On holiday with your quadruped

On holiday with your quadruped

This year’s holidays have begun. The joy of going on holiday to relax and have fun is often compounded by the stress of the question: who should I leave the dog with? With cats it’s simpler, they are more independent than dogs, they don’t need constant attention from their owners. We usually leave the key with a friend and ask him to come by every day just to change the water, sand in the litter box and put food in. When it comes to dogs the situation becomes complicated. We all know how attached and dependent they are to us and how much they suffer when we go shopping without them, even for a short time. Furthermore, we would also like to be accompanied by our four-legged friends and even if we left him with a canine friend/boarder, we would spend the whole holiday thinking about him, if he is well, if he eats enough, etc.

When planning a holiday with a furry four-legged friend you need to take some very important aspects into consideration:

– the place where you are going (mountain, sea, Delta, tent excursion, to another country, etc.)
– the availability (physique, health, age) of the puppy you want to bring with you,
– the dog’s tolerance for travel by car or any other chosen means of transport
– the type of activity you want to carry out on holiday, implicitly the time you are willing to dedicate to your companion.
– the housing unit you choose, making sure it is pet friendly

No matter where you choose to go on holiday, you must make a list of things that must not be omitted:

1) The first time you go to the vet for a routine check-up. Inform him where you would like to go on holiday and ask him if there is any impediment why your four-legged friend could not accompany you. Make sure your furry friend has all the mandatory vaccinations. Don’t forget to carry your vet’s phone number with you to use in case of a medical emergency. Ask the vet to prepare a small medical kit for your dog which contains pills/supplements for the various ailments that may occur: diarrhoea, nausea caused by transport in the car, ointments for various wounds that may occur, medicinal charcoal, a frequently used shampoo (for example: if you go to the seaside, the salt in the water can be harmful to the dog, so it is advisable to take a bath in the evening when you retire to your room to remove salt and sand from the skin). Also, make sure your pet has an up-to-date deworming (internal and external) (you can find the necessary deworming here). It is very important, given that you will be spending a lot of time outdoors, in nature, that the puppy is protected. If you deem it necessary (especially for departures outside the country), you can take out health insurance for the puppy. A simple Google search will tell you what it consists of and what the costs are.

2) Make sure that the hotel unit you wish to stay in is pet friendly (communicate the size of the dog when booking so as not to be surprised that the unit is pet friendly… but only accepts small dogs). Ask if there are additional costs for the non-speaking companion. Even if the hotel/pension accepts pets, care must be taken not to mistreat them. We must be careful that the quadruped does not bark in the room disturbing the other tourists, let’s take him out to defecate in the time interval he has been taught. If the dog breed is prone to shedding a lot and we want it to sleep in bed with us, it would be a good idea to bring a thin blanket from home to place in the place where it usually sleeps. It is preferable not to leave the dog alone in the room when we go out. Since he doesn’t know the place, he may become anxious, bark and disturb other tourists, gnaw furniture, pillows, etc.

3) No matter where you choose to go on holiday, don’t forget to pack your furry friend’s luggage 🙂 Here are some items that shouldn’t be missing in your four-legged friend’s luggage:

– the dog’s health card
– your passport in case you want to go on holiday to another country
– sleeping at home will make him feel good even if the place is foreign to him
– the medical kit I wrote about above
– bowl for water and food, including a collapsible bowl to use for water when you are not in your room
– portable watering can
– enough food. Don’t calculate the portions of food you eat. Add a few more portions. Don’t forget the prizes, it’s just a holiday, we all treat ourselves 🙂
– toys: balls, frisbees, floating toys to play in the water
– a thin protective blanket if your dog breed tends to shed a lot
– towels
– absorbent mats (for transport in the car they are very useful if the dog suffers from motion sickness)
– leash, collar, harness and make sure that a name tag with your telephone number is attached to the dog’s collar/harness in case of loss. It’s very important
– hygienic faeces bags
– special antibacterial wet wipes for puppies
– brush/comb/brushing glove
– specific medicines if your dog is under medical care
– depending on where you go, bring with you a raincoat/special shoes (if you want to go hiking in the mountains on very rough paths), a life jacket (for boat trips), reflective jackets if you go hiking at night, a special sleeping bag for dogs or a thicker coat if you intend to go to the mountains with a tent
– umbrella/umbrella if you choose to go to the seaside or to a place where you have to sunbathe directly and you don’t have the possibility of renting an umbrella. Dogs aren’t happy with the idea of ​​being in the sun all day. It harms them, so we must protect them

4) Transport:

– in the car – If the quadruped is used to traveling by car the problem is already solved. Even so, make sure you set up a place for him in the car where he can feel comfortable and above all safe. For this reason we recommend that you provide him with a special transport cage, a cage that makes him feel safe while driving, the cage that prevents him from moving from side to side when braking or turning. Furthermore, in the event of an unwanted accident, the dog will be protected as much as possible by the cage and in the event of broken glass, it will not be able to escape from the car for fear of losing it. If space does not allow for a crate in the car, secure your dog in the back seat with a harness connected to the seat belt device. Don’t forget to put an absorbent mat in the cage/seat in case he gets hurt. It is preferable not to feed him on the morning of departure. From time to time you stop to give him water to drink and to defecate. Never leave your dog in the car, even for a short time, even with the windows ajar. Every year many dogs die from this. during the summer. In a 10 minute interval in the car left in the sun, the temperature increases by 10 degrees. Simple calculation, 30 degrees outside, in 10 minutes it will be 40 degrees in the car. Attention!

– by train – to avoid any surprises, inform yourself before leaving about the rules of the railway company with which you intend to travel. Dogs must normally be kept on a leash and, depending on the breed, a muzzle may also be imposed. Some train companies do not require the additional fee for transporting pets, while others require the purchase of a separate ticket for four-legged friends. The best thing is to inform yourself carefully before departure. Long train journeys should be avoided when accompanied by pets.

– by plane – this is where things get a little complicated. Each airline has its own rules regarding the transportation of pets. On airplanes, some airlines allow pets into the cabin only if they are small and can be kept in transport cages of a certain size. If the company you are traveling with does not allow your pet to be transported except in the hold, you will need to request more details. Airlines, even for transport in the hold, require that the cage in which the quadruped is placed must be of a certain size, size/material and have a certain lock. It is necessary to ask absolutely all the details so as not to start the vacation with the return from the road. It is preferable if the weather is very hot to choose races as early as possible in the morning or during the night. When boarding, inform the flight attendants that you have a pet in the hold. It’s important. Preferably if it is possible to book direct non-stop flights. This way you avoid the risk of unexpected situations and reduce your dog’s stress on moving. It is not recommended to give tranquilizers or sedatives to the dog transported by plane. These may rather increase his anxiety than relieve it. Attention, many airlines do not accept in any way the transport of dogs that are part of brachycephalic breeds (Pug, Boston Terrier, Pekingese, Boxer, Bulldog, Shih Tzu, etc.)

Even if the idea of ​​a vacation with your pet seems complicated, with a little advance planning, the idea will turn out to be a very good one in the end. Plus, once you’ve finished planning and arrived safely at your vacation destination, fun is guaranteed.

For various tips/suggestions that can make your stay more pleasant depending on where you choose to go, follow us!