Vacationing with Your Pets: What You Should Know Before You Go 3

There are many hotels that are pet friendly, so always book your room
in these hotels to avoid any problems. Different attitudes towards
animals exist in different countries, and so you need to be aware of
them before you go. What you see as a family member might be seen as
livestock, unclean, or dinner to a local!

Also, it is recommended that you carry a first aid kit designed
especially for pets when you travel. You can buy them online, or put
one together yourself with some advice from your vet.

Pet foods are different the world over, as is water. It’s a good idea
to take your pet’s special brand of dog biscuits or food, and ensure
that you carry a sufficient amount to last the entire flight and
during your vacation, plus use bottled water only, to avoid any
water-borne illnesses.

Finally, if you are visiting a country where street dogs and cats run
free, make sure you have updated their flea and tick protection, with
Frontline, Heartgard and so on. You should be doing these monthly
anyway in the warmer months.

Travelling with your pet requires a lot of forward planning,
especially if you are planning to go overseas, but let’s face it-they
are a member of the family, and often taking them with you might be
expensive, but give you more peace of mind than boarding them or
leaving them at home with a petsitter

Vacationing with Your Pets: What You Should Know Before You Go 2
Airlines have certain rules as far as pets are concerned. Some pets
are allowed to travel inside the cabin if they are small enough, and
their bag is small enough, to fit under the seat. Otherwise, they have
to go in the climate controlled cargo hold.

In this case, they would have to be carried in special crates on
board, usually a hard sided crate with a water holder or water bottle
and one or more food dishes.

Each airline has rules and regulations about the dimensions of the
crate depending upon the pet’s size and weight. Your local pet shop
will be able to provide you with such crates. You might also wish to
consult with a livestock carrier for the best techniques for shipping
overseas. Many top dog and cat breeders use them, for example, to ship
show dogs or show cats all over the world.

The best advice I got was to put in nice soft bedding that was
familiar to the pet, and feed it the same thing before the flight, and
after the flight. I flew on British Airways with my prize dog and she
was allocated a special handler who would walk her etc before the
flight. They also suggested NOT tranquilizing the pet because if it
was a flight of more than 5 hours, the meds would wear off and then
the animal might start to panic and cause itself an injury.

So make sure you ask what sort of accommodations your pet will be
given, and most importantly, where you should go in the airport to
drop it off if it is not going in the cabin with you; sometimes you
might need to report to the cargo area of the terminal, not the
passenger terminal.

One other thing to consider is that many airlines have weather rules
regarding accepting pets for travel in the cargo area; too warm or
cold is dangerous for pets in the cargo area. This will also hold true
depending on the climate of certain countries you might plan to visit,
so check first, and always have a contingency plan in case you change
your mind, or circumstances change with the airline at the last
minute.

Also make sure you ask about all costs related to transport, including
whether or not you can provide your own crate, or have to rent or buy
one from them.

Vacationing with Your Pets: What You Should Know Before You Go 1

Pets are beloved members of a family, and no one wants to leave their
pet behind when visiting other cities or countries. Not only will you
miss them, boarding and pet care can be expensive, and there is always
the worry about emergencies while you are away. Even the best
petsitter can have trouble while you are gone, so if you are
vacationing in the USA, taking them with you is now simpler than ever
before.

With over 100 million households in the US owning pets, 66&% of the
multipet households, has become much easier to travel with pets, with
many pet friendly hotels now, like the Red Roof Inn, and pet friendly
airlines like Continental. However, there are certain things you need
to know before you go, especially if you are thinking of taking a pet
overseas.

There are some countries that do not permit animals from abroad
because they are protecting their own animals from rabies. So the
first thing you would need to do is find out if your planned
destination might be one of these. You can find out this information
by checking online, talking to your travel agent, or by enquiring
through the embassy of the country you are visiting.

There are some countries who do allow you to take a pet along with
you, but your pet needs to be immunized before they are allowed entry.
Therefore, it is a prudent course of action to have the pets
inoculated according to the requirements of the country you are
planning to visit. This will entail one or more trips to the vet plus
some sort of certification of inoculation, and will cost extra, so do
add this on to the price of the vacation, and compare it to the cost
of boarding your pet while you are away, to make the best financial
decision for you and your family.

Rabies vaccinations are the most important, and of course all dogs and
cats in the US should be regularly inoculated against it. Ensure that
your dog or cat wears a rabies tag on their collar. You should also
carry along paperwork that indicates your pet has been vaccinated, and
your dog licence. Also, there is a special tag you can place on the
pet’s collar designed for owner’s contact information. This is
critical in case your pet is lost or stolen. However, it is usually a
number to dial in the US only, so you might want to tape the number of
your accommodation to the tag while you are abroad.