Preparing Your Pets For Your Vacation

Where did everybody go?

Spring is around the corner! However this long winter has many of us planning travel to a warmer climate. We all know that preparing for even a short trip is an ordeal. As our families and our households grow so do the’ to do’ lists that we generate before leaving. Often taking our pets with us is not an option and arrangements must be made for their care. One of the important items on any pet owners travel preparation list should be a thorough assessment of your pets health and a complete plan for their care while you are gone.

Each holiday travel season, our emergency service will see numerous cases of pets who become ill at boarding facilities or are found seriously ill at home by their caregiver. In retrospect, most of these animals manifest signs of illness before their owners leave on vacation. Many of these often tragic events could be avoided by following some simple recommendations. 

1. Any older pet (dogs over 6-7 years, cats 10 years or older) or any pet that has been recently ill should be evaluated by a veterinarian prior to your trip and given a clean bill of health before you leave. 
2. Try to not make any major changes in your pets routine or heath care before you leave. Don’t change their diet, routine or initiate a new treatment regime, just prior to leaving. 
3. Listen to your intuition, if your pet, regardless of their age, has been having a ‘few upset stomachs’ recently, has ‘been less active’  or has been ‘acting different’, don’t make up excuses for why this is happening, have them examined. I have recently seen a few cases where the pets were demonstrating subtle  signs that they were ill prior to their being boarded and the owner even mentioned this to the boarding facility, but it was not pursued. Unfortunately, the pets ended up critically ill in the hospital while the owner was far away on vacation. Remember, even though pets may be seriously ill, early identification could allow them to survive the illness successfully.
4. Cats do not do well being left home with a big bowl of dry food and the neighbor checking  on them once in a while. Cats reclusive tendencies make it hard for periodic visitors to know if the cat is acting ‘normally’. Changes in appetite and litter box use may be hard for a visitor to appreciate as well. Make sure any caregiver is aware of your cats routine, usual food consumption and letterbox habits. Litter boxes should be cleaned daily (this allows easy monitoring for urine output and stool quality). Cats should be interacted with at least twice daily. Detailed instructions should be provided to the caregiver or boarding facility as to how to care for your cat. 
5. Communication is key! Be sure your caregiver or boarding facility has your permission to seek medical care of your pet should they become ill. Have a clear understanding of where your pet will be taken and what level of care will be provided. Be sure that they have your veterinarians contact information.  If you will not be available by phone 24/7, be sure you have a family member or friend designated to be your proxy. 

Following a few easy steps such as, being sure your pet is well prior to leaving, providing thorough instructions to caregivers and being confident there is a clear plan for your pets care should they become ill, will help to make your trip enjoyable for everyone.