6 Mistakes to Avoid When Traveling With Your Pet

Traveling With Your Pet? Avoid the following mistakes….

If you take your commitment to your pet as seriously as a commitment to a child, you can’timagine leaving it behind when you travel. When you plan a trip you and your dog or cat will enjoy, be sure to travel safe by avoiding these six mistakes.

Not Doing Your Research

Be prepared to pay extra fees at the pet-friendly hotel you select.  Also make sure you know the rules the hotel has in place for guests with pets. Imagine booking a hotel room on the 13^th floor only to find out that pets are not allowed in the elevator!
Many pet friendly hotels, like Cartier Place & Towers Suite Hotels (one of the hotels in downtown Ottawa), post their pet policy guidelines on their website. Read policies for hotels, airlines, boats, and any other service you will be using on your trip.

Leaving Important Documents Behind

You wouldn’t try to travel without your ID, driver’s license, and passport;your animal shouldn’t go without its ID either. Make sure your phone number and address are included on its ID tags. For a secure way to ID your animal, have a vet implant a microchip registered with your current contact information. Also bring a photo of your pet you can show people if it gets lost.

If you are taking your pet across a border—either state or national—you will need a health certificate that shows your pet is free from diseases and has all its necessary vaccinations.

Not Visiting a Vet

If you need a health certificate for your pet before you leave, visiting a veterinarian is the only way to get it. Even if you don’t need a signed certificate, taking the dog or cat to the vetis still a wise move.That way you can make sure your pet is fit for travel and healthy enough for a stay away from home.

Tranquilizing Your Pet

The American Veterinary Medical Association recommends that owners do not give their animal tranquilizers or sedatives for an airplane ride. Tranquilizers increase a pet’s risk of heart and respiratory problems from the change in air pressure in an airplane. This risk is especially serious for short-nosed dogs and cats.

Not Allowing for Extra Time

In some ways, traveling with pets is like traveling with kids. One big difference, however, is that airports have bathrooms for kids—not so for pets. Taking your animal to do its business outside will take up extra time.

Pets also need extra time to drink water, eat, and stretch their legs. If you are traveling between countries, it may take longer to get clearance or you may have to fill out additional paperwork before you and your pet can enter the country.Plan ahead so that you and your pet can avoid unnecessary delays.”

Not GettingYour Pet Ready

Make sure your dog or cat is ready for the trip. Put it in the car and go for a ride to see how well it handles being in a moving vehicle. If a car ride makes it extremely anxious, a plane ride will be even worse. Don’t let the excitement of traveling with your pet cloud your judgment; some pets don’t travel well and should be left at home.

Here are more ways to get your pet ready to make a trip:

• Clip its nails so they don’t snag on loose items.
• Fit it with a collar that won’t get stuck on crate doors or anything else.
• Leave a favorite toy or a piece of your clothing in your pet’s crate to reassure it.
• Don’t give your pet food or water before a flight, but bring some along in case of delays.

Traveling with your pet will take a little bit of extra time and preparation, but having your furry companion with you on your trip is worth it. Avoid these six mistakes and you and your pet will have a great trip.