Advice Needed - traveling

Tasia's Mom said:
Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful advice and thank you for your thoughts and prayers. You are all such a great group of people.

I cannot tell you how much I appreciate everything!

Tasia and Tootsie are micro-chipped, so now to find the information on that, ugh. I will ask my vet for that information to go back to the web and update with the kid's addresses. Thank you for reminding me of that.

I have a smaller car, so I am not sure if the crate is going to work out for me. My backseats do fold down so there is more room for them, but then I wouldn't be able to use the seat belt harness. So, that won't work.

Tasia will not lie down during a car ride, she has to see what is going on constantly. Would any of you suggest a very mild sedative for her or maybe a Benadryl that would make her sleepy? She is an excellent car rider and absolutely loves it, but just wondering about that one.

I have a note to call the vet today to let them know I will be needing their records and a health cert. We had to do that with our horses when we went to out of state shows. Both Tasia and Tootsie are up for their 1 year visit in October, so that timing will work out good for us. I use a harness for Tasia when we walk and do have a nametag that says her name, my phone number and micro-chipped on it and plan to get one for Tootsie. Tootsie doesn't wear a collar or harness, otherwise I have a cat that flops around like a fish out of water! Geeze. Worse than children. Tootise also has a soft sided comfy carrier that I use for her. I just feel bad if she is in that thing constantly on the drive. But, I assume she will be just fine.

Just so much to think about in such a short period of time. I am definitely looking into the seat belt harness for Tas. Again, you are ALL the best and if you think of something else, please let me know!!
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I put two crates in the back of my Mini cooper and travel with the girls, and I have lavender spray to calm them-it helps. And when we all emerge, I get wow, mini collies in a Mini car-:mad:...I also have a Brahm's lullaby CD that I play that soothes my lil monsters. And they each get a lamb's ear. Instead of a diaper bag, I have the doggie bag with EVERYTHING needed for survival. Brushes, treats, wipes, baggies, tummy meds, toys, nail clippers, they each have a doggie water bottle that has a reservoir like a cup. And a small water spray bottle that has been a lifesaver for lots of stuff. I keep an extra leash in my purse just in case. Lining the crate with puppy pads can be a lifesaver if you happen to stop at a muddy rest stop and paws get icky, you can change out the bottom liner and have it fresh, or if there is a vomit episode, then you can clear that away easily.
La Quinta inns are great traveling with pets...if you have those available, it is where I try to stay.
 
Tasia's Mom said:
Tootsie doesn't wear a collar or harness, otherwise I have a cat that flops around like a fish out of water! Geeze. Worse than children. Tootise also has a soft sided comfy carrier that I use for her. I just feel bad if she is in that thing constantly on the drive. But, I assume she will be just fine.
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For Tootsie, you may want to consider an embroidered collar with contact information if she's not use to wearing one, let alone one with tags.

You may also want to consider teaching Tootsie to wear a harness and walk on a leash (yes, people do teach their cats this). What it may allow you to do is give her a break from the crate during your stops otherwise she'll have to wait until you stop for an evening.

Best of luck during this challenging time. I firmly believe things happen for a reason and we aren't given more than we can handle. I know it's difficult to stay calm right now but Tasia and Tootsie will need you to be as calm as possible while everything around them is in chaos. They will settle fine once you reach Florida because you will be with them. Try to keep things as normal as possible for them now.
 
I'm sorry to hear about your job. That's such an unsettling and devastating experience, especially after you've been there so long. But it's great that you're going to be with your children...it's wonderful to have family around you.

As for the trip, plan to take your time and stop when you need to. Others have given you great advice for traveling your Shelties. I think half a dose of benadryl would be fine if it would settle your pup, but ask your vet...he may want to give you some prescription medication.

We travel between states frequently for shows and don't need anything but a rabies certificate. The most important thing is to get your medical records printed out from your vet -- particularly vaccinations -- to take with you. Prepare the dogs' meals and pack them in individual baggies for easy feeding on the road.

They should adapt well to the warmer climate. Everyone there has a/c indoors, so they can cool off. We have a few people here who've moved dogs from the cold northeast to southern climates and they adapt just fine. Make sure they have water available all the time and don't let them over-exercise if it's really hot. In a month or two, they'll have made the transition...perhaps faster than you will!

Good luck to you and the pups! Please let us know how everything goes. :smile2:
 
I'm so sorry about your job. But the up side is that you are going to be closer to your kids. And Indiana is supposed to possibly get the worst winter we've had. (And that's frightening, because two years ago was horrible.)

We tranquilized the cats when I moved from Michigan to Indiana. Are you planning on doing a marathon drive or will you stop for the night? I don't know Tootsie. But I know my cats would be a bigger concern for me than the dogs. The dogs are used to travelling and my cats suck at it. Also, cats can panic- and flee. Make sure that the microchip people have the address of one of the Kids. Not your old contact info. I'd have a long discussion with your vet and see what they say about the travel with the cats.

I think that Tasia will calm down after a while. Best of luck, and thinking of you during the stress of all of this.
 
Tasia's Mom said:
, Tootsie doesn't wear a collar or harness, otherwise I have a cat that flops around like a fish out of water! Geeze. Worse than children. Tootise also has a soft sided comfy carrier that I use for her. I just feel bad if she is in that thing constantly on the drive. But, I assume she will be just fine.
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And the wonderful part of cats is that she'll probably sleep most of the time anyway. She'd be asleep at home if this wasn't happening. She can sleep in the car just fine.
 
MissyGallant said:
And Indiana is supposed to possibly get the worst winter we've had. (And that's frightening, because two years ago was horrible.)
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Oh my gosh.. please don't say that. Where did you get this horrific information from!? I am not sure how Cleo could handle it if we had such a bad winter as the last two years.
 
Cleo2014 said:
Oh my gosh.. please don't say that. Where did you get this horrific information from!? I am not sure how Cleo could handle it if we had such a bad winter as the last two years.
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I've heard it from a couple of places. One of them was some news site that yahoo linked to. I've also heard the Farmer's Almanac said so. And believe me- I AM NOT HAPPY ABOUT IT EITHER!
 
Silaria said:
This is where I heard about yet another brutal winter and, as much as I HATE the idea of another round of sub-arctic winter weather, the Farmer's Almanac is not normally wrong.
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I was afraid of that. Looks like I need to start prepping early! I hate winter with a passion... The snow was so much last year I lost Cleo in it. She sunk right in. :lol:
 
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