Plane Travel With Your Puppy

Puppies must be at least eight weeks old to travel on an airplane. If you do decide to travel by plane with your puppy, do some research first and arrange your plans far in advance of the trip.

Always choose an airline that offers nonstop service, a flight without stops to and from your destination. If you can't get nonstop service, try to get a direct or through flight, which is a flight that stops but doesn't require passengers to change planes.

Naturally, if you have to travel on a direct flight, look for one with as little time on the ground as possible during the stopover. Also, use the same airline for your entire trip.

If your puppy is small, it can travel in the passenger cabin with you or it can travel as checked baggage. However, if your puppy is larger, you'll have to ship it as either standard cargo or counter-to-counter cargo.

The Passenger Cabin:

Most airlines will allow your puppy to travel in the passenger cabin if you follow certain rules. For example, puppies in the passenger cabin must remain in a safe kennel that's placed under the seat in front of you. A kennel is actually a Pet carrier.

If you want your puppy to fly with you in the passenger cabin, make your reservations as early as possible. Airlines restrict the number of Pets allowed in the passenger cabin of each flight.

Also, the clerk needs to assign you a seat with enough room for your puppy. Space under the aisle seats can be narrower than space under the center and window seats.

In addition, some airlines don't allow passengers with Pets to sit in an exit row. So, if you don't register early, the flight may be either closed to additional Pets, or there may not be a seat left with enough room for your puppy.

Check your airlines for the maximum dimensions for a kennel in the passenger cabin. In general, the maximum dimensions are usually around 21 inches long, 13 to 16 inches wide and 8 or 9 inches high.

Zippered, soft kennels work well in the passenger cabin because they're flexible. Make certain these kennels have lots of cushioning and that the zipper is secure. (It's really embarrassing if your puppy gets out and decides to run around the plane.)

Also, the kennel must be properly ventilated on at least two sides. Be certain to label the kennel with your name, address ,and telephone number. In addition, make sure your puppy is wearing a collar with an ID tag.

Once you call and reserve your puppy's space, you may pick up its ticket when you pick up yours. A ticket for your puppy in the passenger cabin will cost around $50 for a one-way trip

Some commuter airlines don't allow Pets in the passenger cabin, so you want to use jet service whenever you can. Most airlines insist that there must be enough room in the carrier for the dog to stand up, turn around, and lie down.

(They won't let your puppy on the plane unless it can do this.) Therefore, your puppy or dog must be relatively small in order to travel this way.

Checked Baggage:

Most dog owners prefer their dogs to fly in the passenger cabin, so they can watch over them. However, it's not always possible for your dog to fly this way.

Larger dogs can't fly in the passenger cabin. In addition, airlines only allow one dog in a carrier, so if you're flying to visit a friend with your two poodles, the airline won't allow your dogs in the passenger cabin. (A few airlines do allow two very young puppies to share a kennel.)

Another alternative is to put the puppy in a larger kennel and fly it as checked baggage. You can ask the airline to confirm a checked baggage space for your puppy when you make reservations.

This way, you're absolutely certain that space will be available. A few airlines have a policy that prohibits them from confirming space, but this doesn't mean they won't have a space for your puppy; it just means that they can't guarantee it.

Although it doesn't cost more to fly your puppy as checked baggage than it does to fly it in the passenger cabin, the kennel requirements are different.

For instance, usually, you need to put your puppy in a hard plastic kennel rather than in a soft one. If you buy a hard kennel that's airline approved, you shouldn't have any problems.

Also, buy the strongest kennel you can find, since your puppy will fly with the luggage instead of with the passengers.

A few airlines insist that you give them written confirmation as to when your puppy last ate and drank, which means you have to write it down for them.

Most require that you have food and water in the kennel. Some kennels have dishes built in that you can fill from the outside, which is really convenient.

You'll have to label your puppy's kennel with your name, address, and telephone number. Also, mark the kennel with a one-inch high 'live animal' sign.

Standard Cargo:

Most airlines have a choice of either standard air cargo or a premium service called counter-to-counter cargo.

