How to travel with pets in the car?

by Vivaan Khatri | 14/07/2018
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With five easy tips, you can share memorable and pleasing road trips with your lovely pets.

Some families consider their pets to be a member of their families, which means that pets deserve to join any family events including long road trips with the whole family. But traveling with pets in the car could come with a lot of challenges and inconvenience. Here are some useful tips recommended by IndianAuto team which could help you travel with pets in your car with ease.

1. Use restrains

how to travel with pet in car

Keep your pets under control by using restrains

Just like the human, pets need belts to protect them from being injured when the accident occurs. Moreover, the most important thing when traveling with pets in your car is to keep them to stay still. If they are free from any restrains, there is the chance that they could mess up the rear bench, even hang their head out of the window, move to the front seats, and disturb your concentration on driving. These naughty behaviors could even lead to car accidents. One effective solution is to use the harnesses made exclusively for pets. These harnesses could be attached to normal seat belts in order to keep them stay still during the drive.  

There are also other ways to keep the pets in one place: You can use a crate or barrier to prevent it from moving around. For the pets to feel comfortable inside the crate, you should find a crate which could fit their size and allow them to stand up easily.

In a car with a large boot like an SUV or a van, you can keep the pets at the cargo space and use a barrier as a restraint method.

2. Prepare food before the trip

bowl of dog food

It is necessary to prepare food for your pets before a long road trip

Food for pets must be prepared before you hit the road for a long trip in case you can’t find a place to get food for your pets. It is highly recommended that you bring extra food in case the trip is longer than you expected.

As domestic animals could give strong reactions to small changes in the water or food intake, it is necessary to bring the food and water that they usually take and keep a consistent timetable for eating and drinking.

In case the pets get sick along the road, you should also pack their pills as well as the prescription so that you can buy the medicines along the way.

3. Stop for a walk

take a dog for a walk

Take your pets for a walk every now and then during a long road trip 

During a long trip, it is important that you schedule several breaks along the ride and take the pets out for a quick walk. A long trip inside a contained space would be stressful for hyperactive animals, therefore, a walk could bring the pets into a good mood and release their restrained energy. After exercising, they will be less active and calmer. Moreover, these small exercises are good practice for yourself as well.

4. Don’t leave the dog inside a car for too long

a dog looks out the car window how to travel with dog in car

Being confined inside the car could be fatal to the pets

The pets are especially sensitive to the changes in the temperature. Studies have shown that leaving a pet inside a parked car is a fatal mistake. The high temperature inside a hot car could kill a pet easily. It is the best that you don’t leave pets inside a parked car or at least, make sure that the temperature inside is suitable.

5. Make the pet familiar to car drive

how to travel with pet in car

Make your pet get used to being inside a moving car

Being inside a moving car might not be a good experience for your pets, especially for a long road trip. The vibration and noise of a running engine could intimidate pets and send them anxiety. Therefore, you should get them acquainted with being inside a car for a drive beforehand. It will make the experience less shocking to pets. You can start by bringing pets for some short drives weeks before the departure day.

Traveling with pets in the car could be a stressful experience for both you and your pet. But if you have to bring your animal friend with you, the advice above could reduce the stress and make the journey more pleasing experience.

Read more driving tips from IndianAuto

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