Are you going anywhere fun for the summer? Headed overseas or even just up north? There are some things that you need to keep in mind if you’re traveling with your pet to make for smooth sailing.
Tips for Every Kind of Trip
No matter what method of travel you choose, make sure that your pet has an ID tag on their collar before you embark on your adventure. An ID tag has your basic contact information should you and your pet become separated. Ideally, you should get your pet microchipped. A microchip goes under your pet’s skin and contains your contact information. The chip is able to be read by a scanner and helps should your pet ever lose their identification. Also be sure to see what vaccines your pet may need for traveling to a new place as certain things may be more common in the area you’re traveling to. For example, before you take your dog up north or to a heavily wooded area you will need tick prevention for your dog. Tick prevention can come in a variety of topical forms and and you may also want to consider getting your dog vaccinated for Lyme disease, which is a disease carried by ticks.
Traveling by Car
Before you decide to take a long road trip with your pet make sure that they have some experience riding in the car. Take them on small trips with you leading up to your longer trip with them so that they get used to the sights, sounds and smells associated with being in a car. Your animal also needs safety gear to restrain them when riding in a car, especially for long rides, similar to how humans wear a seat belt. Some states even have regulations about unrestricted dogs, and you can get in trouble for being distracted by your dog while driving. An unrestrained pet poses a safety concern not only to your pet but to the other passengers in the car, AAA has found that during a crash an unrestrained 10-pound dog traveling at 50 miles per hour flies forward with 500 pounds of pressure in a crash and an 80 pound dog at only 30 mph packs on 2400 pounds. Also be sure that you never leave your pet alone in a car, on an 85-degree day the temperature inside a car with the windows cracked can reach 110 degrees in 10 minutes, which can be deadly for your pet.
Traveling by Air
If you’re taking your pet on a plane with you make sure that you do your research about the airline and where your pet will be during the flight, as pets can be in the cabin with you or may end up traveling with checked baggage. There are even airlines that specialize in transporting pets, and provide more comforts for your pet during the flight. Before you fly you should also check with your vet if you have any concerns on whether your pet is healthy enough to fly or might have any medical trouble flying.
Traveling Out of the Country
Make sure that if you are going out of the country that you follow the country’s procedures for bringing in animals. Some foreign countries don’t allow you to bring your pets, even common household animals like dogs and cats. Other countries require that you quarantine your pet with them for a set period of time before it can enter the country. If you haven’t seen it in the news lately, Johnny Depp just faced some recent trouble with bringing his dogs into Australia and failing to declare them. The Australian government threatened to have the dogs put down, but Depp was able to get his dogs out in time. However, if the incident goes to trial Depp could face up to 10 years in prison. Depp’s recent blunder provides a strong warning, if you plan on traveling to another county with your pet make sure that you follow the guidelines and rules set by the country you’re traveling to and declare your pet when entering the country.
Tips for Every Kind of Trip
No matter what method of travel you choose, make sure that your pet has an ID tag on their collar before you embark on your adventure. An ID tag has your basic contact information should you and your pet become separated. Ideally, you should get your pet microchipped. A microchip goes under your pet’s skin and contains your contact information. The chip is able to be read by a scanner and helps should your pet ever lose their identification. Also be sure to see what vaccines your pet may need for traveling to a new place as certain things may be more common in the area you’re traveling to. For example, before you take your dog up north or to a heavily wooded area you will need tick prevention for your dog. Tick prevention can come in a variety of topical forms and and you may also want to consider getting your dog vaccinated for Lyme disease, which is a disease carried by ticks.
Traveling by Car
Before you decide to take a long road trip with your pet make sure that they have some experience riding in the car. Take them on small trips with you leading up to your longer trip with them so that they get used to the sights, sounds and smells associated with being in a car. Your animal also needs safety gear to restrain them when riding in a car, especially for long rides, similar to how humans wear a seat belt. Some states even have regulations about unrestricted dogs, and you can get in trouble for being distracted by your dog while driving. An unrestrained pet poses a safety concern not only to your pet but to the other passengers in the car, AAA has found that during a crash an unrestrained 10-pound dog traveling at 50 miles per hour flies forward with 500 pounds of pressure in a crash and an 80 pound dog at only 30 mph packs on 2400 pounds. Also be sure that you never leave your pet alone in a car, on an 85-degree day the temperature inside a car with the windows cracked can reach 110 degrees in 10 minutes, which can be deadly for your pet.
Traveling by Air
If you’re taking your pet on a plane with you make sure that you do your research about the airline and where your pet will be during the flight, as pets can be in the cabin with you or may end up traveling with checked baggage. There are even airlines that specialize in transporting pets, and provide more comforts for your pet during the flight. Before you fly you should also check with your vet if you have any concerns on whether your pet is healthy enough to fly or might have any medical trouble flying.
Traveling Out of the Country
Make sure that if you are going out of the country that you follow the country’s procedures for bringing in animals. Some foreign countries don’t allow you to bring your pets, even common household animals like dogs and cats. Other countries require that you quarantine your pet with them for a set period of time before it can enter the country. If you haven’t seen it in the news lately, Johnny Depp just faced some recent trouble with bringing his dogs into Australia and failing to declare them. The Australian government threatened to have the dogs put down, but Depp was able to get his dogs out in time. However, if the incident goes to trial Depp could face up to 10 years in prison. Depp’s recent blunder provides a strong warning, if you plan on traveling to another county with your pet make sure that you follow the guidelines and rules set by the country you’re traveling to and declare your pet when entering the country.
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