Planning a trip with your pet soon? 

Traveling Tips

1. Keep your Pet safe, secure in a well-ventilated crate/carrier.
2. Warm up with short trips before the long trip to get them used to travel.
3. Feed your pet a few hours before you leave, and not during travel.
4. Never leave your animal alone/unattended in a vehicle especially in warm weather.
5. Have your pets traveling kit ready, including water, bowls, medication (if needed) as well as an emergency kit with bandages.
6. Make sure your pet has a microchip or some form of identification.
7. Keep their head inside the vehicle while driving and be sure windows are closed enough so the pet cannot escape.
8. Bring your pets vaccination and medical records.
9. Bring your own water!
10. Consider getting easy to clean seat and floor covers for your convenience. 

Are you or your pet at risk of Giardia infection? Giardia is a protozoan parasitic infection. Although there are various sources of contamination, one of the most common for our pets is drinking from untreated contaminated creeks, lakes or rivers. Once infected the most common symptom is acute, (or intermittent and can potentially be chronic if left untreated) smelly, frothy, mucousy diarrhea. This parasite can be transferred to humans. So, if you and your pet have recently been in areas at risk and symptoms occur, it is best to be seen by your veterinarian and/or physician. 

Do You Know Where You're Going?

When traveling with our furry family members we often forget to check to see if the environment is safe for them to travel with us. Some things like heartworm are much more prevalent in hotter climates. This is a parasite that you can prevent your pet from getting as long as they are treated prior to exposure. How high is the risk for Lyme disease from ticks where you’re going? Possibly having them vaccinated beforehand would help but know ahead of time is the key. If traveling abroad, will your pet be allowed into the country? If not properly vaccinated and dewormed with specific regulations your pet could be quarantined or not permitted to enter.

Every country has its own rules and restrictions in regards to what a pet needs to be able to accompany you. You can start to sniff out all the answers by clicking here. The government site will also direct you to the correct people you need to contact if you cannot find all the answers you are looking for.

These tips are a summary of tips from 10 Tips for Safe Car Travel With Your Pet. You can read the original article HERE.

Just like some people, your pets can get motion sickness. That is never a good thing when you’re trying to get somewhere and "Fluffy" upchucks in the vehicle. A common medication that people use for themselves is Gravol (main ingredient dimenhydrinate) and vets often get phone calls asking if they can give it to their pet.

Like most medications, there are contradictions in some pets. It should be avoided in pets with glaucoma, hyperthyroidism, seizure disorders, cardiovascular disease or hypertension. With some pets, it can have some adverse effects and they can become hyperactive, cause vomiting, diarrhea, or central nervous system depression (heart rate and respiration rate can decrease.)

Lethargy is seen quite often (which in some pets may be a good thing while traveling). It is more effective in dogs than in cats. VCA Frontier suggests giving them the medication 20 to 30 minutes before traveling. The dose recommended is between 4 to 8 mg for every kg by mouth and it can be given up to every 8 hours if needed. 

Example: 6.4 kg dog can be given a 25mg tablet. Always try at the very lowest dose to make sure they have no adverse reactions first.  

It is always a good idea to have some form of Identification on your pet especially when traveling. 

Here are some pros and cons of each:

Microchip

• Permanent Identification
• Most common Identification Nationally
• If theft occurs cannot be removed

Cons:

• Slightly painful application
• Can migrate from the original site
• Owners contact information must be updated to be of use
• Need a universal scanner to be identified 

Tattooing

Pros:

• Permanent Identification

             
Cons:

• Can fade or become illegible
• Can only be done under anesthetic
• Province-specific and only used for ID in Canada
• Relies on Veterinary Clinics record keeping
• Owners need to update contact information
• Visible on pet 

Name Tags

• You can design your own

Cons:

• Can be easily lost or removed; Not permanent

Fitness Focus Challenge -Week Four- Sara Fell Off The Fitness Wagon...HARD.

Well, it happened ....what happened? 

LIFE, Life happened.

The biggest barrier to me starting this fitness challenge before now, was my life is so hectic and often it sabotages my plans to prioritize myself. This has been the case so far in June. My last work out with Denise was May 31st and every time I have tried to go to the gym since then something has wrecked my plans. 

I was on a cancellation list for the periodontist - and 2 appointments in 1 day came available so I had to take them, an unplanned business road trip to Manitoba robbed me of another 2 days, Trusted 7th-anniversary event, a family event in Regina, my son's school city track meet- one thing after another conspired to stop me moving. Then the events - with wine and food. Essentially taking 2 hours to go to the gym would have meant missing client deadlines or important family moments - and I wasn't getting to bed till at least 11 pm every night ( sometimes not getting in from work stuff till then). 

Activity? What activity?