Whether you are going on a trip for the weekend or decide to move to the other country taking a pet with you – these are the tips for traveling with pets that will help make any trip more comfortable.
When planning your vacation, do not forget to take care of your pets. And if you could not leave the animal at home with someone, or want to take it with you, you should investigate all the details of transporting animals in advance.
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How to Travel with Pet
To avoid some unpleasant minutes while traveling with your pet, you need to prepare for this journey and here are some useful tips for traveling with pets.
1. Consider whether your Pet is able to Travel
The first and most important thing you need to think about before you go is whether your pet’s condition allows you to travel: if the pet is very young or, on the contrary, elderly, or it has serious health problems, it is better to leave it at home.
For some breeds with flat faces (such as Persian cats, bulldogs or pugs), air travel can be even deadly: they suffer oxygen deficiency and high temperatures more heavily.
If you are in doubt whether you can take the animal with you on a trip, consult your veterinarian – especially if you are traveling for the first time and proceed reading our tips for traveling with pets.
You should also take into account that such trips are never spontaneous: you have to collect documents and prepare your pet in advance.
The transportation of exotic animals is still more difficult: to take a turtle, snake, monkey or some other unusual animal out of the country, you need to obtain a special permit in accordance with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
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2. Learn the Rules of Transporting Animals
If you are traveling abroad, find out the rules for bringing animals into the country to avoid unpleasant surprises.
It is forbidden to take animals to some of them – for example, you cannot bring chickens, pigeons, and parrots to Saudi Arabia, and you cannot bring animals under three months old to France.
In some places going on a short trip with pets is completely pointless – animals imported into the country are placed in quarantine.
For examples:
- In the UK, if the conditions are not met, the pet may spend up to 4 months in quarantine.
- To bring the animal in Hungary, it must also be vaccinated against the plague. And you cannot bring dogs and cats to Malta in general.
- In France, Israel and Egypt there are restrictions on the import of three-month puppies and kittens. Some breeds of fighting dogs are not allowed to be taken to Australia and Malaysia.
- It is strictly forbidden to come to Uruguay with birds. Rodents and monkeys cannot be brought to Japan.
If you are traveling with pets on airlines, learn the rules of a particular airline; rules for the transport of animals most often can be found on the website, e.g. apply to the pet travel agency to find out everything about American airline pet travel rules.
Transportation of the animal is paid separately at the airport. The amount depends on the weight of the pet along with the carrier – only guide dogs go free.
Animals weighing up to 5–8 kilograms (depending on the rules of a particular airline) can be carried with you in the cabin in the carrier; animals weighing from 8 to 50 kilograms (some airlines do not take pets weighing more than 32 kilograms) are transported in a heated luggage compartment.
It is better to make a request for an animal to be transported right away when buying a ticket or shortly thereafter: airlines have restrictions and, for example, if a plane already approved a place for a small dog, another passenger will not be allowed to take a cat to the salon.
Although most animals stay quietly in the baggage compartment; accidents and injuries of animals are not uncommon in this case, so before buying a ticket it is worthwhile to find out how animals are transported on specific airlines.
In addition, there are several measures that will help facilitate the animal trip in the luggage compartment. It is not necessary to travel with a pet during the holidays and the high tourist season.
This time, due to the influx of tourists, animals in carriers are likely to be treated less carefully. When traveling in summer, it is worth choosing morning or evening flights, and in winter – day flights.
It will be easier to avoid extreme temperatures in that way. In addition, you should not choose flights with a transfer, as the risk of losing an animal, in this case, is higher.
Live together, travel together
Traveling by train is simpler
The animal can move in the same compartment with the owner if other passengers do not mind. Otherwise, the owner will need to buy the entire compartment and purchase a special ticket for the animal.
Small pets can be transported in pet travel crate as carry-on luggage. If you are traveling with a dog on an electric train, put a muzzle and a leash on a furry friend.
In addition, before the trip you should also familiarize with the rules of the railway carrier – some of them may enter their own.
Related: Road Trips: 5 Do’s and Don’ts
3. Tips for Traveling with Pets by Car
It is important to try to make the animal feel as comfortable as possible in the car. For dogs, you need to have a leash and a muzzle, because at stops you will need to escort the pet to the toilet. For cats, a special basket or carrier is required.
For birds, a small cage is enough. To make the animal comfortable on the road, you need to prepare a soft litter in advance.
