Did you know that a moving truck rental makes the whole ordeal easier on your pets than if you engage a moving company? It’s true. Why, because there is no strange crew of professional movers rampaging through your house. That said, here’s a thoroughly thought-out guide for all the other considerations that can help your pets get through the move safely and with the least amount of stress.
Whether you have a cat that retreats hastily into some hiding place at the least provocation, or a dog that can’t wait to jump into the car when you’re ready to go someplace, each type of pet is vulnerable to some kind of trouble on the road. So this is about things you can do to protect them.
1. Cell phont ID tags. If your pet’s tags don’t show your cell phone number, add an extra tag that does. Or if you’re not a cell phone user, make a tag showing the number of someone you know.
2. If you’ve had your pet’s identification microchipped, update your new contact information. If they’re not microchipped, it would make sense to do that before you move.
3. Contain your pet. If you’re transporting a dog, it’s best to keep it in a container with you in the car. If you’re using a pickup truck, secure the container in the truck bed. If that is not possible, tie the dog to each side of the truck bed.If you’re traveling in extremely hot or cold weather, use a truck bed liner to protect the dog’s feet from the extreme temperatures of the metal.
4. Keep cats in a carrier, period. No matter how well they may have shown that they can handle traveling when loose.
5. Keep your dog on a leash if you stop for a restroom break.
6. Don’t forget water and a dish.
7. Be prepared for emotional reactions. Uprooting from familiar surroundings is often more traumatic for animals than for humans. Before you leave get your veterinarian to prescribe something that will keep them calm. Also see what there is in the way of natural herbal substances for calming pets.
8. Ask your vet for copies of your pets’ vaccination certificates as well as their charts so that your new vet will have their medical history.
9. When you reach your new home, the first order of business is to keep the pets secure. If there’s a fenced yard and no one will be coming and going through it during move-in, put the dog in the yard with food and water, and pay him a visit hourly until the move-in is complete, all doors are shut and you can let him inside. If the yard isn’t fenced, either chain the dog in the most comfortable part of the yard, or keep it in its traveling kennel, either in the yard or in the quietest room inside. Same for the cat. Keep the cat contained and in a room where there’s the least avtivity until the move is complete.
Don’t let your pets go free in the house until you’ve unloaded and returned the truck. When you’re back and everything has settled down except for the horrific job of unpacking, let your pets explore the property. If the house was previously home to cats and/or dogs, be prepared that your pets may try to mark the territory. Try not to be too hard on them. Remember that they’re probably already traumatized enough by both the move and the moving truck.
From Other People’s Blogs…
Pets and Pickup Trucks They need to just imagine for a moment what would happen if something happend to their car when their dogs were in the back of a truck, halfway out a window, or just roaming around the moving car at all.
Real Estate Blog - Moving Pets Keep them on the same diet…even though yours may change during the move…Pizza is not pet food! You will know if your pet needs a travel cage…it is best for safety reasons…you can actually put the seat belt through the cage to secure it.
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