What To Pack - The Basics
- Bags (poop bags)
- Bed and/or blanket
- Bowls for food and water
- Collar, considering bringing an extra
- Leash, considering bringing an extra
- Harness if using one
- Crate / Kennel if using one
- Grooming supplies
- Medicines/supplements if applicable
- Food / treats, especially if your dog has a sensitive digestive system that is adversely effected by sudden changes in diet
- Toy if your dog enjoys having one or two
- Towels
- Water bottle
- Water for traveling in the car
- Your dog’s papers (medical, vaccination records, ownership) - particularly important if you are crossing an international border
- First Aid Kit
Emergency Preparedness - Health and Safety Basics
Emergency Health Care
- Know Where to Go
Consider looking up and writing down the contact information
and hours of operation of some veterinarian offices or alternate and
complementary medicine health care providers along your travel route and near
where you will be staying. This can save
valuable time in an emergency situation.
How to Help an Anxious
Dog Travel Comfortably
The Psychology of
Travel Anxiety
When it comes to communication
dogs are very insightful - if you expect your dog to get anxious
you are actually directing your dog to be anxious. Vehicle
anxiety is a psychological state that results in one or more of the following
physical symptoms - barking, panting, whining, inability to ‘settle down’,
wanting to hide or escape etc. Solving the issue is best accomplished by addressing and resolving the all elements
that contribute to the anxious state, including:
- The psychological state (human and canine)
- The physical state (human and canine)
- Food, diet, nutrition (canine)
Herbals for Travel Anxiety
In addition to providing
appropriate psychological and physical support you can also purchase a holistic herbal or homeopathic
tincture / tonic to help reduce your dog’s stress.
There are many good quality
herbal tinctures, tonics, homeopathic remedies that can be purchased on-line or
from a good-quality pet store or natural health store. Be careful to check the
ingredients list. Many products including those made for pets contain alcohol,
toxic fillers, and slipping agents, artificial sweeteners, and other
inappropriate ingredients. Make sure you
follow the manufacturer’s instructions and dosage carefully.
If your dog has allergies or any
health medical conditions please makes sure you check all herbals and
homeopathic remedies for interactions and cautions related to your dog’s
condition and medications prior to use.
Motion Sickness
Some dogs experience motion
sickness - another condition that can be cured when addressed properly and with patience. You can read more on treating motion sickness here.
Herbs
such as ginger,
anise or peppermint are good choices for treating nausea. And do not feed your dog for at least an hour
before vehicle travel, but do not restrict water intake. An empty stomach (no
food, water is fine) helps to avoid the onset of nausea.
Food, Nutrition, Diet
and Travel Anxiety
Diet matters. Dogs, just like people have more serotonin in
their gut than in their brain. A dog ‘food’ (i.e. processed commercial dry
or wet food) that contains grains,
chemical based preservatives,
artificial food colouring, artificial flavours, poor sourced protein, and other
toxins definitely contributes to increased levels of anxiety. If your dog is
anxious - proper attention to creating a truly supportive diet is important to
supporting an over-all cure.
When this type of behaviour is
addressed properly vehicle anxiety and motion sickness can be resolved.
I am Lost - I am Found
- If your dog does have ID tags:
- Check to make sure the ring that holds the tag on the collar is secure
- Make sure all information on the tag is current
- If your dog does not have an ID Tag:
- Make sure you get one - even if your dog is micro chipped -the person that finds your dog may not know about microchips or have access to a facility that scans for chips
- Include the following on the tag
- Dog’s name (essential)
- Your phone number (essential)
- Your name (optional)
- Your address (optional)
- Make sure you always have available a recent photo of your dog
Car Travel Safety
For important tips of car travel safety with your dog - guidance on what's best, the front seat or back seat; options for making sure your dog is not injured during a sudden emergency stop; the right way to use a crate in the car if you need to do so and other life saving do's and don'ts Go Here >>
...and last but not least, have a good trip!
Holistic Wellness and Behaviorist Services
Do you need holistic advice to support your companion animal's health and well being? Become a client. Book your consultation. My professional holistic nutrition, wellness and behavioral services are available to you:
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Available Holistic Consultations and Sessions:
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For more information go here.
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Affiliations to Companies
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Article and graphics by Karen Rosenfeld
