Welcome to the first of a 4 series post about safe travel with your pets. In this series I will cover:

• How to prepare and plan for pet travel
• Pet travel by Air
• Pet travel by Car
• Pet travel by train and buses

So let’s get started with the first post of the series by discussing good travel preparation and planning for you and your pets.

Before you travel

A great holiday for both you and your pet begins with making sure that your pet is fit and healthy for travel. So monitor your pet in the weeks leading up to travel, ensuring that your pet is eating well, getting plenty of exercise and is essentially happy. It is also important that your pet is all up to date with worming, fleas and vaccinations. If in doubt, have your vet check over your pet before departure. This is particularly relevant for elderly or difficult pets.

Identification

Correct identification for your pet is of course a great idea for all of the time, however even more important when you are leaving home. Make sure your pet is ID tagged (as well as being micro-chipped) and the correct address details (both home and your holiday destination) are recorded. In addition, I would recommend taking a few recent photos of your pet with you on holiday - just in case they get lost whilst away from home.

Consider the destination

It may sound obvious, but making sure that your destination is “pet-friendly” is critical. This will include of course ensuring that your accommodation is suitable (be it staying with friends/family, hotel, motel B&B etc.) in addition to confirming that your pet will be OK during the day if you are off out sight seeing. Note that if you are staying at a hotel/motel, you will need to also confirm if your pet can stay in the room while you are not there. If this is allowed, it is always a good idea to leave the “Do Not Disturb” sign on your door to reduce the risk of hotel staff entering your room whilst you are away (and your pet is there alone).

What to bring

It is a good idea to pack a suitcase just for your pet. This will include essentially most of the items that make living at home enjoyable for your pet such as:

• Appropriate food and treats
• Food / water bowls (for both while you travel (depending on the travel method) and when you arrive at your destination)
• Grooming equipment
• Favourite toys
• Sleeping bed / blanket.

Some other thoughts

Packing a simple-first aid kit that includes some pet safe medications is a good idea. In addition to that, I would recommend you monitor your pets health and behaviour more closely whilst on holiday. Check for any irregularities such as a runny nose, discharge from eyes or behaviour changes (excessive scratching/cleaning, biting etc.) and make sure you visit the local vet if you have concerns.

OK, that is it for the post 1 of our 4 post series about safe travel with pets. Next week I will continue the post series with tips and advice for safe car travel for you and your pet.

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