Travel Safety Tips for Pets in Celebration of Pet Travel Safety Day
January 2nd is Pet Travel Safety Day, and its purpose is to raise awareness about the potential risks of traveling with your pets and what you can do to keep your pet safe when they’re traveling with you.
5 Tips for Traveling Safely With Your Pets
1. Use a Vehicle Harness or Restraint
Whether you’re going on a road trip or heading to the veterinary hospital, it’s important that your pet has a restraint for the vehicle. You wouldn’t go without your own seatbelt, and pets face the same dangers when riding in cars. Find a specially designed harness or restraint for your pet.
2. Put Small Pets in Restrained Carriers
Smaller pets should be confined to pet carriers when traveling in the car. Make sure that the carrier is secure. A good spot is on the floor of the backseat behind the driver’s or passenger’s seat.
3. Microchip Your Pets
Pets can easily become lost in new and unfamiliar locations. Collars and ID tags are essential, but pet microchips greatly increase the chances of reuniting with a lost or stolen pet.
4. Update Vaccines and Parasite Preventatives
Travel itself can expose pets to disease, especially if they might be flying with other animals. Also, different environments can expose pets to different diseases and parasites. For example, heartworm disease is a risk all year round in warm climates and certain areas could put your pet at risk of different tick-borne illnesses. Research your destination and talk with a veterinarian about recommended vaccinations and parasite preventatives before you travel with your pet.
5. Check Laws and Airline Requirements
If you’ll be crossing province lines or international borders, your pet might need specific paperwork such as vaccination records, registration, and a pet health certificate. Different airlines also have their own various requirements for traveling with pets. Also contact the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to find out what else is required for travel. They will differ from airline requirements. Research these at least a month or two before you leave to ensure your pet is prepared.
Pre-Travel Pet Checkups in Brampton, ON
If you’ll be traveling with your pet, we will be happy to help get your pet ready to go. Book an appointment with a veterinarian at Bramalea Animal Hospital and please bring in the appropriate paperwork for where you are traveling to. We can talk with you about your travel plans, destination, and transportation to ensure your pet has everything they need to travel safely without a hitch. To learn more, we welcome you to contact our office today.
