Summer heat doesn't necessarily mean that pets cannot travel safely with you, just like traveling with kids, it just takes a bit of forethought and planning (still possible without foresight and planning, just more expensive ;))
It is completely possible to travel with pets in the hottest weather and still have them completely safe and comfortable without the flipping car running and the AC on! I have done it for years, have shared with hundreds of people, have had SPCA check it out and verify that it is perfectly acceptable and safe.
Yes, it takes some thought, planning helps, but anyone can do it for a few dollars a day, or even less if you plan. The big secret is ICE, frozen anything will work, ice cream pails filled with water and frozen, gallon size and smaller recloseable beverage containers, bottled water, freezies, frozen veggies, that old freezer burnt stuff that nobody will touch because it's been hiding at the bottom of the freezer since 1998 etc, etc, etc... Put them in a pillowcase or wrap with a towel (if your pup is a chewer, put them in an appropriate sized plastic tote and then a towel over the top), place in or around a kennel, on the floor in the back seat or wherever your pet likes to travel. Don't force them to lay on them or next to them, just put them where Fido or Fluffy have access to them, they will use them when they need to.
Cats in general tolerate heat better than dogs, but signs of distress are often harder to see, cats perspire from the pads of their feet and their nose, watch for white deposits forming at the edges of either area, this is a sign that they have been perspiring excessively and may be in danger of dehydration. Electrolytes such as those sold for infants are great to keep on hand both at home and when traveling in hot weather, they may save a life!
It is completely possible to travel with pets in the hottest weather and still have them completely safe and comfortable without the flipping car running and the AC on! I have done it for years, have shared with hundreds of people, have had SPCA check it out and verify that it is perfectly acceptable and safe.
Yes, it takes some thought, planning helps, but anyone can do it for a few dollars a day, or even less if you plan. The big secret is ICE, frozen anything will work, ice cream pails filled with water and frozen, gallon size and smaller recloseable beverage containers, bottled water, freezies, frozen veggies, that old freezer burnt stuff that nobody will touch because it's been hiding at the bottom of the freezer since 1998 etc, etc, etc... Put them in a pillowcase or wrap with a towel (if your pup is a chewer, put them in an appropriate sized plastic tote and then a towel over the top), place in or around a kennel, on the floor in the back seat or wherever your pet likes to travel. Don't force them to lay on them or next to them, just put them where Fido or Fluffy have access to them, they will use them when they need to.
Cats in general tolerate heat better than dogs, but signs of distress are often harder to see, cats perspire from the pads of their feet and their nose, watch for white deposits forming at the edges of either area, this is a sign that they have been perspiring excessively and may be in danger of dehydration. Electrolytes such as those sold for infants are great to keep on hand both at home and when traveling in hot weather, they may save a life!
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