Tips for taking your dog on holiday. 5 things you need to know!
5 things you need to know!
Taking your dog on holiday is so much fun! Apart from having your dog with you, you don’t need to worry or stress about who is going to look after it while you’re away and you won’t have any of the guilt that can come with that. Also, if you would need to put your dog in kennels while you are away, that usually means having to get vaccine boosters and kennel cough done, which can be a real concern to those who want to keep their dogs as natural as possible, like I do.
So I prepared a list of things, tips for taking your dog on holiday, that you can think about in advance and have prepared before you go away.
1. Know your local vets.
Before you go away, do some research in the area you are travelling to, and make a list of a couple of vets that are nearby, just in case you need them. Hopefully you won’t but if you do, it’s good to be prepared. I got caught out myself when my dog cut its paw badly on flint while we were in the middle of the forest, with no phone reception and no idea where the nearest vet was. I wish I knew this tip for taking my dog on holiday back then.
Luckily my dog was ok but I got in a right state and fluster and it took a while to get phone signal and to navigate there, all the while my dog was bleeding quite badly.
So put the vet details in your phone and also on a piece of paper in your car, with the address and have a good idea in your head where they are, just in case you get an emergency. You should also make sure one of these vets has an out of hours service for anything that may happen after hours. It is better to be safe than sorry.
2. Carry a first aid kit.
Again, going back to my experience, my dog’s paw was bleeding badly, he was 35kg, I could hardly pick him up, so he had to walk with me to the car which felt like it was miles away. I knew some first aid thankfully, so I knew I had to wrap the paw to stem the bleeding, but I was not carrying a first aid kit. So I had to take my top off and use that! That meant I was walking around in my sports bra. Needs must. Had I been carrying a first aid kit I would have been able to use a bandage and gauze, which would have been much better.
You can buy first aid kits quite cheaply on the internet, something like this doesn’t cost a lot and will fit in a back pack. https://www.thelynvalleydoghouse.com/product-page/pet-first-aid-kit
Even a human first aid kit if you have one is better than nothing. These tips for taking your dog on holiday could benefit your health and safety too!
If you aren’t already first aid trained then I do recommend it. There is some good information here. https://www.pdsa.org.uk/pet-help-and-advice/looking-after-your-pet/all-pets/first-aid-for-pets and if you want to try a course have a look here https://www.dog-first-aid.com/
3. Check the fences where you are staying
It might sound daft, but even in pet friendly places there may be issues that the owners don’t know about. Go round and check all fences and gates are secure. A fox or previous dog could have dug a hole out big enough for your dog to escape while you are enjoying a glass of prosecco, we don’t want that!
Imagine it is fireworks night and do a full on fence check, another good tips for taking your dog on holiday.
4. Bring your dog’s bed
This is just a nice thing to do, to feel like a home from home for your pet. I crate my dogs, one of the reasons being that if I go on holiday I don’t need to worry about any chewing or weeing. There will be a lot of dog smells in a dog friendly place, and this can encourage dogs to do naughty things! So I always pack my crate and I have piece of mind. I do also bring a soft bed, so my dog feels as comfortable as possible.
So not so much of a safety issue but it’s just nice to provide the comfort your dog is used to and to prevent any expensive damage bills if you can especially if your dog is a chewer.
5. Make sure your equipment is in good order.
This means your dog’s ID tag which it must have when in public. When was the last time you checked it, has it faded, or the text worn away? It should have your number and address, the dog’s name is optional. What about the microchip? When did you last check that? Make sure it’s still readable, you can ask your vet to check this for free, and make sure the database details are up to date with your current address and phone number.
They are my 5 top tips for taking your dog on holiday, there’s a lot more to think about, you can get some good ideas here https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/dog-advice/life-with-your-dog/outdoors/holiday-with-dog
It is worth sitting down with a pen and paper to list everything you need to bring, including medication and food, and anything else your dog must have. If you have any tips for taking your dog on holiday feel free to share them in the comments. I would love to hear them.
Patricia McGrady is owner and founder of Be More Dog Essex. She is certified with the CIDBT, a Kids Around Dogs professional, and a certified full member of the Canine and Feline Behaviour Association
www.facebook.com/bemoredog.co.uk
info@bemoredog.co.uk
