Transport of Pets

Transporting pets can be a stressful time for all involved especially when pets are not relaxed and hate travelling, whether it is a short trip in the car to the vet or a longer trip on a plane or boat.

We often get asked by owners for sedatives for a pet that doesn’t like travelling. Many years ago it was common practice to hand out sedatives for use on pets with travel anxiety, however times have changed and we no longer recommend this. The reason that these drugs are no longer recommended is that studies have shown that they are just masking the problem. Your pet still feels the anxiety related to travelling, they just can’t express it because they are under the influence of the drugs.

The best thing you can do, especially for dogs, is to get them used to travelling in the car from an early age. For trips in a car dogs tend to travel better in the back seat while cats tend to travel better when they are in a cage. For cats you should definitely get them used to carry cages as kittens. It is a good idea to have the carry cage out for them to sniff and even sleep in when you do not need to take them anywhere. This way they won’t be frightened of it when you do bring it out. If they are still anxious then there are training programmes aimed at decreasing their anxiety. These programmes normally involve step wise increases in the time spent in the car and the distance travelled. If you would like a more in depth outline of these programmes please do not hesitate to contact us. It is also wise not to feed your pet too close to the time of travel but do ensure they are not completely hungry either. Try to feed them two to three hours before departure if possible.

We also have some products that can aid stress and anxiety in pets, the first one is Calmex, it is a herbal remedy that you can give to your pet and it’s a bit like Rescue Remedy in that it is not a drug and won’t sedate them but can help to take the edge off any anxiety they may be feeling.

We also have Adaptil for Dogs and Feliway for Cats which are both synthetic pheromones that you can either spray on a collar or bandana or in the cage for when your pets are travelling. These pheromones are appeasing pheromones that only work on your cat or dog and help to put them at ease in stressful situations.  We are able to get Adaptil collars which your dog can wear around with them. One of our nurses uses it for separation anxiety in her dog and definitely notices an increase in anxiety levels without the collar.  These products are also beneficial for pets that have any anxiety or fears, they are not just for when you are travelling.  

Please feel free to come into the clinic so we can show you the products we have available.

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