Tips to help a pet get used to the
car
Give your dog treats in the car
without actually driving anywhere. Keep the rides very short and positive. Take
your puppy on short car rides as early as possible.
Get your dog used to windshield wipers.
Use pheromone treatments, Adaptil collar or Adaptil Spray in the car, 30
minutes before the journey. You could try ginger tablets for dogs for car
sickness. Phone your veterinary surgeon to discuss using more potent motion
sickness medicine if this fails.
Cats should get used to the carrier
before travelling. Never put it away, so it doesn’t only appear when there is a
vet visit. Place absorbable bedding material (a large towel or an incontinence
pad) in the carrier to avoid them having to sit in their mess if they have an
accident. Familiar smells make your cat less stressed. Encourage your cat to
sleep or be feed in the carrier. This allows the cat to pass it’s smell onto the
carrier and bedding material. You can rub a cloth around the cat’s face to pick
up the smell and place this in the carrier. Spray the carrier and the car with
Feliway pheromone spray, 30 minutes before travelling. Cover the carrier with a
towel or blanket.
The Highway Code states that drivers need to ensure that dogs or
other animals are suitably restrained so that they cannot distract you while
you are driving or injure you, or themselves, if you stop too quickly. You
should use of a dog seat belt harness, pet carrier, crate, or guard as ways of
restraining your pet while driving. Drivers who don’t restrain dogs and cats
while on the move are not just breaking the law, they could also be
invalidating their car insurance.
Please feel free to
contact our team at Corinium Veterinary Surgery if you need more tips and
advice.
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