Traveling with your Dog during the Holidays

Many people traveling for the holidays will be taking their pets with them. Traveling with pets can be simple and enjoyable, if you prepare and know what to expect. Being prepared is the most important thing.

Dogs and Hotels

Many hotels will allow dogs to stay with you for an extra fee. This fee can vary from an amount per day up to a flat fee for your entire stay. Ask about these fees and regulations when you are making your reservations. Some hotels allow your dog to roam free in the room, while others require it to be kenneled. If your dog is allowed to roam free, the hotel may give you a door hangar to put on the knob when you leave the dog in the room unattended. This is to alert the staff of the dog’s presence, and they will most likely NOT service the room with the animal unattended.

Flying with Dogs

Arrangements to fly with a dog should be made well in advance of your trip. Make travel arrangements earlier than you normally would because in many cases, only a certain number of animals are allowed on each flight. You will need to have vaccination records, medical records and other important information for the airline. When flying with a dog, it must be kenneled in an airline approved kennel. This is for the dog’s protection as well as the airline workers. Talk to your vet in advance to help prepare yourself and the dog for this somewhat stressful trip.

Dogs around new people and children

When you are traveling with your dog, he/she will come into contact with people and children that don’t necessarily know how to act around pets. While it is not your job to train these people how to act however, it is your job to maintain your dog and help educate these people along the way. You would not want any unfortunate incidents to happen on your well deserved holiday Vacation. Keep your dog on a leash while in a new place, and keep an eye on him to make sure he is adjusting properly. If children wish to pet your dog, make them ask you permission first. This will ensure that you have enough control over your dog while the child is petting it.

If you follow these important steps, there is no reason why your dog can’t enjoy every holiday vacation with you and the family.

Benefits of Microchipping your Pet!

Microchipping your pet is a great idea. Many times if you adopt a cat or a dog from a shelter, they will join your family with a microchip already imbedded. For about $60, you can have a little more security for your dog or cat. If they happen to run off, they will have better chance of being returned to you.

The microchipping process is a quick and painless procedure. The chip is injected like a vaccine under the first layer of skin in the back of the animal’s neck. This microchip is about the size of a grain of rice, and contains a unique ID number that will identify your pet. If your dog or cat is delivered to a shelter, they can use a scanner to read the information in the chip. The shelter will call the microchip company to access your information and get your pet back to you.

When microchipping your pet, it is a good idea to check with your local shelters and vets to see if they support the chip you are using. Some of the newer chips being injected are not readable by older scanners. If you do decide to microchip your pet, also make sure you still have a collar with ID tags on your pet. The tags should include the pets name and your current phone number. Also include recent vaccination tags and other important information about your pet. If you follow these 2 simple rules, there is a better chance your pet will be returned to you if it should happen to get loose.

Holiday Hazards to avoid with your Pets

The Holiday Spirit is with us. It is a time of well wishes, being with family and a general warm feeling inside. In most instances, we want to share these warm wishes with our smaller, 4 legged friends. Sometimes we give our pets extra treats, or dress them up in silly holiday costumes. While this can be fun, it is important to realize the danger holiday decorations and gifts can pose.

When decorating your house and tree, be aware of the following hazards for dogs and cats.

Extension cords and Light Strings

The new “chew toy” lying on the ground may prove too tempting for the little guys to resist. Just the fact that these new items are unfamiliar might invoke curiosity to take over. When running lights, keep them as high up as possible, so they are out of the reach of your animals. If you have to use extension cords in the house, be sure to cover them with something that is not easily removed by pets. If you notice your animals pawing at or showing particular interest, move the lights or cord to a different location.

Tree, Ornaments and gifts

Putting up your tree – It is wise to secure your tree to the wall so playing animals will not knock it over. Anchor the tree to the wall using invisible fishing line. This should be sufficient to secure it for the season.

Ornament Advice 101 – Don’t put the valuable ones at the bottom of the tree. Countless people have lost good ornaments because the dog and cat won’t leave them alone. If you are going to put ornaments at the bottom of the tree, make sure they are ones without the metal hanging hooks. When the hooks fall off they can be ingested by pets and become harmful. Another thing to be aware of is tinsel. Tinsel can be ingested and get balled up in the intestines causing harm to your pet. Keep this at a high point on the tree, or don’t use it at all.

Gifts and Presents – Pretty paper and ribbons not only look good to humans, but they can prove tempting to pets as well. Move gifts with ribbons to the back of the pile or make them difficult to reach. If you know there are food items wrapped under the tree, remove and put them somewhere safe. The animals have a better sense of smell than we do, and could be tempted by the wrapped treats. Be especially careful if you know the gifts contain chocolate, raisins or grapes. These food items can be deadly for dogs.

You know your pet best, so use good judgment this season when it comes to decorating and entertaining. Keep a close eye on your pet to see how they will react to extra commotion and guests in your house. If you keep these things in mind, you and your pets can have a safe and happy holiday season.