MISSION, KS–(Marketwired – Oct 9, 2014) – (Family Features) Heather Loenser, DVM, knows first-hand the joys and challenges of traveling with her dog. She and her family recently adopted a year-old Border collie named Calvin.

“As a new dog in our house, Calvin is experiencing some separation anxiety, so we don’t want to board him or leave him with a pet sitter,” Dr. Loenser explained. “Even though he suffers from car sickness, when the family goes on vacation, Calvin comes with us.”

Dr. Loenser is often called upon to help her clients prepare for vacations with their dogs. Her top five travel tips are:

1. Consider Car Safety
When it comes to car trips, practice safety first. In some states, it is illegal for dogs to ride unrestrained in a vehicle. The Center for Pet Safety tests vehicle restraints for dogs; their recommendations can be found at www.centerforpetsafety.org.

2. Be a Considerate Guest
Whether at a pet-friendly hotel or at the in-laws’ house, not everyone will love your dog as much as you do. Make sure your dog is well-groomed and don’t forget canine etiquette. A quick refresher course in the basics commands: sit, down, stay, quiet and come will help make your dog welcome wherever you go.

3. Take First Aid on the Road
Accidents happen; be prepared with a mobile app offered by the American Red Cross. It contains veterinary advice for everyday emergencies, interactive features and a locator for American Animal Hospital Association-accredited hospitals across the nation. Download the app at: http://www.redcross.org/mobile-apps/pet-first-aid-app.

4. Avoid Dietary Changes
Stay as close to your dog’s regular feeding schedule as possible and avoid giving extra treats or different types of foods that may upset their stomach. Dr. Loenser suggests giving regular meals in a food dispensing toy, which will also help use up some stored energy from the trip.

5. Consult Your Veterinarian
One of the main reasons dogs get left behind is, like Calvin, they suffer from motion sickness. “My clients often try over-the-counter remedies first,” Dr. Loenser said. “However, OTC products are not very effective and have a sedative effect that can be unpleasant for the dog.”

“I prescribe an FDA approved medication for dogs called CERENIA^® (maropitant citrate) to prevent vomiting due to motion sickness in my canine clients 16 weeks and older — and Calvin.” Dr. Loenser knows it is safe and effective because it’s the medicine she uses every day to prevent and treat other causes of vomiting in her patients. She advises dog owners to talk to their veterinarians who can help find a solution for their dogs’ car sickness.

 “When you think about it, taking your dog along on vacation can be less expensive than paying for a kennel or dog sitter. That leaves more to spend on fun activities to enjoy with your dog.”

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION:

Use CERENIA Tablets for acute vomiting in dogs 8 weeks and older, and for prevention of vomiting due to motion sickness in dogs 16 weeks and older. Safe use has not been evaluated in cats and dogs with gastrointestinal obstruction, or those that have ingested toxins. Use with caution in dogs with hepatic dysfunction. In people, topical exposure may elicit localized allergic skin reactions, and repeated or prolonged exposure may lead to skin sensitization. See full Prescribing Information; www.cerenia.com.

All trademarks are the property of Zoetis Inc., its affiliates and/or its licensors. ©2014 Zoetis Inc. All rights reserved. October 2014. CER-00085

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Pet Travel Safety

Washington — Harley was the bulldog’s name. He was pronounced dead at baggage claim at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport last year despite a passenger’s attempt at cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Two months later, a mixed-breed Rottweiler arrived lifeless at Sea-Tac in his chewed-out kennel, dead of what later was diagnosed as aspiration pneumonia. And at Logan International Airport in Boston, a male cat named Daunte twice escaped from his kennel before he could be loaded into the cargo hold; he was found the next day after a ramp vehicle had struck him dead.

The three were among at least 62 animals that died, were injured or lost since 2010 while being flown aboard Alaska Airlines, a tally that makes the Seattle-based company one of the nation’s leading carriers in recent years for reported pet casualties.

Only Delta, the nation’s busiest airline, with six times Alaska’s passenger traffic, reported more incidents, 74, to the U.S. Department of Transportation during the same period. But for 2013 and for the first seven months of this year, Alaska topped the casualty rankings.

The reasons for Alaska’s number of victims are unclear. The company suspects it may handle more than its share of animals. Alaska is practically the house airline in its namesake state, where residents have few alternatives for shipping their pets long distances.

