If you can’t imagine going anywhere without taking your dog, be sure to do what it takes to make the trip safer and more pleasant for your pet.
Allowing your dog to sit on your lap, poke its head out the window or meander around the vehicle while you’re driving simply won’t cut it. The potential dangers — not to mention the possible distracted driving charges — mean that it’s important to exercise good judgement.
“The laws right across North America are tightening down severely on distracted driving,” said Dr. Chip Coombs, chief veterinary officer for Pets Plus Us. “The police will hand out tickets to a driver who is distracted by a dog in the car….I’ve seen numerous times where a dog is sitting on the driver’s lap with its head out the window, and that would be a very significant ticket.”
According to Dr. Coombs, there are lots of mistakes that some drivers make when taking their dogs on trips, but fortunately it is possible to keep man’s or woman’s best friend safe and sound — with little or no stress to either you or your pet — by simply keeping a few things in mind.
Pre-Trip Vet Stop?
Asked whether or not it’s important for you to take your dog in for a pre-trip visit to the veterinarian, Dr. Coombs said that the answer really depends on the health of your pet.
“If your dog is a very healthy dog and you’re just traveling within Canada [and] they’re not suffering from diabetes or some chronic illness, then I’m not sure that it absolutely is necessary,” said Dr. Coombs. “But there are caveats to that. If you’re planning on crossing the border into the U.S., then most assuredly you do have to go and visit your veterinarian specifically for what is called a health certificate…[that] basically states that the dog has no communicable diseases.”
As well, you should, if going on a road trip, ask your dog’s vet for a copy of its medical records so that, in the event of an emergency, you can provide that information to whichever vet you find to treat your pet, he added.
How to Calm Nervous Pets?
If your dog experiences anxiety while traveling in a vehicle, there are a numbers of things you can do — but using medication to calm your pet down isn’t necessarily the best route, said Dr. Coombs. He explained that the most widely used sedative employed in veterinary medicine, acepromazine, can affect dogs in various less-than-ideal ways.
In fact, side effects of acepromazine include aggression, low blood pressure, vomiting and, among other things, constipation. Dr. Coombs added that a safer alternative to sedatives is behavioural modifications, and Cindy Cherry, president of Don Cherry’s Pet Rescue Foundation, agreed.
Addressing the issue, Cherry, the daughter of hockey commentator Don Cherry, explained that one of the reasons that dogs sometimes experience anxiety when traveling is that they associate the inside of a car with unpleasant experiences.
“I used to groom dogs,” said Cherry. “I think a lot of problems with dogs being in the car is that people don’t socialize their dog to the car. Most dogs only get in the car for two reasons – either they’re going to the dog groomers or they’re going to the vet. And both of those reasons the dog doesn’t like. So then they have the association that whenever they get in the car, something bad is going to happen to them. So if you start your dog off so that they’re going to the dog park or some place fun, then they wouldn’t get nervous.”
In addition to behavioural modification, there are products available on the market that can help to calm anxious dogs, said Bianca Zenor, senior manager of vet affairs for Hill’s Pet Nutrition.
“Dog anxiety vests, like ThunderShirts, provide gentle compression therapy and are a great way to alleviate stress without medication,” she said, adding that you can also help your pet to relax by bring its “favourite toy or blanket.”
Restrained or Free to Roam?
It isn’t at all uncommon to see a fellow motorist traveling with a dog that has its head out the car window. Dr. Coombs explained that this sort of scenario can actually be dangerous because dogs who do this can develop eye problems.
Although some drivers might think it cute to allow their dogs to poke their head out the window, Cherry acknowledged that it boggles her mind to see that some people apparently see nothing wrong with driving about with their dogs on their lap.
“When I’m driving, I see dogs on peoples’ laps, and I see cats in the back of the windows,” she said. “I have absolutely no problem with crate training a dog or a cat and putting it in a car and then, when they’re traveling, even putting a light towel over it so that they’re in their own little cave. That way it keeps them calm. Some people think crate training is unfair to the dog. Well, if you’re a believer in that, they even have harnesses where you can put the dog in the back and hook them onto the seat so that they’re not jumping around.”
Investing in a seat belt harness, cargo barrier or pet travel crate is definitely worth considering, according to Laina Hughes, communications coordinator with the Winnipeg Humane Society, who said that any of the three options would keep your pet restrained and safe so that it isn’t left to wonder around the vehicle. She also cautioned against allowing your dog to travel in the front seat since it might not survive contact with a deploying airbag.
Stop and Rest Awhile
Although getting from point A to point B is a priority, you should also take enough breaks not only for your sake, but also for your pet’s sake.
“It’s good to stop every couple of hours to let the dog out to get some exercise,” said Hughes. “Let them run around a bit and play and of course…let them drink some water to rehydrate and go the the washroom if they need [to].”
How Hot is that Car?
Despite warnings about the dangers of leaving dogs locked inside of cars, it still happens far too often. Dr. Coombs explained that the truth of the matter is that some people simply don’t appreciate the risks inherent in leaving their pets unattended in a vehicle.
“The problem is a combination of sunlight and heat,” he said. “Even if it’s not a terribly hot day, say 22 degrees outside, but it’s a sunny day and you park your car in the sun, the likelihood of your dog surviving for much longer than half an hour is pretty slim. In other words, that car can rise from 22 degrees to mid to high 40 degrees Celsius, which is a bloody oven, in about 20 to 30 minutes.”
It’s a very preventable problem — as are just about all the other mistakes that motorists sometimes make when traveling with their dogs. So the next time you take your dog with you on a trip, remember to do your part to have a safe, fun-filled outing for both you and your pet.
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