(courtesy of Relocating in KC Magazine)
Your new home wouldn't be the same without your family pet, yet he or she might not be the same without some special attention during the stress of moving. Here's what you can do.
Pets - like people - react to change much the same way humans do, and in some ways, a pet's needs are not terribly different from those of their owners.
- Maintain your pet's routine as much as possible. Feed, exercise and play with it at the same times as usual.
- Consider keeping your pet at a friend's home while you're packing and moving so it doesn't become upset.
- Minimize digestive upsets with special foods. Pheromones might also calm stressed pets. Use dog- and cat-appeasing pheromones in an outlet for two weeks before and after your move.
- Don't use sedatives, especially on planes, but Dramamine can help them combat motion sickness.
- Prepare your animal for flight a month before by getting it used to its carrier. Make it a familiar, comfortable place by keeping treats or a favorite blanket or toy inside.
- Keep your pet under your plane seat if it meets weight requirements, or you can choose to stow it in the cargo compartment, which is air-conditioned and pressurized. You must have a health certificate from your vet to transport an animal this way.
- Put your pet in an insulated carrier to minimize large temperature shirts, especially during plane travel.
- Check to see if your airline provides a personal hand-carrying service. Be sure to leave instructions and include the last time your pet ate and drank or had a bathroom break.
- If you're driving to your new location with your pet, make sure it has access to water and be prepared to stop regularly. Never leave your animal in a car in hot weather, but if you must, purchase grills to put up in place of windows so air can move through the car.
- Before leaving town, get your pet one last check-up, including vaccinations, medications and records.
- Drive to the nearest 24-hour emergency vet clinic immediately after your move so you are prepared should a situation arise.
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