If you ship your puppy as standard cargo, sometimes called freight, it must be at the cargo facility about two to four hours before the plane takes off. (Most cargo facilities are somewhere other than where you would normally check in for a flight, so you have to find the cargo facility first.)

And, when the puppy reaches its destination, it will be held an additional one to two hours. This lengthens the puppy's flight considerably and causes it more stress than necessary.

In addition, cargo doesn't have the same loading priority as baggage, which mean it's possible that weight limits for a flight could be reached before your puppy is put on board. If this happens, your puppy will have to wait for a later flight.

Whether or not your puppy can fly standard cargo also depends on the temperature. The temperature at both destinations must fall within an acceptable range or the airline won't put the puppy on the plane.

Counter-to-Counter:

A much better way for your puppy to travel is counter-to-counter cargo service. Unlike standard cargo, this type of service allows your puppy to be brought to the passenger terminal only 30 to 60 minutes prior to the flight's departure. And, after the flight, you can pick the puppy up as soon as the baggage is unloaded.

Health and Security:

Airlines won't let your puppy on a plane unless it's healthy. Within 10 days of the flight, you must take your puppy to the veterinarian and get a health certificate. In addition, the airlines will visually inspect your puppy's health before they put it on the plane.

Security differs between airlines, so it's best to keep your ticket and your puppy's ticket, health certificate, and rabies vaccination together, since some airlines will request this information more than once.

Most airlines will want to x-ray your puppy's kennel, so you'll have to take your puppy out of the kennel. Make sure your puppy is wearing its collar, leash and ID tag!

You and your puppy might have to walk through a metal detector together. Never let your puppy be run through an x-ray machine.



Obinna Heche: Los Angeles- California

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Traveling With Your Dog

When traveling by car, keep these things in mind. Plan ahead. Make sure the hotels you're staying at allow pets (if they do, inquire about size limits, some hotels will only accept smaller-sized dogs and also limit the number of dogs you can bring).

Make sure your dog is up to date on vaccinations. Always carry your dog's health certificate and proof of vaccinations.

Use a pet carrier or seat restraint. An unsecured dog may distract the driver or interfere with operation of the vehicle, hurting itself or other passengers. Choose a carrier that allows your dog to stand up and turn around comfortably, yet doesn't provide too much room for extra movement.

Make rest stops. On long trips, it's good to stop every few hours (or more frequently) to let your dog stretch or relieve himself. Be sure to keep your dog on a leash when taking him out of the car for walks.

Provide fresh water. On long trips or warm days, it's essential for your dog to have access to water.

Keep your car's interior comfortable. When traveling during hot days, don't leave your dog alone in a vehicle, even if the windows are rolled down.

Bring things familiar to your dog, such as your dog's food and favorite toy and blanket.

Traveling by Airplane:

Always check your chosen airline's policy on pet travel and find out what carrier sizes it allows. Also inquire about if they need a Health Certificate. Make an appointment with your veterinarian in advance to obtain a Health Certificate.

Your dog will most likely travel in the cargo hold of the plane, so it's best not to travel in extremely hot or cold weather. Include your name, address and telephone number on the crate in case he gets lost or misplaced in transit. You also should include the name, address, and telephone number of your destination. Note: Some airlines allow small pets to travel with their owners in the passenger cabin, ask your airline if they can make this accommodation for your dog.

Most veterinarians don't recommend tranquilizing pets before air travel, because tranquilized pets can have difficulty regulating their body temperature and blood pressure. In addition, sedated pets can lose their balance, which increases their potential for injury.

Make sure your dog is up to date on vaccinations. Always carry your dog's health certificate and proof of vaccinations. Do not feed your pet just before traveling due to the potential for an upset stomach during the flight. Bring things familiar to your dog, such as your dog's favorite toy or blanket and place in the crate.

Never travel with an ill pet, check with your veterinarian before any car or air travel to determine if your dog is healthy enough to travel.