Alaska also is one of few airlines to accept snub-nosed dogs, breeds that are more susceptible to heatstroke and respiratory issues.

Bobbie Egan, spokeswoman for Alaska, said the company ferries about 80,000 pets annually, virtually all of them without a hitch. She said Alaska employees are specially trained and follow strict federal guidelines to ensure safety.

“Transporting pets, whether in the cabin or as checked baggage in our cargo hold, to us is just like transporting a family member,” she said.

In all, Alaska and other U.S. carriers count several dozen animal injuries, losses or deaths annually — a minuscule fraction of the estimated several hundred thousand animals transported by air.

In the vast majority of incidents, pets suffer unexplained deaths or hurt themselves while attempting to escape their kennels. Airlines are rarely found to be at fault.

The Transportation Department figures, however, capture only a partial safety picture. That’s because the federal agency currently requires tracking only for household pets. That exempts scores of other animals, including those bound for pet stores or research labs.

Starting Jan. 1, the department will require airlines to fill in some — but not all — of the missing data. That’s when airlines for the first time will have to report the total number of animals they handle, finally making it possible to calculate complaint rates.

More significant, the agency expanded incident-reporting requirements to include not only all warm-and coldblooded household pets, but dogs and cats shipped by breeders and suppliers to retailers and researchers.

The rule changes come four years after the Animal Legal Defense Fund petitioned the agency to close loopholes it said camouflaged the true extent of risks to animals. Three U.S. senators, including Majority Whip Richard J. Durbin, D-Ill., also urged the department to expand incident reports to animals that aren’t pets.

The National Association of Biomedical Research opposed the proposed rules as an “unnecessary” burden and cost to carriers, breeders and research facilities. Airlines for America, whose members include Alaska and most other major airlines as well as UPS and FedEx, lodged similar objections.

The Transportation Department finally decided to exempt commercial shipments of animals other than dogs and cats from reporting requirements. That was a setback for animal-welfare organizations that had argued to include, for example, monkeys and other primates bound for laboratories.

Animal-welfare experts generally consider flying inherently stressful, and they recommend against cargo flights.

Carter Dillard, director of litigation for the Animal Legal Defense Fund, said numerous variables make it difficult to draw conclusions about any one airline’s safety record.

The animals’ health, total length of trip, extreme temperatures and other factors can play a role.

The defense fund’s original petition for expanded mandatory reporting was triggered by the August 2010 death of seven puppies shipped by a breeder in Tulsa, Okla., during a heat wave. But because the dogs were classified as a commercial shipment, American Airlines did not have to record the fatalities.

Dillard contends that the Transportation Department adopted a selective definition for animals to appease carriers, research institutes and universities.

“The whole point is to get a complete picture of the risks to animals,” he said.

Flying has been shown to be particularly hazardous to short-nosed or snub-nosed dogs. The breeds, which include French and English bulldogs, pugs, Boston terriers and shih tzus, by Alaska’s calculations accounted for nearly 40 percent of its 16 pet deaths during the past two years.

United Airlines accepts short-nosed breeds as checked baggage, but Delta and American Airlines do not. Egan said Alaska is reviewing its policy on such breeds.

Mary Beth Melchior, founder of Where is Jack?, a pet travel safety-advocacy group in Miami Beach, Fla., said Alaska and its competitors can do more to avert potential harm. One way would be to refuse pets as cargo if they seem unfit to fly.

Another way, she said, would be to better train baggage and cargo workers, who in some cases are employed by outside contractors.

Your Pets in Flight

Your dog, cat, rabbit or other household pet can fly with you — but not on all airlines, not to all destinations and not at all times. So check your carrier’s policy on whether it accepts pets in the passenger cabin only or in the baggage compartment, whether pets can fly international routes, or in hot or cold months.

Animal-welfare experts generally advise against transporting pets by plane. If you must, here’s how you can ease the stress of flying:

∎  Check whether you need a health certificate and a rabies-vaccination certificate from a vet. Document requirements vary by states and other destinations.

∎  Animals flying in the passenger cabin must be small enough to stow their kennels under the seat.

∎  Avoid connecting flights and don’t travel during times of extreme temperatures.

∎  Sedation is not recommended, as it can cause problems for animals in high altitudes.

∎  Make sure the kennel is large enough for the animal to stand up straight and turn around.

