water for your pet, because sudden change of atmosphere and food habit may cause stomach upset to your pet.
Book your tickets in advance
Make sure to book your tickets in advance if you are going to fly with your pet. As every airline has limited slots for carrying animals, so service is provided as a first come first serve basis. Otherwise, you may have to ship your pet to a crowded flight which won’t be desired to the pet.
Get a customized ID for your pet
Arrange a customized microchipped ID to your pet. In case the attached travel tag of the pet’s collar gets lost, you can find your pet with the help of microchip technology. This also helps especially when using a pet transport service like citizenshipper.
Breed specifications
Make sure not to ship your brachycephalic breeds or push nosed pets to a plane or cargo holds. They can have breathing problems and heart strokes because of the high altitude air pressure.
Keep a litter box inside the crate
Place a litter box inside the pet’s crate, so that it can be used if you are not able to stop for a break when needed.
Don’t forget your pet in a locked vehicle
Don’t leave yourpet alone inside a locked vehicle in the parking lot. It may make your pet frightened. Moreover, a parked vehicle turns into a living furnace in summer and similarly becomes a freezer in winter. Both extreme weathers can be fatal for your canine baby.
Say no to sedatives
Don’t tranquilize your pet unless it is prescribed by an accredited veterinarian. Sedatives may have side effects.
Skip a meal on travel day
Avoid over feeding your pet before boarding. Fed it at least 3 to 4 hours before departure. Try to skip a meal if possible. It will help it to not develop nausea and stress diarrhea while travelling.
Don’t dehydrate your pet
Keep your pet hydrated through the shipping process. Keep some ice cubes instead of water in the attached bowl of the crate.
Pack the travel kit for your pet
Don’t forget to pack your pet’s travel kit that includes foods, bottled water, waste bags, medicines, grooming supplies, first aid kit etc.