Traveling with Your Pets

Traveling with your pet can be hassle-free with a little bit of planning. Below are some tips to help you with this.

If your pet is on medication, bring plenty of it so you’re not running out of medication when it’s needed. It would also be a good idea to have your veterinarian contact information in case you lose the medication, so the vet can call in a prescription should the other get lost.

Find out ahead of time that the hotel you make reservations at will accept pets. You don’t want to assume that there is a pet friendly hotel in a town you intend to stay in and when you get there, you’re turned away for having a pet or the one’s that allow the pets are all booked up.

Make sure your pet wears a collar with tags. One tag should be a current rabies tag and the other tag should have the dogs name, your name, address, town, state, and phone numbers. If you have a cell phone, add your cell phone number to the ID tag. It wouldn’t hurt to get a microchip implanted either. This is a much more reliable source of identification.

Bring along your pet’s food dishes, bed or pillow and a couple of its favorite toys. Having familiar items along for the trip can help ease the stress of traveling and make the trip more enjoyable for both you and your animal companion.

Stop frequently for exercise breaks. A well-exercised animal will sleep and not be all over the place in a vehicle. Most highway rest stops have places to walk your dog or cat. Follow the guidelines and make sure to clean up after your pet. Common courtesy will insure the facilities will welcome pets in the future.