For my husband and I, our dogs are part of our family and we enjoy sharing our vacations with them whenever possible.
They’ve traveled with us in cars, planes, sailboats, powerboats, and ferry boats. Our old dog had the honor of having peed in every state and province on the east coast of North America, except Rhode Island.
We’ve learned a lot of lessons (some vicariously and some the hard way) about how to travel safely and happily with our dogs.
Here’s the first half of our list of top tips:
- Before you leave home, make sure your dog is up-to-date on all shots and get a copy of his medical records, especially the rabies vaccine record. You’ll need the vaccine records if you plan to cross the border to Canada, or if you need to board your dog in a pinch. If your dog has a medical emergency away from home, having those medical records will help the veterinarian diagnose and treat your dog.
- If your dog takes any prescription drugs, bring twice what you think you’ll need, split it into two bottles, and tuck one bottle safely away. While on a camping vacation, our dog’s special order prescription eye drops disappeared and we didn’t have a spare tucked away. Luckily we were only two days from home.
- Get a list of veterinarians and emergency clinics along your expected route. Don’t count on your smart phone to help you find a local veterinarian. One of our dogs had a medical emergency while we were travelling through the Maine wilderness, with no cell phone signal for hours. After frantically searching through truck stop pay phone booths for a phone book, we finally found a clinic within a two-hour drive.
- Purchase a really good pet first aid kit and book. Make sure the kit contains a muzzle that fits your dog. Also include a towel large enough to use as a wrap restraint.
- Make sure you have enough funds (cash or credit card) to pay for an emergency veterinary bill. Unlike your hometown veterinarian, that clinic hundreds of miles from your home isn’t going to take a check or bill you later. We once racked up an $800 veterinarian bill, between two clinics in Maine and New Hampshire, diagnosing and treating our dog’s punctured, infected gum. Thank heaven for credit cards.
- Make sure your dog is micro-chipped and has at least one other form of identification on him, such as your cell phone number (not your home phone) embroidered or embossed on his collar. And remember to bring a current photo of your dog.
- Make sure you pack more than enough dog food for your entire trip. In some parts of the country, or in Canada or Mexico, your brand may not be available. Suddenly switching to a different food might cause digestive upset for your dog.
Stay tuned in two weeks for Tips on Traveling With Your Dog, Part 2
Send your dog training and behavior questions to [email protected].
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