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Taking Your Dog Into The Great Outdoors

Braving the wild with your dog? Read this to make sure you've got all the pooch necessities. Is your dog properly conditioned? If your dog is accustomed to twenty-minute walks and you have a five-hour hike planned, your dog might not be ready for it. Training is the key. Start going on longer walks weeks before the hike, increasing the distance as your dog becomes conditioned.

Be sure your dog is getting a complete and balanced diet. A good diet goes a long way in helping your dog keep up his or her energy. To prevent an upset stomach, don't subject your dog to strenuous exercise directly after eating a full meal. Save mealtime for after the hike when your dog is rested and cooled down.

Avoid heat and humidity. On those hot and/or humid days, hike in the early morning or in the evening when it cools off. Dogs with dark or heavy coats tend to overheat quickly.

Be sure there's plenty of water. Here's how to calculate: Your dog needs 12 ounces of water before the hike, 12 ounces every half hour during the hike, and the same amount afterward.

Watch your dog's paws. Hiking in the woods can cause footpad injuries such as cuts and scrapes. Remember to bring along a first aid kit and attend to any problems immediately. Keep your dog's nails trimmed so they don't get caught in grass, which could cause serious injury.

Leash your dog. It's really the only way to maintain control at all times. This is especially important in the woods where you want to keep your dog away from other animals and dangerous plants like poison ivy.



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Keeping Your Pet Safe In A Disaster(2)

As a result, however, some family members later try to return to the house to rescue their pet. This jeopardizes the lives of the family as well as the search and rescue personnel whose duty is to rescue them. AHA firmly recommends that public safety officials ask families to evacuate with their pets so that they will not feel the need to return when the conditions are even more dangerous.

In the spring of 1996, the small Wisconsin town of Weyauwega was evacuated when a freight train derailed. Several propane tanker cars were close to erupting. All 1600 residents were told to evacuate for what what was presumed to be only a few hours. Most of the evacuees chose to leave their animals behind for this short duration. However, it was determined later in the day that the safest course of action would be to allow the propane fires to burn themselves out. This, it was announced to the evacuees, might take as long as six weeks.

The animal-owning residents insisted that something be done more quickly. Some risking both explosion and exposure to the sub-freezing Wisconsin night, took matters into their own hands and walked the five miles from the barricades to their homes to rescue their pets. The public safty officials recognized that it was safer to work with the owners rather than try to keep people from attempting to rescue their pets.

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By using National Guard tanks to safely bring AHA rescuers and the animal owners back to their houses, all of the dogs, cats, birds and fish were rescued. These and local safety officials in other communities affected by disasters have learned a valuable lesson: The best rescue of an animal is the one that never has to happen in the first place. If the animal is included in the evacuation, it is an animal that will not have to be rescued later.

Certainly, the responsibility for a companion animal's safety belongs to the family. If all families made sure that their animals were included in their household disaster plan, the AHA would have far fewer animals to rescue in emergencies. That suits AHA just fine, says Nicholas Gilman, director of animal programs for AHA. "We hope that the animal-owning public will consider the needs of their companion animals long before AHA is called in to perform a rescue"


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Keeping Your Pet Safe In A Disaster (1)

Jack had found herself a perch on the second-floor window air-conditioning unit. Only a week before, that perch was twelve feet off the ground. Today, as Jack huddled miserably against the window pane, the floodwaters lapped against the side of the house only inches below her paws. Her human family had long-since evacuated her home, but she had been left to fend for herself. Exhausted, hungry and cold, she was among thousands of other animals left behind by their owners in the floods stemming from Hurricane Flood in September 1999.

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Every year the United States is host to dozens of disasters, large and small. Hurricanes and floods pose the biggest risk to our companion animals and yet, too often, people leave their non-human family members at home while the rest of the family evacuates to safety. Every year since 1916 the American Humane Association (AHA) has saved the lives of many animals like Jack. It's work that the Emergency Animal Relief staff of AHA does tirelessly and eagerly.

