Take the stress out of travelling with your pet
Make travelling with your fury companion simple with these helpful tips.
As the first school holidays approach many residents will be looking to take a holiday, with the pet in tow.
It is always stressful to travel with your pet, but these tips will help make the trip easier for you both:
• Feed lightly
Feed your pet a light meal two to three hours before departure, and don’t feed your pet in a moving vehicle.
• Bring the basics
When packing for your trip, bring the basics with you, such as food and water, bowls, leashes, a poop scoop, plastic bags, etc.
Unexpected delays may mean you might have to use any or all of them en route to your holiday destination.
• Identify your pet
Identifying your pet is of utmost importance. Microchip identification is recommended. However, it is suggested that for a journey of considerable distance, you might want to place a disc on your pet’s collar in addition to microchipping.
This disc could give your destination information and a cellphone number.
• Harness
A harness rather than a leash is recommended for your dog inside the vehicle. For smaller animals, a well-ventilated crate is recommended.
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• Keep heads inside the vehicle
Animals’ heads should be kept in the vehicle at all times for safety’s sake.
If a pet hangs his head outside a moving vehicle, it can lead to injuries from flying objects, inner ear damage or even lung infections.
• Consider barriers
Put up protective barriers for what will be the pet-carrying area of the vehicle, be it the back seat, the “hatch” part of the vehicle or beneath the bakkie’s canopy.
It is much safer, especially in the event of an accident or sudden braking.
It might be a good idea to also waterproof seat covers with a thick plastic and to do the same to floors in the vehicle for ease of clean-up if accidents do happen.
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Contact the newsroom by emailing: Melissa Hart (Editor) germistoncitynews@caxton.co.zaor Leigh Hodgson (News Editor) leighh@caxton.co.za or Kgotsofalang Mashilo (journalist) kgotsofalangm@caxton.co.za
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