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Some people like to take their pets on holidays with them; others prefer to leave them home. Whichever camp you’re in, you’ll find some tips here. Words by Ben Woods. People love their pets. For many their animal friend is their significant other and statistics tell us that more of us own them than ever before. Apparently pets are good for our health too, according to scientists that have ‘discovered’ the medical benefits of pet ownership. RSPCA president Dr Hugh Wirth wrote, “even biological scientists now proclaim that those humans who pat, stroke, hug or talk to a dog (the same goes for a moggy, a bunny, or I suppose even a rat) each day will have their mental outlook and general health greatly enhanced.” But if your pet means so much to you, what are you going to do when you just gotta hit the road? Can you bear to part with your furry friend? If you can’t and decide you must take them with you, there are things that can be done to ensure that it stays fit and healthy and has a good time. However, many animals are not suited to travelling and most pets are uncomfortable in new places, especially young or old ones, sick ones and those recovering from a stay at the vet. The journey itself can also be a problem, so unless your pet must come and travels well you should leave it at home. This doesn’t mean it should suffer though, as there are many ways to ensure that a pet left behind doesn’t fret. Not too much anyway. Leaving Your Pet at Home The easiest and cheapest way to keep your pet happy if it’s alone for more than a day is to get a friend or relative to come over twice a day, feed it, and tell it everything’s alright. An alternative to this, in the case of dogs, is to have it stay at someone’s house. In either case it’s preferable that the person knows the animal and that both parties like each other. If nobody you know can look after your pet you can leave it at a boarding house for cats or dogs (we’ll get to other animals shortly).These establishments are usually run by confirmed animal lovers but it’s wise to check out potential boarding houses to see if your pet will be happy there. Do this by going to the place and seeing what the conditions are like and whether the visitors seem happy or not. Look at the animal’s housing. Dog runs should be about 4m long, 1.5m wide and 2m tall. Cat houses shouldn’t be smaller than 3m long. See if the animals’ beds look comfortable and clean and that the atmosphere is well vented and is neither too hot nor cold. Do not forget to look into the food situation at boarding houses. It’s usually included in the price, like breakfast at hotels, but ask what they give them and in the case of dogs check to see if they have self watering drinkers in their runs and a place to exercise. Ask the proprietors about veterinary services in the vicinity and it would be good if you could find a pet boarding house that had someone with vet training on staff. Animal boarding houses won’t take your pet unless it’s had all its shots so don’t forget this before leaving Fido in prison, sorry, I mean boarding house. Visit www.ozpets.com.au for an extensive listing of pet boarding houses. There is another alternative that’s ideal for cats, birds and other animals and that’s the house sitting service. By registering with House Minders, you can organise to have a person come over and look after your place and pet while you’re away. House Minders matches the right house and pet/owner with the right sitter. There’s a small fee for this service that can be investigated at www.houseminders.com.au. Travelling With Your Pet If you’ve decided that your pet is coming with you on holidays there are a number of things you should do before you leave. First off take them to the vet to make sure they’re in good nick for travel. Tell the vet where you will be planning to go and they will advise you about any health risks in the area such as heartworm and ticks, and will offer precautionary advice. No matter what species of animal it is that’s going on tour with you there are some things that you should always do for their well being. When travelling in a vehicle make sure your friend has plenty of water, especially in the summer months. Also of vital importance is good ventilation for your animal when it’s in a car or a van as they can easily overheat. It’s a good idea to let dogs out of the car for a toilet break and a run around every few hours or so. And all through your trip watch what you feed pets as sudden changes of diet can upset an animal’s tummy like a dodgy vindaloo will upset yours. Just like people, animals should not consume too much fat, in animals the results can be catastrophic. Don’t feed ‘em too much off the BBQ either!!!!! Dogs Many dogs are afraid of car travel and if this is the case with your hound, or if it’s not used to the car at all, you should gradually introduce them to it via short trips before taking them on a big one. Dogs are susceptible to motion sickness and if you find this applies to yours seek out a vet for a remedy. When on the road dogs need to be well secured. Many nomads pull their van with a 4WD and these are ideal for dogs, you can put them in the rear end of the vehicle and put a fitted guard over the back seat. Or else there are cages and seat belt harnesses especially for dogs that will keep them safe and out of the driver’s hair, which is very important. Talk to a vet about these products. Your dog’s collar should be secure for the entirety of your trip with up to date information on it in case it gets lost. Think about pooch’s bedding, make sure it’s comfortable and familiar. Take some basic first aid equipment for your dog along with you too, such as tweezers and baby wipes for those little misadventures. Cats Cats should be in a cage or some sort of carrier when travelling. These should be secured by fastening a seatbelt around it. Don’t let the cat out of its cage as it might jump on the driver’s head or get under their feet and cause a smash. For long journeys try and get as big a cage as possible so a litter tray can form part of the bottom of the cage. Otherwise line it with newspaper. Like dogs, cats can suffer from motion sickness so try them out in the car before going away and take them to the vet for meds if they spew. Bring something from home they sleep on to make their ‘holiday’ as comfortable as possible. I’ve seen cats on leads before and if yours digs leads, take them for walks when on holidays. At other times it’s best to keep your pussy indoors or in its cage at the van park. Do this for the protection of the cat and any wildlife that might be around. Birds Travelling with birds should not be too much trouble. Keep them in their normal cage, secure it with a seatbelt so it doesn’t move around and potentially disturb or injure the driver or the bird. Remove anything from its cage that may injure them when moving along. For long drives birds should have some seed or fruit to nibble on. Rabbits and Other Animals If the van parks you’re staying at cater for dogs and cats then you should be able to take a rabbit or some other small animal as well. Digging can be a problem with bunnies so it might be advisable to keep them in your van with a few of the comforts of home as well as some water and tucker. Some van parks have special cages for pets and you may be able to keep ferrets or guinea pigs in these. When taking rabbits with you in the car keep them in a container such as a cat box and secure it with a seatbelt. Buns cannot handle the heat so make sure the temperature stays below 25 degrees Celsius. Direct sunlight should be kept off them at all times so cover their container with a towel – a wet one if it’s hot. Line the travelling box with straw and give them a piece of carrot to chew. Then there’s one final thing to think about when taking your pet away with you… where to stay! Some van parks are pet friendly, and others aren’t. To avoid disappointment, plan your trip in advance, working out where you want to stay, then give the van parks a call and suss out their pet policies. Another good place to find pet friendly parks is in Life Be In It’s book called Holidaying with Dogs Guide. So, now all you’ve got to do is hit the road with your furry little friend! |
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