Yet, says AHA's manager of Emergency Animal Relief, Dick Green, "We shouldn't have to rescue so many pets from disasters in which owners had hours, or even days, to prepare. Preparation for a disaster should include companion animals." In the aftermath of Hurricane Flood, AHA sent rescue teams to work in three different states, in dozens of communities. Everywhere we went, in every flooded community, we found animals left behind, cats, dogs, birds, and hamsters. Animals that easily enough could have been taken with the family.

Part of the problem is that the American Red Cross shelters established for human evacuees do not accept pets, except for service animals for the handicapped. Because of this, AHA approached the Red Cross several times in the last six years to suggest that there may be ways to co-locate both families and their companion pets in special evacuation shelters. AHA provided a list of procedures which if employed, would allow the safe and responsible housing of both humans and companion animals. So far the American Red Cross has not changed their policy or entertained further discussion on the topic of protecting the families that include pets.

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However, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association, fully 58 percent of American households include a dog or cat. Another concern is that public safety officials (fire/rescue, police, and emergency management) sometimes tell the public to evacuate without thier animals. This is typically done in situations where they feel that to delay evacuation, even for the few minutes it may take to load the family pet into the car, is more time than is safe for the family.




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Life Stages And How Life Stage Dog Foods Differ

When shopping for dog food, it is common to buy by the brand. Beyond the brand of the food, you should take into consideration the life stage of your dog. Life stages refer to the various developmental stages of a pet's life. For dogs it means puppy, adult, senior and for some dogs, a lower calorie diet for inactive or overweight dogs. It's extremely important to insure that your pet is consuming a product that is appropriate to their life stage. Feeding puppy food to an adult dog can result in excess weight gain. The same outcome may occur by feeding an adult formula to a senior dog.

Dog Food Life Stage Definitions:

Puppy Food:

Puppy age range is 1-12 months for most breeds. Large and giant breeds (55 lbs. and up) are classified as puppies for 0-18 months. Regular puppy formulas (growth formulas) contain extra protein and fat to encourage proper muscle and skeletal development. Large-breed puppy foods are designed to optimize the growth rate, thereby reducing the risk of hip and joint diseases that can result from too rapid growth of large breeds.

Adult Food:

Adult foods contain moderate levels of protein, fat and carbohydrates for dogs ages 13 months and up. However, large and giant breeds are considered adult at a later stage, normally 13-18 months. Special high-energy foods (i.e. premium performance, high-energy, etc.) are designed for highly active adult dogs requiring increased calories.

Lite/Reduced Calorie Food:

Products labeled "lite" are subject to strict industry rules and therefore must contain no more than 1409 calories/lb. "Reduced calorie", "reduced fat", and "less active" labeled products are not subject to this definition and therefore may be higher in calorie content. If the objective is weight reduction, larger calorie reductions result in greater weight loss.

Senior Food:

Senior dog age normally starts at age 6-7 years for most breeds. These foods have reduced fat levels and increased fiber levels to help older, more sedentary dogs maintain a desirable weight level. These foods also have reduced salt and phosphorus levels.

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Are Ticks Ticking Off Your Pets?

The tick, a relative of the spider, is a common external parasite. Ticks carry a number of diseases including Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. They can cause serious health problems for both you and your pets. Tick infestations can be controlled with available products using an integrated program focusing on your pet, your home and yard.

A Little About Ticks
Dangers to Pets
Dangers to Humans
Controlling Ticks Around You and Your Pets
Stopping the Tick Cycle

On the Pet

In the House

In the Yard

Prevention through Continued Maintenance:

Tick Removal
Don't Do These Things!
How To Avoid Ticks

A Little About Ticks:

Ticks, a relative to the spider, are common external parasites. The brown dog tick is most common to dogs. There are several tick varieties, but it is not necessary to identify them in order to control them. The same active ingredients kill them all. They can be found almost anywhere and in almost any climate, but are most commonly found in damp places, grassy or bushy areas, wooded areas, sandy beaches, and places where infested pets have been. Ticks are most active during the spring, summer and early fall, but can survive temperatures below freezing.

