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Use these tips to help ensure that your trip with your pet is a pleasant one.
1. Before you leave, see your veterinarian, especially if it has been six months or more since your pet's last check-up. Make sure you have an ample supply of all medications, and that all vaccinations are up-to-date.
If your pet is scheduled for routine worming during the time period you'll be on the road, go ahead and worm him/her at least a week before you leave. Worming medications may cause diarrhea and/or vomiting which you'll want to avoid while traveling.
Your vet may recommend giving your pet medication to protect against heart worms and other mosquito-spread parasites. If your pet tends to get car-sick, or if it's his/her first trip, ask your vet about medication for this. Mild tranquilizers may be recommended for first-timers.
If your pet does not already have an implanted identification chip, ask your vet to put one in. This can be a life-saving safeguard if your pet becomes lost while you travel. Most animal shelters and vets will scan for a chip in "found" pets, especially if they are purebred.
2. Make sure to get a certificate of health from your veterinarian, and carry a copy of it AND your pet's rabies certificate with you when you travel. Even if you're sure Fluffy or Sparky would never bite anyone, to be safe you should carry these papers with you. These papers are legally required if you will be travelling out of the country. (Note: A veterinary health certificate simply states that your pet is not carrying an infectious disease. If your pet has a non-infectious health problem, you will still get a "clean bill of health.")
3. Along with your pet's health and rabies certificates, carry with you a list of "in case of emergency" instructions for needed medications, a person (friend or relative) to contact, etc. You never can tell, accidents do happen. For your pet's sake it's best to be prepared.
4. Even if your pet has an implanted i.d. chip, make sure s/he has an i.d. tag too. You may want to get a special "travel tag" with the phone number(s) of someone in your family or a friend, so if your pet gets lost, whoever finds him/her can leave a message for you. For added safety, buy your pet an inexpensive lightweight nylon collar or harness to wear in addition to his/her regular collar. Write your pet's name, and a contact phone number on it with a permanent marker.
You can make a safe elastic i.d. collar for your cat by threading beads on thin elastic--you can buy beads with letters and numbers in most craft departments--spell out your pet's name and contact phone number.
5. In warm weather--even when the temperature is in the low 70's-don't leave your pet in a closed vehicle or in direct sun. This is well-known advice, but it's worth repeating. If you must leave your pet shut in your RV, open all screened windows. If the temperature is above 80 degrees, leave a block of ice in a dishpan where your pet can sit beside it and lap up cool water as it melts.
6. Never leave a cat or small dog leashed and unattended at a campground, rest area, etc. While this may seem a humane alternative to locking your pet in your RV, a tethered pet is vulnerable to attack by dogs, raccoons and other predators.
A roomy pet carrier, available from pet stores, is a safer alternative.
7. Avoid digestive upsets while you're on the road. Don't change brands of pet food while traveling unless absolutely necessary.
Your best bet is to pick a reputable name-brand which is widely available (Purina, Friskies, etc.)
There are a few "special diet" dog foods available (such as Iams and Nutro) that are believed to produce particularly small firm feces. Obviously this would be a convenience while one is traveling (and, presumably, cleaning up after one's dog.) These dog foods are expensive, however, and usually must be purchased from pet stores or veterinarians.
Actually just about any high-quality brand-name dog food works just as well, and, besides costing less than the fancy brands, you're sure to find them in any grocery store anywhere in the country. My own vet, (who incidentally sells one of these "special diet" brands) has admitted that there's really no advantage, medically-speaking, of "special diet" dog food over high quality grocery store brands if your dog is healthy. He agrees that quality brand-name foods produce small firm stools just as well.
If you usually feed your dog generic or store-brand dog foods (which tend to be higher in fiber and vegetable matter than brand-name foods), you will probably want to invest in brand-name foods while you're on the road.
In this case, you should start introducing them gradually to your dog's diet a week or two before you leave to avoid digestive upset.
8. Don't forget about the water. Digestive upset can be caused by changes in water as well. You may want to provide bottled water for your pet as well as for yourself. If your pet gets diarrhea from changes in water, food or simply from travel stress, a spoonful or two of plain active-culture yogurt daily will often correct the problem.
8. Are you sure your dog isn't barking or howling when you leave him/her alone at your camp? Make a point to ask your neighbors. I've found the best cure for this is to travel with two or more dogs to keep each other company. If you can't do this, leaving a radio on and tuned to a talk show station often works. If your dog is a persistent howler, out of consideration for your neighbors (and your dog) please arrange to take him/her with you when you leave the campground.
Don't forget that cats get lonely and bored too. Invest in a few catnip toys. Also, since cats are more visually oriented than dogs, they often enjoy watching tv when there is a lot of movement on the screen. Nature shows can be fascinating to cats.
9. If your pet requires veterinary care while you're on the road, you don't have to pick a vet at random from the phone book. Look in the yellow pages for a kennel, cat breeder or pet groomer; call and ask them which vet they use. These people have a professional interest in keeping their animals healthy and are most likely to know who's the "best doc in town." When you call the vet, be sure to say who recommended him/her.
If your animal companion is of a breed with special health needs, you may want to research on the internet before you travel, to find vets with experience with your breed. If you belong to a "breed list," your fellow list-members can often direct you to knowledgeable vets.
10. If your pet gets lost, try not to panic. First, call your contact person who's phone number is on your pet's collar. S/he may already have heard from someone who has found your pet.
If not, call the closest police department and ask if they've had a report of finding a pet like yours. Do NOT call 911--just call the local business number. Ask them who else they would recommend that you call. Usually the next folks to contact is the local animal control service and/or the humane society. If your pet is missing for more than one day, you should contact the humane society every day--or even twice a day--to see if your pet has shown up. You may want to call area vets as well, although in most cases they will report it to the humane society if someone has brought in a lost pet for care.
Check back with your contact person frequently. Posting flyers in the area where your pet was lost can be very effective, especially if you offer a reward. If you can't stay in the area because of travel commitments, put an ad in the local paper.
Have a safe trip!
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