What should you know if you plan to travel with your pets?

Going on a trip with your pet is a troublesome and difficult task - it implies collecting a lot of necessary documents and accessories. On the other hand, this gives you the perk of  not losing sight of your pet, and taking care of them by yourself.

When going on a trip with a pet, ask yourself these questions:

• Where will you go - abroad or not
• What documents are needed.When planning to move only within the borders of your country, you might need less documents. If going to another country, it may take several months to collect veterinary certificates. It is important not only to get the documents, but also to make copies of them.
• What about the means of transport - the laws for having a pet allowed on an airplane, bus, train, car have their own characteristics. You have to find out in advance if you can bring a pet on the intended trip.
• Where you will live - not all hotels, apartments, acquaintances agree to house a pet. Do not trust the ad on the Internet. Find out more about some offers from dog - friendly hotels here.
• What accessories you might be needing for your pets. The answer to this question is a carrier, attachments to it, bedding, a veterinary first aid kit, a muzzle (for a dog), diapers, toys.
• What about food? Before you take your pet on a trip, accustom them to dry food if they are accustomed to natural food. An animal may react to a sharp change in food with vomiting or diarrhea. Alternatively, you can give natural food, but cooking on the road is inconvenient and not always possible.
• What about vaccination? Before you go on the road, give the animal all vaccinations, treat with a flea and tick remedy, give an anthelmintic.

General Rules for Transporting Pets

No matter how smart your dog or cat is, if they get lost in a foreign city or country, they won’t be able to find their way home. That is why having a microchip implanted before traveling is so important (one of the requirements for going to another country).

Important: not all veterinary clinics that implant microchips enter the information about the pet into the database. Therefore, make sure that information about you and the pet is there. It will not be superfluous to place a token with a phone number, e-mail, as well as your data on their collar.

Required documents

The amount of papers needed for traveling with a cat or a dog depends on the destination - across the US, Europe, or to other countries.

These papers are always required:

• An international pet passport from a state veterinary clinic. It must have the rabies vaccine stamp. Other vaccination stamps are not always needed for traveling.
• A paper that confirms that the animal is yours. Data on this is entered in the passport, but you can show the customs service a contract of sale, joint ownership, power of attorney.
• Papers for exporting a pet to another country.
• To enter Europe, a pet should have an international passport. When there is no document or you are moving the animal to another owner, you need an accompanying paper.

The passport or paper should have all vaccination stamps (the requirements are different in each country), and deworming marks. 

Rabies antibodies requirements

In Japan and Israel, a test for antibodies to rabies is required for all pets - if the pet entered or transited through a territory with an unfavorable rabies situation (Turkey, Serbia, Montenegro, Ukraine). The veterinary laboratory where the analysis will be made must have an international certificate.

You cannot get the rabies shot and immediately go abroad. 3 weeks after vaccination, a blood test for antibodies must be done (except for pets up to three months old). It will show whether they are formed in the pet's blood. The results of the analysis will be ready in a few weeks. Should the pet not have antibodies, the shot will have to be repeated.

Who is allowed in the cabin or the cargo compartment

A pet can fly in the cabin, if they weigh no more than 8-10 kg (some companies allow 14 kg). Pets are not allowed in business class cabins.

How to travel with your pet on a train

The rules for cat, dog and puppy transportation on trains can be looked up on the website of the transporting company. All in all, everything depends on how big the pet is, and on the type of the train. One person can usually accompany 1 pet, maximum 2 large ones.

How to travel with a pet in a car

Before transporting a pet in a car, learn the rule: a pet cannot be fed before the trip. If you start your trip in the morning, the last feeding should be in the evening. Otherwise, the pet may get sick and vomit.

You can save yourself from surprises and find out more about various predispositions of your pet’s behavior by ordering a cat breed DNA test or asking the breeders about their parents’ behavior on the road, if you keep in touch.

How to transport a cat in a car? Put it in its carrier and don't let it out unless it has a harness and leash. If it runs away, it will be very difficult to find. The container can be held by hand or fixed motionless, away from drafts.

Other rules to know:

• Accustom the dog or cat to the car gradually, if possible.
• If the road is long, make stops every 5-6 hours, for 15-20 minutes.
• Do not keep the pet in a closed car during the heat.
• When in a car, fix all things that are near the dog or cat. They can fall and injure the pet because of a sharp stop or turn.
• Offer your pet water during stops.

Collect a veterinary first aid kit. It must contain:

• Iodine or other wound treatment;
• adhesive plaster;
• gauze or bandage;
• remedy for diarrhea, vomiting;
• thermometer;
• drugs for chronic pathology, if the pet is sick.

Find out beforehand the contact information of veterinary clinics in the city that you plan on going to. If the pet is injured or feels sick, the necessary data will be at hand.

Now that you’ve found out all the details for a pet trip, we want to wish you an awesome holiday with your dog or cat, with no stress or unexpected issues on the road!