Dangers to Pets:

Dogs, cats and humans are commonly affected by ticks. Since dogs frequent the areas ticks live, they are the most affected. Many serious diseases can be transmitted through ticks: Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (Dog Tick), Lyme Disease (Deer Tick), Ehrlichiosis, Typhus, Tick Paralysis, and other disorders. There is a vaccine for Lyme disease, so you may want to ask your veterinarian if he or she recommends this for your pet.

Dangers to Humans:

Humans can suffer many of the same diseases animals contract from ticks. Your pets are not able to pass along the disease to you. Rather, you must be in direct contact with the tick in order to contract any disease.

Controlling Ticks Around You and Your Pets:

Ticks can be controlled with available products if you focus on eliminating ticks from your pets; making sure that you have killed any ticks that may be hiding in your home; and by treating your yard and NEARBY wooded areas. Also remember that many wild animals such as deer, field mice and even birds carry ticks. If you live in an area known for ticks, check your pets (particularly those that spend time outdoors) regularly and treat your yard and nearby woods frequently to control any new ticks.

To Stop the Tick Cycle:

Kill the ticks on the dog, in the house, and in the yard. Regular maintenance also helps to prevent their return.

On the Pet:

Ticks like dark, tight spots, such as the inside of the ears, between the toes and foot pads, the armpit area, and under the tail, so pay special attention to these areas.

In the House:

If you have ticks in your house, you will need to remove anything that may offer a hiding place, such as old boxes, newspapers, or stored firewood. Apply a product that gets under furniture and into cracks and crevices, paying special attention to baseboards, window and doorframes, paneling and fireplaces. Foggers can be used, as well, for an overall general treatment.

In the Yard:

Ticks are most commonly found in grassy or wooded areas, so cut back any tall grass around your house. They also like leaves and vegetation. Pay special attention to underbrush, doghouses and kennels, woodpiles and areas where your pet likes to rest. Since ticks crawl up vertical objects, treat not only the ground but up onto vertical surfaces three to four feet.

Prevention through Continued Maintenance:

Products, such as collars, sprays and powders, allow you to provide continuous tick control. Also, lessen the chances of infestation by treating your pet prior to entering known tick areas.

Tick Removal:

Since humans can get diseases from ticks, it is best not to remove the tick with your bare fingers. Use either tweezers or a tick removal instrument.

To safely remove a tick:

Try using an alcohol swab, which may irritate the tick and cause it to loosen its grip.

Grab the tick with the tweezers where the mouth enters the skin. Do not grab it by its body.

With a slow steady pull, remove the whole tick without twisting it as you pull.

Deposit the tick in alcohol to kill it.

Clean the area with a disinfectant and apply an antibiotic.

Wash your hands thoroughly.

Swelling and skin irritation may occur after the tick is removed. This is a reaction to the toxic saliva of the tick, not due to the head remaining in the wound (which rarely happens if you grasp the head of the tick during removal).

Don't Do These Things!

Do not try to remove a tick by burning it off. This is ineffective and may hurt your dog.

Do not use petroleum jelly. This does not cause the tick to back out, and may actually cause the tick to deposit more disease-carrying saliva in the wound.

Flushing a tick down the toilet will not kill it.

Do not squash the tick with your fingers. The contents of the tick can transmit disease.

How To Avoid Ticks:

Protect your pet with a prevention program. Use products designed specifically to repel ticks.

Avoid woody or grassy tick habitats.

Apply a repellent to your clothes and skin.

Tuck your clothes in to reduce the amount of skin exposed.

Do a tick check on your pet when returning from a place where ticks would be.

Do a tick check on yourself. Wearing light colors will help you see ticks attached to your clothes. Remove ticks promptly.



Obinna Heche: Los Angeles- California

To find excellent information about Dog Training, Dog Behaviour, Dog Obedience Training, Dog Food, Dog Health, Grooming and Dog Care. Everything that concerns Dog Owners and their Dogs.. Visit.. http://myspace.com/biggso