Summer Sensibilities: Pet Prep

Spring’s glorious lightness has turned into a deep and burnished green as Summer hits South Africa. Road trips are definitely on the list of holiday options lighter both on the budget and the ecological footprint, than flying. Do your animals travel with you? Is your pet a holy-roller, a cruiser, a road-tripper? A Spanish friend of ours found some abandoned kittens when they were so tiny, she managed to train them to bath with her, get blowdried and go on road trips to swim in the sea. But for the sake of this article, lets just talk about dogs coming along on holiday.

Even though dogs often love going in the car, they can associate it with unpleasant trips to the vet, they can get carsick, and they can get lost, or nervous and distract you while driving. Hence, its very important that you prepare properly if your pet is coming with you on holiday.

1. Acclimatising your Pet to Traveling

The first thing to ascertain if your dog doesn’t already go wild for car trips, is how well does your pet travel in the car? Start now, in October on small round trips dropping the kids off at school, and work up to small visits to the café, where you only leave your animal alone for a few minutes (and obviously not in the sun and with a window open enough for breathing, but not escaping. Did you Know : Temperatures can get up to nearly 50 degrees Celcius in minutes inside a car in the sun.) Other important tips; no food for a few hours prior to the trip, and a good wee-wee break in the garden before heading off.

There are special homeopathic preparations for calming and for easing car-sickness for pets. Never use human doses – even homeopathic ones – since animals are so much more sensitive and have smaller mass. These remedies must be kept away from light and heat, and for especially neurotic pets that won’t drink water (with the drops added to it) when stressed, a small plastic syringe of the drops diluted in water squirted into their mouths will suffice. They should calm down in minutes. Take the time to stop and let them find their groove again before heading off.

2. Chance favors the prepared mind

Make sure your pets are up to date with their vaccinations, since they are going into unfamiliar territory. You’ll need to take your vet’s telephone number with you, since he knows your animal’s case history. Even before you arrive at your holiday destination, you can have the telephone number of the local vet and keep it handy.

3. Avoiding disaster

Okay, so basically, think “two year old”. You would never go away without knowing a good pediatrician’s telephone number at your destination, or not take her favorite tried–and-tested foods, or toys, and you would never leave her in a hot car, or toddling off alone in a new place. You would also never let her stick her head out of the window at high speeds and hope nothing flies off the road and hits her head. Think like a parent and prepare like a parent. If the car is hot, your dog should not be in it. If you have been driving for an hour or two, a small stop for leg stretching and a drink is better than trying to give your pet water in the car, or letting them get hyperactive. Taking along treats and toys is a great idea, but bear in mind that you’re already changing a very stable environment for a chaotic set of new sensory inputs, so favorite, known smells and toys are best. And an upset stomach or vomiting can be part of the reaction to movement and change. Pack accordingly and don’t get angry if this happens.

The nasty nitty-gritty is next: forgive me for including this, but its important. If you have a dog secured in the back of a bakkie, not only is the animal exposed to sun and anything flying off your windshield, if it jumps out of the bakkie while secured it will choke. So don’t do this. If you have a bakkie.

4. The leash

Animals are unpredictable in new surroundings, no matter how well you think you know your pet. It is essential that as you stop the car, it is clear to you that no one will open a door without the leash being on your treasured four-legged family member. The rule is: your pet does not leave the car without a leash on. A loud noise or unfamiliar sound can send them off in the wrong direction at just the wrong moment, in an environment full of moving vehicles. Once you are at your destination, this should apply too, since other dogs and sounds can still spook your pet. Micro chipping is a good back-up in this case.

5. Pet Pit-stops

You should stop every hour or two for your pet to have a quick sniff, change of scenery, and lift a leg. Since you should not feed your pet 3-4 hours prior to leaving in order to minimize car-sickness, you may not need the pooper-scooper and some sealable bags. But do pack them in case. If you really feel your pet needs a snack, give them some time to digest before getting back into the car. Generally, since animals are so sensitive, they won’t want to eat until they are settled, and water every hour or so is fine.

6. Restraint

There are two excellent reasons why restraint is a good idea. First, we buckle up to prevent ourselves becoming projectiles in case of an accident. Even inside a crate a dog can get injured from a sudden stop, unless it is well padded. Second, if your pet becomes too bored or restless, it may well try to get into the cool looking shady spot where the driver’s feet go, or onto your lap, and this is an unacceptable distraction while driving. If you can let the whole back seat go to the dogs, you can not only buy a car seat cover, and install them with their favorite blankets, pillows and toys, there are mesh nets available from the AA shops in South Africa which section off the back seat altogether, but still allow visual and voice contact.

In Summary, you need to think and pack like you would for an extra member of the family with special needs. Remember that since they won’t be sticking their heads out of the window for entertainment, or sitting on your lap, regular stops for your dogs to let off some spare energy, keep it fun, and have a drink become even more important.