Are you going on vacation with the dog? Here are a series of recommendations and tips to keep in mind when going on vacation with them.
It is becoming easier to know if when looking for hotels, campsites, houses or apartments for rent our pets will accept us or not, in fact, on the Internet it is easy to find trackers and search engines that already have the option of looking for an accommodation where pets are allowed.
Before leaving home, depending on the days you will be away and the destination, it is more than recommended to visit us so that we can verify that your dog is in perfect health and meets the health requirements to travel safely.
If you travel outside Catalonia, the rabies vaccine will be mandatory, outside of Spain, it will be necessary to carry out a Passport with the appropriate internal and external vaccines and deworming guidelines and assess whether the destination is an endemic area of Leishmania or filaria of any other disease that the veterinarian considers important to keep in mind to prevent or control contagion.
Depending on the destination, if it is outside of Europe, the export certification of companion animals from the Ministry of Agriculture and the Environment or a veterinary health certificate or the performance of some analysis may be necessary.
Thus, it is recommended that you request the information as far in advance as possible from the corresponding embassy, since, for example, for the rabies vaccine when it is administered for the first time, it needs a minimum of 21 days to be considered effective, therefore so much we have to organize the visit to the vet in advance.
For more information, you can click on the “travel with your pet” section on the Girona school page www.covgi.cat.
What do we have to put in the suitcase?
- The health card, the passport and health certificates depending on the destination.
- Medical history and medication in case of chronic illness.
- Documentation of the dog’s insurance if you have it or of the house insurance if it is a breed considered dangerous.
- Look, previously document the veterinary centers that are near the accommodation.
- We recommend that the dog continue with the same diet to which it is used. So in case it is a special diet you will have to make a place for in your suitcase.
- It is also interesting to be able to carry her things such as a toy, her blanket or towel, as well as an easy-to-carry drinking trough.
Transport
Travel by car:
It is one of the most comfortable ways for our pet since if anything happens we can stop the vehicle and attend to it at the moment.
Before a long trip, it is necessary to assess whether our dog is used to traveling long distances in the car, and in case of not planning an adaptation or assessing with the veterinarian the need to administer a sedative or anti-motion sickness to facilitate the journey. We must also bear in mind that although our dog is good, and gets along well when traveling, current regulations require us to carry it well insured:
- In a carrier.
- In a space separated from the driver and delimited by a folding metal structure, adaptable to all types of vehicle. The general direction of traffic prohibits animals from being loose in the car and, also, from being in the front seat.
- They can also be tied up with a dog seat belt that is attached similarly to a harness.
- It is forbidden to let dogs look out the window.
- If the dog exercises before leaving, it will be more tired and calmer during the trip.
- On long trips, stops will have to be made every 2-3 hours so that the dog can “stretch his legs like us.
- In no case can we leave our dog alone in the car, if it is a momentary and exceptional situation, look for a place where there is shade and with the windows slightly open.
Travel by airplane:
Each company and airport has its own regulations on the type of carrier and whether or not the animal can travel in the cabin or in the hold, therefore before buying a ticket it is important to inform yourself.
Travel by boat:
We must also inform ourselves in advance of the conditions and the alternatives if you can stay in the cellar with special containers, cages or in the cabin with us.
Traveling by train:
We must also inform ourselves in advance of the conditions of the companies and the stations.
We leave you the Renfe information in the following link: Renfe.
