Vacation Tips For 4-Footed Travelers

[Texasmujer]

Want to include your 4 footed best buddy on your next vacation? Your first consideration should be: Will your companion enjoy it? If your pet is srtsressed by change, it probably will bve happier and safer left behind.
Second, is your animal friendly and well-behaved? A traveling dog should be calm and easily controlled, quiet when left alone and trained to come reliably when called.
Third, make sure Fluffy is cleared for the trip by the vet, has up-to-date shots and sports an ID tag. Also, bring a recent photo in case your pet strays.
Here are some specific tipe:

AIRPLANE TRAVEL: Call your airline for size and weight restrictions. When flying with your pets:
*DO NOT SEDATE. Sedation had been found to contribute to injuries or, worse, an occaisional death.
*AVOID PEAK TRAVEL TIMES. This includes holidays, when delays are more likely. Direct flights are best.
*RESPECT THE WEATHER. Heed your airline's temperature requirements. Excessive heat or cold can be life-threatening for your pet. Cats and short-nosed dogs are particularly vulnerable to heat stress.

CAR TRAVEL: Most animals (86%) travel on roads with their families. When going by car:
*RESTRAIN OR CONFINE: Frightened pets can dive under a driver's feet or bolt when you open a door. Put your animal in a sturdy crate or, for most dogs, use a special harness that attaches to a seat belt.
HEADS OUT, YOU LOSE: Yes, dogs love to ride with their heads out the window, but that doesn't mean it's safe. Dogs can and do leap from open windows---even when cars are moving. Also, road grit hitting the anine at 55mph can cause serious injury.
HEED THE HEAT: Cars heat up quicl;y. When we travel with our pets in summer, we make sure they stay cool. During stops, one of us stays in the car with the air conditioner on whenever the sun is up.
When you are well-prepared, traveling with your pet is one of life'spleasures. Experiences can be more fun with yur pet along.

site for other hints for pate-included travel: http://www.parade.com

[Mistress]

Originally posted by Texasmujer
Want to include your 4 footed best buddy on your next vacation? Your first consideration should be: Will your companion enjoy it? If your pet is srtsressed by change, it probably will bve happier and safer left behind.
Second, is your animal friendly and well-behaved? A traveling dog should be calm and easily controlled, quiet when left alone and trained to come reliably when called.
Third, make sure Fluffy is cleared for the trip by the vet, has up-to-date shots and sports an ID tag. Also, bring a recent photo in case your pet strays.
Here are some specific tipe:

AIRPLANE TRAVEL: Call your airline for size and weight restrictions. When flying with your pets:
*DO NOT SEDATE. Sedation had been found to contribute to injuries or, worse, an occaisional death.
*AVOID PEAK TRAVEL TIMES. This includes holidays, when delays are more likely. Direct flights are best.
*RESPECT THE WEATHER. Heed your airline's temperature requirements. Excessive heat or cold can be life-threatening for your pet. Cats and short-nosed dogs are particularly vulnerable to heat stress.

CAR TRAVEL: Most animals (86%) travel on roads with their families. When going by car:
*RESTRAIN OR CONFINE: Frightened pets can dive under a driver's feet or bolt when you open a door. Put your animal in a sturdy crate or, for most dogs, use a special harness that attaches to a seat belt.
HEADS OUT, YOU LOSE: Yes, dogs love to ride with their heads out the window, but that doesn't mean it's safe. Dogs can and do leap from open windows---even when cars are moving. Also, road grit hitting the anine at 55mph can cause serious injury.
HEED THE HEAT: Cars heat up quicl;y. When we travel with our pets in summer, we make sure they stay cool. During stops, one of us stays in the car with the air conditioner on whenever the sun is up.
When you are well-prepared, traveling with your pet is one of life'spleasures. Experiences can be more fun with yur pet along.

site for other hints for pate-included travel: http://www.parade.com

[i]Too Bad ya can't really take a wee Kitty out of the Country eh.. or can you? lol.. I would image that the wait in quarantine would be too long no?

[Texasmujer]

I'm not sure what the individual countrys' requirement(s) for quarantine are; you'll have to check on that, but, yeah, after seeing the differences in the facilities for quarantine, I'd NOT like to subject MY kitty to that. Then, since I'm a "near hysterical pet owner"---especially if anything should go wrong...I don't think I'd ever travel with my cat. Kudos to you if you do...you're braver than I am!

[Mistress]

Originally posted by Texasmujer
I'm not sure what the individual countrys' requirement(s) for quarantine are; you'll have to check on that, but, yeah, after seeing the differences in the facilities for quarantine, I'd NOT like to subject MY kitty to that. Then, since I'm a "near hysterical pet owner"---especially if anything should go wrong...I don't think I'd ever travel with my cat. Kudos to you if you do...you're braver than I am!

[i]Oh gods no.. I would never.. lol..

But I think I remember a frined of mine telling me it was Three months out of the country in quarantine.. but I am not 100% sure.. And even if someone decided to move.. and you still had to wait three months to get your wee one back.. well that would be terrible.. lol..