Housely
Summer is coming soon which means that a lot of pet owners will be heading out on their summer vacations soon. If you are one of these people, you need to put some serious thought into what to do with your pet since you can either bring them with you, leave them at home, or have them boarded. Each option has both its advantages and its disadvantages, meaning that you need to consider your pet’s particular needs before making a final choice. (1)
For example, if you believe that your pet is going to be more stressed by travel than by not seeing you for a while, you should leave them at home to keep them as happy and healthy as possible. Similarly, if your plans have no place for your pet, that means that you should leave them at home instead of bringing them to a place where they have nothing to do.
Ultimately, you are the best person to decide whether your pet should stay at home or not while you are on vacation because you know your pet best, though you should not hesitate to contact your veterinarian if you feel that is necessary.
How Can You Keep Your Pet Safe at Home While You Are on Vacation?
According to the Humane Society, if you have decided to leave your pet safe at home while you are on vacation, there are a number of things that you can do to keep them as happy and healthy as possible:
1. You want to be prepared in case something goes wrong, which is why you should start by making sure that your pet’s collar has an ID chip with up-to-date information about them. This ensures that even if your pet somehow manages to make their way out of your home, you will be able to recover them with minimal fuss and frustration once someone returns them to you. Naturally, keeping such ID chips up-to-date is always important, but doing so becomes particularly important when you are planning to head out on your summer vacation because the chances of something going wrong increases when you are not at home to watch over your pet.
2. Most pets are sensitive to the emotions of their pet owners. As a result, since you want to minimize the stress inflicted on your pet while you head out on your summer vacation, you need to make sure that your goodbyes are short and simple because the more that you fuss over them, the worse that they are going to feel. If you are feeling guilty about leaving your pet at home and need to do something to salve your conscience, consider doing something special with your pet before you leave and after you return to make up for your absence.
3. If you are going on summer vacation, chances are good that you are asking someone to take care of your mail, your lawn, as well as the rest of your home. Naturally, you should ask someone to take care of your pet as well, which is particularly important if they are a member of a species such as dogs that needs plenty of social interaction. By doing so, you can make sure that your pet’s needs are met while also making sure that nothing goes wrong with them while you are away from home.
4. Familiarity is extremely important for making sure that pets feel as little stress as possible. For example, if you are going to arrange for someone to come into your home to take care of their needs while you are away, you should choose someone who is already well-known to them so as to minimize their unease. Similarly, if you are going to leave them with a stranger, you should make sure to bring your pet with you to meet them so that they will have time to get used to the person who will be taking care of them for a while. This principle extends to other things as well, so make sure that your pet’s daily routine changes as little as possible while also leaving them with something with your scent so that you will seem close to them even while you are far away.
5. Chances are good that your pet is going to get less exercise while you are away. To combat this problem, you can try to encourage them to play more, whether this means leaving out some of their favorite playthings or asking their caregiver to spend some time each day playing with them. Like humans, an active pet is also a healthy pet, which in turn, makes them a happy pet as well.
6. Finally, you want to check with your veterinarian that you can leave your pet at home. This is important even if you have done so on a previous occasion because the same animal can react differently to being left alone at home at different ages. For example, while an adult dog should be able to handle being left alone at home just fine, that same dog is going to have difficulties if they are either much younger or much older because of their different needs and capabilities. For that matter, your veterinarian should even be able to make helpful suggestions for keeping your pet happy and healthy while you are away before updating their vaccinations for the best protection possible.
Further Considerations
Even if you have made thorough preparations for your pet, chances are good that you are going to be worried while you are out on your summer vacation. Fortunately, it is easier to keep in touch over long distances now than ever before, meaning that you should be able to keep a close eye on your pet even while you are away by leaving your contact information with the caretaker for your pet. This way, you can enjoy yourself to the fullest by knowing not just that your pet will be safe but also that you will be able to rush home as soon as possible if something goes wrong.
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