It is best to feed the animal several hours before the trip. On the road, it is recommended to take only dry food and water. It is necessary to understand that in a long way the animal can rock, it may feel nauseous or there is a frequent urge to go to the toilet.
For this, be sure to have absorbent napkins or towels in advance. For the feathered friend, hygienic sand should be poured at the bottom of the cage, and you need to cover the cage with a dark cloth.
The advantage of traveling with an animal in a car is that you can gradually accustom your pet to such trips long before the travel.
The easiest way to travel by car is with a dog, as they usually like it. Have you seen a bunch of photos on the network with happy dog muzzles sticking out of the car?
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4. Traveling with a Dog
Often you want to take the most loyal and faithful friend with you, plus, since it is more difficult to care for a dog than a cat.
Sometimes there is simply no choice because the animal has no one to stay with. What things are required?
Do not forget the leash, muzzle and pet travel bowls for food and water + food and water. It is also worth considering where and how you will walk with your dog in advance, especially if you, for example, take a long train ride.
5. Traveling with a Cat
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Traveling with a cat is easier than a dog because it’s not necessary to walk with a cat on the street and they are small.
It is usually enough to take a carrier in which your cat will sit quietly. It is more difficult to solve the problem with the toilet because even if you take the cat tray with you, it’s not a fact that the pet will deal with it in an unfamiliar place and in a stressful environment, which any road is for them.
Also, do not forget food, water, and other pet travel accessories. Plus, if the animal leads itself restlessly, howls or refuses to sit in the carrier, you can take it in your hands for a while and calm it down.
6. Traveling with Birds, Rats & Other Small Animals
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Birds, rats and other small animals can be easily and simply transported in a cage, where they can be fed, so there are usually no problems with traveling with them.
Another question is why should you take your rat, bird or guinea pig on a trip with you if you can leave it at home with friends or relatives unless you decide to buy somewhere, for example, a parrot, and bring it home – in this case, we do not forget to buy a sufficiently spacious cage in which it will be convenient for the animal.
7. Necessary Set of Pet Travel Documents
Did you take your medicine?
Currently, all adult animals should have an international veterinary certificate. It must be filled in the language of the country where your pet arrives. English is allowed.
The international passport must indicate the vaccines against rabies and the administration of the anthelmintic drug.
It is important to know that after a rabies drug is administered, a pet must be quarantined. And after taking the anthelmintic drug, you should wait for 1-5 days before transporting the animal anywhere. Therefore, it is necessary to take care of vaccinations in advance.
Also, the animal needs to implant a microchip, which can be done in a veterinary clinic.
8. Take the Animal First Aid Kit
On the trip, the animal must have the first aid kit. At the same time, one should be guided by the age and state of health of the pet: if it has chronic diseases, then in addition to a standard pet travel medication set, it is worth taking the medicines recommended by the veterinarian.
As in the case of people, you should not try to cure a pet by yourself – when planning a trip, you should know in advance the addresses of the veterinary clinics where the animal can be helped.
It is also worth taking care of food: if the food you used to give to an animal is not for sale in the other country, you should take it with you with a small margin.
9. Think of Animal Comfort
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When planning a trip, think about the comfort of an animal: taking it with you only makes sense if you can give it enough attention.
It should be borne in mind that not every place is allowed to be visited with pets – think about where your faithful friend will be waiting for you while you are busy with your business, and whether you can leave it alone in an unfamiliar room.
In some countries, you are not allowed to go to the beach – except for specialized places. Consider the breed; for example, fluffy pets will be too hot in warm countries.
When booking a hotel room, find out if you can stay with animals in it. It is better to clarify the requirements and pet travel services: often in hotels where it is allowed to take pets with you, they still will not allow animals larger than five kilograms.
Find out what special conditions the hotel has – for example, whether a paddock is provided. If you are going to the other country with a dog, specify the rules of pet walking – “Is it necessary to put a muzzle on the animal?” “Is it possible to let it off the leash”, and so on.
Before you begin your journey anywhere, you must always work out in advance all the nuances that may arise during the trip. Then travel with your darling will bring you pleasant, unforgettable impressions.
Author Bio:
Rachel Hudson is a pet owner and writer of allpetsexpert.com. She always travels with her dog. She wants that everyone knows the best way for a trip with their pet.
