Taking your doodle on vacation - are you prepared?

[BG and Gavin]

I was going to post this in the Cottage Doodle group, however since summer is coming I am sure that many people will be travelling with their dogs and may find this information useful.   Here is a list of things that I bring with me to the cottage to ensure I meet Gavin’s (myriad of) needs.

1. A supply of dry food including at least three extra days’ worth
2. Canned food or toppers
3. Treats
4. Chew sticks and toys and balls
5. A binder containing copies of all  health records and insurance information
6. Doggie shampoo
7. Revolution/Frontline or similar and heart worm pills
8. Benadryl
9. Styptic powder
10. Any medication as necessary
11. Peroxide to induce vomiting if necessary
12. Gas-ex for bloat emergency
13. Paw pad conditioner
14. Brush, comb and nail clippers
15. Dog bed
16. Dog towels
17. Thermometer
18. Ear cleaner and drops and cotton pads
19. An extra collar and leash
20. A long line
21. Harness and seat belt
22. Food and water bowls
23. Bottled water for travelling
24. Ingredients for skunk odor removal found here:  http://www.ehow.com/way_5181244_skunk-odor-removal-recipe.html

If you will be in one area for an extended period of time, like at your cottage or trailer, it is a good idea to introduce yourself and your dog to a vet in the area.  In small vacation towns, there are no emergency animal hospitals and some vets will not see your dog in an emergency unless you are already a client.

You will likely not see much of me over the summer, but I will check in from time to time.  Enjoy any vacation you decide to take and keep your doodles safe.  Please feel free to add to this list as it is by no means exhaustive :)

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Wow...this list is great!  Thanks for sharing....I know I'm not this prepared when we go to our cottage.

[BG and Gavin]

Oh Jane, I am sure you are plenty prepared!

[Jill, Woody & Maxi]

Great list..thanks for sharing...Another thing that I would add to the list would be tweezers and tape.  Not sure where you are going, but we unfortunately are in a heavy tick area..and had to use the tweezers to remove..also, tape works well if the tick is just "hanging" out on the fur.

Enjoy your summer!

[BG and Gavin]

Great additions Jill.  I have never had to deal with ticks before (touch wood).  I would be grateful if you could share your procedure for tick removal here.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Isn't that what you know the local vet for?  :-}  Don't laugh - the only tick one of our dogs ever got was when we were RV camping and we were afraid we would not get the head so we found the local vet!!!!

[Wendy and Myla]

This is a great list - I love the skunk-odor link!   Another thing I do is have my vet's phone number in my cell phone contact list so that if there is an emergency I can phone right away instead of wasting time looking for a phone number!  Of course, if you're at a cottage you can have the number of the nearest vet but we go away in the motorhome a lot so we're in a lot of different places.

[BG and Gavin]

Good point Wendy.  I did that a long time ago, as I realized in an emergency I would not likely have the presence of mind to find the number.  Good if you can just dial as you are on your way there.

[Lonnie & Libby Lu]

Wow!  This is awesome, now if I can only talk my DH into traveling:)  Thanks BG, very nice!

[BG and Gavin]

No problem Lonnie.  I make lists for myself of what to take every year, so I just thought I would share this one.

[Adrianne Matzkin]

My groomer told me to get rid of skunk odor just use cheap douche and pour it all over them and rinse. Repeat as necessary. It worked for us.

[BG and Gavin]

LOL Adrianne - I picture myself at the small town pharmacy explaining to the nosy old lady running the till that I am buying 6 packages of douche "for my dog." 

[Richard Crowe]

Great advice and a great list of necessary items...  We always have both generic benadryl pills and liquid Benadryl handy. The liquid Benadryl works far faster and is great to use when or if  dog is stung by a bee or wasp.  We had a Maltese puppy ,stung by a bee, who went into shock.  The vet said that the liquid Benadryl we administered imediately, before bringing her to the vet, might have saved her life.

 

One additional item that I recommend is Adolph's Meat Tenderizer.  Make a paste with this powder; apply it to stings or bites and it will reduce the irritation.  Works great on both people and dogs but, it might be a good idea to cover the application on a dog.  You don't have to do that with people since folks won't normally lick off the paste like a dog might!

 

Finally...  Make sure that the tag on your dog reflects your cell phone number and I always recommend that you have a microchip installed.  The microchip registration should have both home and cell phones listed.