Tips For Traveling With Pets

Are you considering travelling with your pet? If so these tips will help you do so without issue and prepare you for your efforts.

 

Assess Your Pet Realistically

Before taking any other steps, you need to make sure that your pet is ready for the rigors of travel. If your pet is young and relatively untrained, or older and in poor health, consider other options. Travel is also a bad idea if your pet is recovering from an illness and taking medication. In situations like these, it may be wiser to lodge your dog or cat with a trusted pet-sitter in familiar surroundings.

 

Enlist Your Veterinarian

A check-up with your veterinarian is generally helpful and may be a necessity if you plan on taking your pet across international borders. Your vet can help you identify all of the documentation requirements involved in getting your pet into another country. An up-to-date record of vaccinations and rabies shots will be necessary, and there may be additional tests required based on your destination.

This is the time to have your dog or cat microchipped if you haven’t done it already. Make sure your vet uses a 15-digit pet chip that complies with the appropriate international standard, ISO 11784/11785. An identification microchip is required to bring a pet into many countries. Remember, your contact information needs to be registered in a suitable microchip database.

Ask your vet for a full rundown on traveling with your pet. Provide your destination, travel plans, and intended length of your journey. Ask about specific health threats you may encounter, like ticks, fleas, and heartworm. Your vet can provide useful advice on possible travel medication for your pet, including tranquilizers and motion sickness meds. If possible, get referrals for veterinarians operating close to your destination. Take your vet’s phone number with you when you travel with your pet.

Traveling Internationally

Be aware that bringing a pet into many countries is a lengthy and complex process. Preparations and tests can take months prior to your actual trip. As a general rule of thumb, restrictions are most stringent when traveling to island nations. This includes Australia, New Zealand, the South Pacific, the Caribbean, and even Hawaii.

Taking a pet into the European Union has become somewhat simpler if you are entering from a country considered rabies-free or rabies-controlled. Vaccinations and microchipping need to be done at least 21 days before your pet travels. If you’re bringing a pet from a high-rabies country, you’ll need to complete a rabies titer test at least one month after vaccination and three months before traveling. You can find more information about bringing pets to Europe here.

Invest In The Right Equipment Well In Advance

Buy the right pet crate or pet carrier based on the size of your pet and your intended method(s) of travel. A properly-sized carrier needs to be large enough to let your pet stand, turn around, and lay down in comfort. Your pet’s container should be free of interior protrusions or edges that might cause injury. Carriers must be well-ventilated and include a waterproof bottom. The outside of the carrier should have your name, your pet’s name, and your contact information clearly listed on it. Indelible ink is a must for writing this information out.

It’s important not to try and introduce your dog or cat to a carrier or crate on your day of departure. Put them into the carrier for increasing intervals well in advance of your trip. The earlier you can start this process, the better. Weeks or even months of acclimation will make the trip itself that much smoother.

If you are taking your pet on an airplane, consult with your airline for guidance and precautions you need to follow. As a basic example, most airlines ask you to ship your pet’s leash along with the carrier. This cannot travel inside the crate, though, as your pet could get tangled. The leash should be placed in a plastic bag and taped to the outside of the crate.

Get a Pet Passport

Pets need passports just like humans do – these perform the same purpose as a human passport and ensure the pet is fit to travel. If you want to know how long does it take to get a pet passport or why you need one, you can find out more on the web.

Locate Accommodations That Like Pets

Make sure you are looking for pet-friendly hotels when you make your travel arrangements. Do not take published policies for granted; always double-check that your pet will be welcome before you book a reservation. Pettravel.com is an excellent resource for locating pet-friendly hotels. The site also catalogs veterinarians, dog parks, and pet-friendly attractions all over the world.

Pets Flying In-Cabin

Pets can often be flown along with you in the passenger cabin. This needs to be planned out well in advance, and your airline needs to know you are bringing a pet when you book your flight. In this circumstance, you will need to use a carrier that has been approved by the airline. Some airlines now take pet reservations online, but we recommend speaking directly to airline personnel on the phone to minimize the risk of any misunderstandings.

Make an effort to be as unobtrusive as possible when you bring your pet along on a flight. Whenever possible, get a window-seat reservation. Your pet will be calmer the further from the aisle you are. This is an excellent occasion for using a privacy carrier – one that has movable coverings for some of its openings. The calmer and better-behaved you can make your pet, the more grateful your fellow passengers will be. Also, keeping your pet calm will do a little bit to encourage more airlines to accommodate pets.

Traveling By Car

For many pets, traveling in a car is a scary proposition. The trick here is to make their introduction to riding in a car as gradual as possible. Start with short trips that will familiarize them with the vehicle and their restraints. Include plenty of treats and hugs at the end of each trip. Build up to longer and longer trips to get your companion comfortable with car travel.

Always make sure your car’s air conditioner works before taking a trip with your pet. Do not let dogs hang their heads out of open windows, and never carry your pets in the open bed of a truck. For maximum safety, your pet should always be harnessed when you are driving with them.