Preparing your Pet's Travel Supplies

Traveling can bring a lot of stress to your pet, even under the best circumstances. To make sure that your pet is as comfortable as possible during travel it is important that you prepare well ahead of time so that you won’t forget any detail, however trivial it might be.

Before anything else start by making a checklist of the things your pet will need or might need during travel. Below is a sample checklist to help you get started. Feel free to add anything you feel your pet might need on your own checklist.

• Travel carrier (required for air travel)
• Pet food
• Water
• Food and water dish
• Bedding
• Litter box
• Leash
• Collar/tags
• Grooming kit
• First-aid kit
• Essential medicines
• Your pet’s favorite toy

After you’re done making your checklist then purchase the necessary stuff ahead of time. This is especially important for the travel carrier. Weeks before going on the trip you should already have a sturdy travel carrier of the right size at home. This is important so that you can let your pet explore the carrier and so be familiarized with it. Staying in an unfamiliar carrier while traveling is a sure way to add stress to your pet. However a familiar carrier will help assure your pet and calm it down. It is also a good idea to familiarize your pet with traveling by placing it inside its carrier and going for brief rides around your neighborhood.

When choosing a travel carrier make sure though that the one you choose is large enough for your pet to be able to sit, stand, and lie down but not so big that your pet can be tossed around when encountering pot holes or turbulence. Check the carrier’s doors and lock to make sure that it is secure and has no chance of opening accidentally or that your pet can’t open it even with a lot of effort. The inside of the travel carrier is also very important. Choose a carrier whose interior is smooth, has nothing sticking out that could hurt your pet, and if possible whose corners and walls are slightly rounded. The carrier you choose can also have a built in food and water dish or should at least be designed so that you can fit in food and water dishes securely. Secure dishes are of utmost importance since you don’t want the water to spill at the start of the trip and leave your pet thirsty.

Make sure that you pack enough pet food and plenty of water when traveling. As for the labels and tags be sure to write down you address and contact number so that in case your pet by some chance breaks loose or your “baggage” gets lost it would be easy to track you. If you have mobile phones then write down that number and not you home phone. Label your pet’s medicines and include the dosage, method of intake (mix in food or take directly), and the schedule to ensure that your pet will get his medicine even if by some chance you can’t get to your pet.

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