How to Keep a Pet Calm During Travel

Many people love to travel with their pets. It's not hard to see why. Pets are parts of the family in most cases, and people are loathe to leave them behind. For the most part, pets love to travel with their humans. They enjoy the togetherness, the bonding and the adventure of something new, especially dogs. Most of all, though, they love being included on a family trip and not relegated to a pet sitter. However, pets sometimes get a little nervous and jumpy during the actual travel phase of a vacation, especially if they're not used to riding in cars or on planes. Fortunately, there are steps to take to keep a pet calm during travel.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Bring along all the regular products your pet uses. Keeping the same cat litter, the same brand of food and the same brand of treats will hep your pet feel more secure when traveling.

2. Keep familiar toys within reach of your pet. If your pet is in a carrier or crate, put a favorite toy or two in there with him, and pack the others for when you get to your hotel.

3. Talk softly to your pet during travel. Even if your pet is in a carrier and can't cuddle with you, hearing your familiar voice will help your pet to stay calm and feel comforted.

4. Go to the pet or health food store before you leave on your trip to buy homeopathic calming drops for your animal companion. Calming drops, such as Dr. Goodpet's Calm Stress formula, can be added to your pet's food or water or placed directly on the tongue and will help keep your pet calm.

5. Eliminate loud noises as much as possible during travel and try to avoid taking sharp turns or going over bumps at a fast speed if you're driving.

6. Reach in through small openings in your pet's crate or carrier to pet him. Petting will soothe your pet and make the trip more pleasant for him.

7. Stay calm yourself. Pets take their cues from their humans. If you're stressed out on a trip, your pet will be, too. However, if you're relaxed, your pet will pick up on that and relax himself.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure you exhaust all possible natural means to keep your pet calm during travel before resorting to tranquilizers. Many pets react badly to tranquilizers and you've got to be very careful about not giving them too much. If you do have to tranquilize your pet, give him the smallest dose possible to get him to relax.