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 For many people, buying a home and relocating your family can be an unsettling and bittersweet event. Lot's of planning go into the move to make sure family members, cars and furniture get to their new location in one piece. Moving the family pet with you takes just as much thought and planning as the other family members, sometimes more.
Relocating a Pet
An estimated 36% of American households have a dog and about 32% of households have a pet cat. Families move all the time so with all those dogs and cats moving with them, pet relocating is a pretty common event. But if this is your first big move with the family pet, you need to understand the basics.
Let's face it; to many Americans a pet is an important member of the family. As such, there are some important preplanning steps you should make to increase the odds of your pet making it to their new home in good health and thriving once they arrive. Some of these preplanning considerations include:
- New Home and Habitats - new adventures will occur in a new place
- Motion Sickness - physically relocating a pet is not always easy - some pets travel better than others
- Identification - making sure your pet can be identified if lost along the way
We talk a bit more about each of these items in the sections below.
Relocating is Stressful on Pets
Moving is a stressful event for us humans and unfortunately your pet will be subjected to stress too. So a good place to start is with a healthy animal. Getting that clean bill of health is important to ensure that your pet will be able to arrive in its new home in a healthy condition. In fact, many states and some countries require that your pet have inoculation documentation and health certificates from a veterinarian prior to arrival at their destination.
Pet Checkups Before Moving
Even if you're not traveling very far from home, a trip to the veterinarian is well worth it. A move from the big city out to the suburbs can subject your pet to new animals and habitat. While all the new surroundings may be enthusiastically welcomed by your pet, their chances of contracting a new disease are much higher.
Motion Sickness and Travel
If your pet relocating plans involve considerably more travel time for the pet than it's used to getting, you might want to ask the veterinarian for a sedative or medication for motion sickness. Talk to your veterinarian about the process of caring for your pet while relocating. And keep in mind that sedating your pet too heavily may do more harm than good.
Identification of Pets
As your pet makes it journey, it might visit many strange and unfamiliar cities along the way. There will be stops, breaks and handling of the dog or cat during this journey. This handling creates those split second opportunities for the pet to scamper off and run away. That's why it is so important to make sure the pet has a comfortable collar bearing your identification information.
If your cat has never worn a collar before, don't wait until the day of the trip to introduce the collar. Give your cat a couple of weeks to get used to the identification collar before the trip.
If it's possible, avoid traveling during weather extremes. If your plans are for summer travel, try to keep the animal out of the heat by traveling during the evening or early morning hours when the temperatures are a bit cooler.
Airlines Policies and Pet Travel
If your traveling by airplane, make sure you check out your airline's policy on pet travel. For example, you will be responsible for getting the right sized carrier or kennel for your pet. Make sure the one you chose meets all the USDA and IATA regulations for both size and type. If the trip is a long one, you will need to bring food, water and even prepare feeding instructions for the airline personnel.
The Animal Welfare Act of 1966 provides for the safeguard of animals and pets while traveling by air. Some airline's viewpoint is that they share in responsibility to make sure your pet arrives safely. Others airlines believe that the responsibility rests squarely on the shoulders of the pet owners.
If your pet relocating plans involve air travel, make sure you can work with your airline to get your pet safely to its new home. Talk to a representative of the airline and have them send their policy to you. Compare policies of several airlines and make sure you're comfortable that the carrier you choose will treat your dog or cat the way you'd expect the pet to be treated.
About the Author - Pet Relocating
Bill Sharlow is the Editor of Money-Zine.com. Copyright © 2004 - 2007 Money-Zine.com
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