Historical Summer 1993 article. Dates, prices, services and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
Traveling with a pet requires advance preparation to condition them to the different stresses or experiences encountered. Pets often require crate confinement for travel. Many puppies are housebroken using a crate and cats are transported to the veterinarian using a crate.
If your pet is not acquainted with a crate and will he put in one to travel, it is best to purchase the crate several weeks in advance. Put the crate on the floor and place food treats in the crate. Praise your pet when it goes into the crate, or even goes near it.
A favorite toy or blanket placed in the crate may encourage your pet to go inside.
Then experiment with moving the crate slightly, then immediately let your pet out and praise them. Progress to putting the crate into the car for short trips.
The intent is to make your pet feel safe in the crate. Cats should always travel in a crate. Allowed loose in a car, a cat may crawl up under the seat, being next to impossible to get out, or come crawling out under the driver’s seat presenting a serious safety hazard.
For long car trips a heavy towel is placed in the bottom of the crate and extras are carried in the car in case the cat voids in the crate. Trying to let a cat out of the crate at a rest stop to use a litter box proves impractical and could result in the cats escaping from its owner.
I recommend the cat begin the days’ travel on an empty stomach and stay in the crate until the driving is over, an eight hour maximum time per day is suggested.
When a destination is reached, leave the cat in the carrier while the car is being unloaded.
Then prepare a litter box, food and water. Open the door of the crate and let your cat explore on their own teems.
This process is repeated on a daily basis until the final destination is reached. Small dogs may also travel in a crate, however most people allow a dog to travel loose in the ear. Dogs should not be allowed to ride with their heads out the window, ears flapping in the breeze.
It is dangerous in emergency situations and subjects the dog to dust induced conjunctivitis. Hopefully, your dog has been trained to ride lying quietly on the seat.
A safety harness that hooks into the safety belt system is available at pet supply stores.
I am not aware that these devices have been tested in crash studies to prove their effectiveness, but they do help keep the dog from jumping around the car.
It is also best for dogs to travel on an empty stomach. Rest stops allowing a short walk every two hours are recommended. Occasionally a dog will have problems with nausea, a veterinarian can provide dosages for benadryl or dramamine to help with the motion sickness. Leaving a pet in a closed car during the summer, even for a few minutes, is extremely dangerous.
A pet should not be left in the car while people stop to eat or sight-see.
If your pet is anxious, or does not travel well, some type of tranquilizer may be appropriate.
However, especially with cats, a drug may actually make the situation worse: a drunk, anxious cat. Consult with a veterinarian about prescribing an appropriate drug.
A crate is required to ship a pet on an airplane. Dogs and cats weighing less than ten pounds will fit into the earn’- on crate allowed by most airlines. Once airborne some cabin attendants allow pets to be held in your lap.
The compartments beneath the cabin are temperature controlled. and properly pressurized for the safety of live animals being transported. However. airlines have restrictions about extreme ground temperatures. Exposure to extreme heat or cold outside the airplane, can be dangerous for a pet being shipped. Technically, any time an animal is transported across state lines, they must be accompanied by a health certificate.
A veterinarian must examine the animal and sign the certificate within 10 days of the travel.
Most people traveling by car do not bother with the certificate.
However, the airlines are very sporadic about the enforcement of this requirement and people have been caught short when their pet was refused shipment.
I recommend that any pet traveling by plane have the appropriate health certificate. Again, tranquilizers are generally not recommended. hut.
If needed, a veterinarian can prescribe appropriate drugs.
Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, Summer 1993.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1993_06.pdf, printed page(s) 7; PDF page(s) 7.
