Traveling on Vacation with Your Pet - Emergency Hospitals and Emergency Clinics

Traveling on vacation with your family pet can be fun, but there are also precautions that need to be taken when traveling with your dog or cat. While your primary care veterinarian knows your pet best, if you are 500 miles away from home and something happens to your pet, more than likely you aren’t going to have enough time to travel back for them to get treated. Talk to your vet before you ever leave home about potential problems that could affect your pet while traveling. The vet should be able to provide insight about common injuries and illnesses that pets can obtain when traveling. Furthermore, be sure to write down your vet's contact information in case you need to call for help or advice while away from traveling. To be on the safe side, take photos and medical records of your pet. Luckily many popular vacation spots including Las Vegas, offer pet-friendly accommodations. When you arrive at your destination, check with the front desk about local veterinarian recommendations, in case your pet needs to be seen by a veterinary professional. When traveling, pets often encounter minor gastrointestinal discomforts due to the motion and eating prior to traveling. If your pet has diarrhea or is vomiting, do not give it food or water for several hours or until the issue lessens. If you detect a problem in your pet that you feel needs medical attention, you should make the appropriate contact with a local vet or pet hospital. Check for pet hospitals and emergency clinics located at your destination or through the internet. Minor injuries and illnesses usually can be treated by the pet owner with the proper tools. Pet first aid kits are much like human first aid kits and include items such as:styptic powder for excessive bleeding, latex gloves, sterile bandages for wounds, triple antibiotic ointment, hydrocortisone cream for itches and scratches, Iodine antiseptic wipes for sterilization, forceps for splinters and tick removal, insect sting wipes, gauzetape to secure bandages, scissors to trim hair and cut bandage or tape, hand wipes, and cotton swabs for ointments and creams. Pet emergency preparedness is crucial to taking responsibility for your family pets. Also if you traveling to an area that is susceptible to natural disasters, such as earthquakes, hurricanes and floods, you should be prepared with a well thought out plan to evacuate and have the supplies and emergency shelter you need for you and your pet.If you need emergency care for your pet, the Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society offers listings for emergency clinics in the United States, Canada and other countries.It's also a good idea to take along numbers of pet emergency organizations, such as the National Animal Poison Control Center.