Dr. Reed Stevens joins us with some tips if you are traveling with your pets.
He says, ”Not to scare anybody, but realize a rest stop at the thruway is probably one the most dangerous places in the world for your pet.” The reason is probably a bunch of pets have been through that tiny little dog park, that have all kinds of diseases. He says, I’m not saying to avoid that, I’m just saying make sure your pet is protected.”
Make sure you have a good fitting collar. He says he has personally lost two coon hounds at a highway rest stop and was there for 24 hours trying to find his dogs. He saysm “They slipped out of their leash and jumped out of the car and were in the woods, they are coon hounds, they love to chase things. It can be a very scary moment.”
So, use good leashes and good fitting collars. He says he doesn’t trust a harness over a collar because dogs can back out of harnesses.
Medications such as flea and tick, heart worm and internal parasite prevention. He says anytime his client leaves for another part of the country he makes sure they have a supply of pet protection.
Make sure your pet is fully vaccinated because there are different diseases in different parts of the country so definitely check-in with your vet for what they need.
The one thing he says we didn’t touch on was pet sitting, having people come into your home or not going to a kennel but to someone else’s home. He says Rover.com has options like that. Also, people come to his clinic and say I’m going out of town do you know anybody who pet sits. A lot of veterinarians have people on staff who do pet sitting.
Also, for example if you have a cat, Dr. Stevens says an automatic pet feeder and automatic litter box is not pet sitting. They need human contact. He says what if that cat gets stuck somewhere and it’s just inhumane to be by themselves. At least twice a day someone should be checking in on them, whether it is a neighbor, a relative or a pet sitter.
You can reach Dr. Reed Stevens at Ellicott Street Animal Hospital in downtown Buffalo or the West Side Pet Clinic on Niagara Street.
716-852-8276.
For more information visit nfveterinarysociety.org
