5 Tips for Stress-Free Traveling with Your Pet During the Holidays

Traveling with Your Pet During the Holidays

photo credit Sharon Albright Photography 

It’s the holiday season with Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner. If you plan on traveling with your pet, then we’re sure you want it to be as stress-free as possible both for your family and for your pet.

As you know, the holidays can stir up emotions and additional stress because of all the hustle and bustle; however, it is essential to consider your pet into the equation as any extra stress for them can make the holidays a rather unpleasant experience for everyone involved.

Preparing to Travel

When preparing to travel with your pet, there are a few things to consider. Such as visiting their vet to have them cleared for travel and for them to receive any vaccinations required to be up to date on their shots. Getting clearance for your pet is crucial for puppies, an aging pet, or one that may be ill. You may also want to consider a natural supplement for anxiety to help calm your pet during travel.

Take into consideration the pet supplies that your pet will need for the trip. Remember, keeping your pet comfortable and stress-free is of the utmost importance. Consider their blanket, dishes, toys, leash, medication, and more when preparing to travel with them.

If your pet is required to be in a crate for travel, you’ll want to get them used to it before traveling. We recommend doing that at least one month before the expected trip.

Road Tripping

Consider the trip length and plan for frequent stops to let your pet stretch, drink, eat, and relieve themselves. If you plan to be flying, take note of your airlines flying policy for pets and feed your pet 4 hours before the departure. And don’t forget a water bowl to keep them hydrated as even as humans we can get dehydrated when flying.

Remember that now is not the time to be changing pet food or the cat litter. Changing the pet food can cause a GI to be upset and cause them to be irritable, uncomfortable and potentially have unwanted accidents.

Changing your cat’s litter can deter them from using their litter box and unfortunately relieving themselves elsewhere leaving a mess to be cleaned up.

When in doubt, don’t change it out!

Lastly, if you’re traveling to a new location where your pet has not visited before, and there will also be pets, consider scheduling a meet and greet on neutral ground for your pet and your loved one’s pet to meet. By doing so, you’ll help eliminate any possible aggressive behavior in the pets that could cause a fight. Let them get to know each other by first meeting, then playing.

As you can see, traveling with your pet doesn’t have to be a big ordeal nor does it have to be stressful. In fact, with a little extra planning and considering a few things, like those listed above, they can help the overall experience to be pleasurable.

We hope these tips will help you successfully prepare for stress-free traveling during the holidays with your pet.

We love to hear from our readers! Share in the comments below: How do you successfully plan a trip with your pet? What is one tip you can share with us?

Traveling with Your Pet During the Holidays

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