Summertime: Expert tips for traveling with your dogs

It’s officially Summertime y’all! And you know what that means: traveling to the beach, taking your annual Summer fam vacations, etc. But that also means that for pet owners, that they either have to leave their dogs behind or that they have to figure out how to travel with them!

Dr. Sharon Campbell and Zoetis Petcare have recently done some studies and surveys in regards to pet owners and dog owners traveling over the Summertime. From not wanting to leave them, to the best tips to keep them cool and calm in the Summertime, these studies and surveys surely have covered all of this information.

Will you be traveling with your dogs this Summertime? If the answer is yes, here are some tips from an expert!

First off on our list of tips provided to us, we have to share some of the discoveries from the survey itself. It seems that over half of pet owners out there are worried about how their pets will react to them leaving, or even going on vacation with them. Here’s what a recent survey came to light with:

• During the pandemic, over 80 percent of pet owners have reported positive changes in their pets’ behaviors due to increased time being spent together
• Four out of five dog owners have noticed at least one symptom of anxiety in their dogs, such as whining or overshadowing, etc, yet less than 25 percent have actually gone and had their pets diagnosed
• Roughly 90 percent of pet owners have made efforts to create a more comfy home, whether it’s with soft bed crates, or giving their pets access to an outside door for fresh air
• 58 percent of rescue cat owners have reported that they have noticed signs of trauma; specifically, 25 percent of those findings have something to do with high levels of separation anxiety (understandable)

Now onto the list of tips, for some things to think about in regard to traveling with your pets, according to Dr. Sharon Campbell, Medical Lead & Behavior at Zoetis PetCare:

• Motion sickness: Vomiting isn’t the only sign of this; some pets will exhibit less obvious signs of distress, such as drooling (nausea) – as always, talk to your pet’s vet about medications to help with car sickness for any upcoming vacations
• In-car safety: Think about crates, or harnesses when traveling long distances with your pets; sometimes having them loose, or them having access to the foot of your car, can cause great harm should an accident happen, or any sort of sudden stop(s) that may occur
• Tags, tags, tags: Always make sure that your pets are wearing these 24/7; also be sure that your pets are micro-chipped, should they get separated from you, and can be found easily
• Have their immunization records on hand: Essentially, according to Dr. Campbell, these are “their passports to doggy daycare”; some hotels may ask for this info as well, for the safety of everyone, so be sure to have copies, or at least photos of them handy on your devices
• Know where to go in case of an emergency: Just in case, be sure to know where animal hospitals and clinics are; find something close by to your lodging, as time is of the essence in an emergency (as I’m sure we all know)
• Take breaks and know their needs: Only you know when your dog likes to eat, drink, go to the bathroom, etc, so be sure to note their habits and keep them on schedule, even while away from home (creatures of habit, much like humans)
• Meds, meds, meds: Should your dog take daily meds, first off, don’t forget them, and second off, try to keep them on as much of a regular at-home schedule as possible (getting off of routine can mess with them, as much as it would a human as well)
• Most importantly: Make time for FUN!: Use your resources to find dog-friendly play areas, parks, hiking trails, etc, because dogs like to have fun and certainly be on vacay too, right?! Also be sure to get your dog proper exercise and fresh air as well. “They will thank you!”

Trust me when I tell you this: taking proper care of your dogs that travel with you will only do good things for their mental health, as it will yours as well, even just knowing that they are safe, loved, okay, and most importantly, having some good ole fun along with you!

What tips and tricks work for your dogs and pets? Did we miss anything? Let’s chat down below, so you can let us know! Travel safely, as always, and most importantly WOOF WOOF!