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Tips for Moving/Road Trip with a pup?
My FI and I are moving from Las Cruces, NM to Bluffton/HHI, SC in a few weeks. We have booked a POD and we will taking a two and a half day road trip through Dallas/ Atlanta with our 18 month old Mini Retriever, Missy. We have taken her on small (30 min) highway trips before and she does fine. The problem is that she gets car sick sometimes when we have too many stops/turns. We are definitely planning to line the back seat with lots of towels and even maybe some disposable table cloths just in case. We will take lots of toys and treats (and her favorite blanket) and we'll make lots of stops for walks and play time. We are booking pet friendly hotel that are right off the highway. We might even ask our vet for his take on sedating her a bit....
Do y'all have any helpful tips or advice on road trips/moving with a pup???
Thanks in advance and Missy says hi to all her Nestie-Pups out there!
Re: Tips for Moving/Road Trip with a pup?
If you can fit it I would suggest a crate. It will make it easier for her to settle and keep her safe in the event of an accident. My dogs travel all the time and they love to snuggle down in their crates on a long trip. We have moved so much (with hurricane damage we had to move them 6 times in 7 months while we work on our house) and having a familiar crate/bedding in their new digs helped them adjust a bit. If you can't fit a crate I would suggest a car harness for restraints.
When getting her in and out the car always be careful of her bolting out. When stressed/nervous they might do things you don't expect like jump out the crate at a rest stop so I'm extra vigilant in those situations.
I would pack water for her if she has a sensitive stomach. Sometimes stress+new water sources can cause stomach issues. My older boy didn't used to eat on the road much so don't be alarmed if she doesn't seem interested in eating. I have a few other sport dog friends that offer up something special like wet food on a long road trip. I used to smear peanut butter on the bottom of the food bowl to encourage Jack to eat. But if you decide to give something different give it a whirl before you leave in case it upsets her stomach.
I would make copies of all of your vaccination records and have that info on hand just in case. I know a few people that travel a lot keep a picture with current information like name, medical needs, physical description, vet contact info and attach it to their crates in case of an accident.
best of luck with your move!
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SetSail has great advice for you.
I second that either a crate or a car harness are a must. We got a harness for our pup when we drove her 1100 miles from PA to AL to visit my mom over Christmas; it was the first trip she'd been on over 2 hours long. Thankfully, she doesn't get car sick.
A few plush toys in the back that your dog loves along with a blanket or two are great ideas (if she's crated, a blanket [with spares on hand] and a plush toy and maybe something to chew will be good). Zoey wasn't terribly interested in drinking on the trip, but we had a meal stop for her on the way down and again on the way home, and she ate fine. If you're stopping in hotels, I'd feed her a sufficient amount of time before hitting the road that she's less likely to throw it back up.
I wouldn't suggest the sedation, just because you never really know how your dog will react, and you don't want a veterinary emergency in the middle of a big trip like that. Take a test drive with her of a couple of hours and see how she does. If she really seems super anxious, then maybe you can ask your vet about a sedative, and administer a test dose before you leave so you know how she'll react.
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Thank you soo much for the advice! I have a few questions though.
As far as water....she drinks water from the PUR filter now.....Yes we spoil our little rescue
......should we switch her to bottled water now since that is what she will drink on the trip?
Should we crate her even if she has never ever been in a crate before? We are very worried that being in a crate would scare her....part of why we are not flying her..... She is usually happy to curl up on her blanket in the back seat. She has a harness that we can attach to the seat belt...should we do that instead?
Thank you again for all of the wonderful advice!
-Cassie and Missy
I would go with the harness if she is happy to hang out on the back seat.
I'd also switch her over to bottled water before your trip so she's used to it.
Our dogs are pretty whiny initially in the car, so when we drove from CO to IN for Christmas we got some small dose sedatives for them. We tested them out a couple times before the trip to make sure there were no negative side affects.
Other than that, PP have covered most things. Our dogs don't eat or drink much on road trips, but I always keep their favorite treats on hand just to get something in them. Thankfully, no car sickness here. I think lining the seats with disposable table cloths is a great idea.