∎  Kennels should be well-built and escape-proof.

See Valley News For More Pet Travel Safety Articles

Grier Holliday

petfriendlysites.com

Your Pet Friendly Resource Destination™

All the best,

Grier Holliday

www.petfriendlysites.com

Your Pet Friendly Resource Destination™

Excerpt from above linked article-The site’s history, however, goes back centuries. The park is on Mullet Key, which juts into the ocean south of St. Petersburg. Explorer Ponce de Leon anchored off of it in 1513, at which time he used his ship’s cannons to fight off an Indian attack. He returned again in 1521, when he received a wound during another Indian attack. He later died of the wound in Havana, Cuba.

Spanish explorer Hernando De Soto came ashore in 1539. The park was later named for him.

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All the best,

Grier Holliday

www.petfriendlysites.com

Your Pet Friendly Resource Destination™

Pet Safety Tips: The Fourth of July is one of the most stressful and potentially dangerous times of the year for pets.  While you and your family, friends, and neighbors are celebrating the holiday with fireworks, pets are finding these festive activities anything but celebratory.

Many pet parents assume that if their pet is not afraid of thunder or other loud noises, they will not be bothered by fireworks. This is not necessarily true. Even pets who normally are not bothered by thunder and other loud noises are often frightened and panicked by the cumulative effects of the fireworks, the excited voices outside, and being left alone inside the house.

If pets are left outside and unattended, the noise and raucous often drives them to run away. In fact, the July 4th holiday is a very busy time for animal shelters across the U.S. They report taking in a higher number dogs that run off during firework festivities. In addition, many police stations log higher volumes of stray dog calls and barking complaints on July 4th compared to any other day of the year.

By planning ahead and taking some common sense precautions, you can help ensure your pet is happy and safe this Fourth of July.

Pet Safety Tips

• Do not take your pet to fireworks displays.

• Do not leave your pet alone in the car. With only hot air to breathe inside a car, your pet can suffer serious health effects even death in a few short minutes. Partially opened windows do not provide sufficient air, but they do provide an opportunity for your pet to be stolen. See our previous post:  Leaving Pets In Parked Car Can Be A Deadly Mistake.  However, if your pet is most comfortable in the car, some pet parents find that driving around with their pet in the car helps to calm their pet.

• Keep your pets in your home in a comfortable and quiet area with the shades drawn. If your pet is crate trained, then their crate is a great choice.  Some animals can become destructive when frightened, so be sure that you’ve removed any items that your pet could destroy or that would be harmful to your pet if chewed. Leave a television or radio playing at normal volume to keep your pet company while you’re attending Fourth of July picnics, parades, and other celebrations.

• If you know that your pet is seriously distressed by loud noises like thunder, consult with your veterinarian before July 4th for ways to help alleviate the fear and anxiety he or she will experience during fireworks displays.

• If your pet seeks comfort in a bath tub, under a bed or other small space…let them. Do not try to lure them out.  If the space is safe and it makes them feel more secure, let them be.

• Never leave pets outside unattended, even in a fenced yard or on a chain. In their fear, pets who normally wouldn’t leave the yard may escape and become lost, or become entangled in their chain, risking injury or death.

• Make sure your pets are wearing identification tags so that if they do become lost, they can be returned promptly. Animals found running at-large should be taken to the local animal shelter, where they will have the best chance of being reunited with their owners.

Here’s to you and your pet having a happy and safe Independence Day!

For more pet safety  tips, please visit our pet travel tips  page.

About TripsWithPets.com

TripsWithPets.com is the #1 online resource for pet travel. Named best pet travel site by Consumer Reports, TripsWithPets.com‘s mission is to offer resources that ensure pets are welcome, happy, and safe while traveling.  The website features a directory of pet friendly hotels and accommodations across the United States and Canada, as well as airline & car rental pet policies; pet friendly restaurants, beaches, and events; a user-friendly route search option; pet travel tips; pet travel supplies; and other pet travel resources.

About the Author

Kim Salerno is the President & Founder of TripsWithPets.com.  She founded the pet travel site in 2003 and is an expert in the field of pet travel. Her popular web site features pet friendly hotels & accommodations across the US and Canada, along with other helpful pet travel resources.  Her mission is to ensure that pets are welcome, happy, and safe in their travels.

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