Moving with pets can be stressful not only for you, but for them. There are a few things you can do to limit your pet’s stress and anxiety during the move.
Find a Temporary Place
Putting them in doggie daycare of with a friend for the day or the night before the move. Make sure that it is a place or person that they are comfortable with. They can already sense the change and chaos in any household that is packing up and in disarray.
If you choose to leave them with a friend or a sitter, make sure that they have their favorite toy, bed, or blanket to make them feel at home.
Pick them up only when you are all set to go. The less change they experience, the calmer they will be.
Driving with Pets
These guys are your precious cargo. If your pet isn’t kennel trained, you will want to make sure to train them well before the big day. We suggest putting their favorite treat in their kennel with a blanket or pillow, with the door open. Put a treat in there several times a day so they know that this is not an unpleasant place. Once they are inside, close the door and feed a couple more treats and encourage that good behavior. Start them out at 5 minutes, several times a day, then for longer periods. Eventually, start kenneling them up when you run errands so they get used to being in the crate especially if you are driving a long distance.
Flying with Pets
Make sure to check the specific airline rules way before traveling. Especially, if you are relocating overseas. If you moving with pets overseas or even to Hawaii, you will need to check the quarantine laws and vaccinations. For instance, countries like New Zealand, Australia have mandatory titer vaccinations. These vaccinations will be a series and sometimes may take up to 180 days to complete the series. Check the country’s pet importation laws well in advance.
Pet Relocation Services
This is another option for moving with pets is to hire a professional. They will explore all the avenues to get your pet safely to the destination without you having to deal with all the hassle. They will also be very well informed in all the required laws for quarantine and vaccinations. Just make sure that they are registered with the Agriculture Department if you choose this route.
Calming Aids for Moving with Pets
Tranquilizers used to be the method of choice before, but the risks were high, and was the number one cause of death in transporting animals. Most airlines refuse to transport animals that have been tranquilized.
Cannabis dog treats or CBD is a great alternative to moving with pets. They are calmed by the natural compounds found in the cannabis plant that have been known to alleviate stress, anxiety and PTSD in both humans and animals. Since it is not pharmacological, and is not medical marijuana (so there is no high) it has no lethal side effects, and is all-natural.
Depending on the anxiety level of your animal, you will want to start with 5 mg of CBD per 10 pounds of weight. I have given my dog up to three to four times the recommended starting dose if we are flying. She is noise sensitive and the roar of the jet engines escalate her fear and anxiety to the maximum level. Driving in the car for transport, I don’t give her any since she is used to her kennel in the back of the boot.
Assess your animal and dose accordingly. Try and give your animal a dose 30 to 40 minutes before you have to check them in at the airport. They will already be stressed as soon as you both arrive at the airport, and are bombarded with tons of stimulation, then having to be separated from you.
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