Cat,
Some pointers: Your dog needs to be harnessed or better yet in a carrier/kennel. It's less stress for an animal when confined. Ask the vet for tranquilizers which will make the trip easier for both of you. Also, dogs tend to bark in unfamiliar places, motels, with all the strange sounds. Interstates have rest stops with areas set aside for pet walks. Be kind, use doggie bags. Be sure your dog is up to date on his/her vaccinations especially parvovirus. Flea repellent is a must due to the many dogs walking the same area.
I'm sure some rental cars have a GPS, but I would invest in a Garmin. You can plan your route, stops, see where upcoming gas stations, rest stops, food, etc.
Purchase it before trip to become familiar. It should be mounted in line of sight. You do not want to be fumbling with a phone!! My Garmin locks into a bean bag which sits on the dash. I am able to glance at it while keeping my eyes on the road. It also relays traffic jams, accidents, speed limits for the area.
As you know I make a bi-annual trip to FL (Orlando area,my home state)from the MS coast. It is exactly 600 miles +/- a few. I returned on the 20th. Fastest time ever...I didn't feel well and just wanted to get home! Petal to the medal averaging 80mph. traveling the FL turnpike, I-75, I-10 to US 90. Time: 8 hrs. If I think of more pointers I will PM you.
Stopped twice for gas at the 200 mile point, same gas stations there and back. No matter where I'm driving I fill up when the gas guage hits the half tank mark! Stopped once for a potty break at rest area...won't use station restrooms! Most other times it takes me about 9 hrs. I have snacks to carry me through, cut apples, cheese sticks and most important IMO pretzel sticks. Why? Great for nausea and the munchie cravings. I start the trip with a large thermo cup of coffee then nothing but bottled water.
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Catbookss (13664)
7 years ago
Thanks, Ksp!
Not going to harness or crate her: either would cause her more stress, as she's used to riding loose in the car.
Already covered on the herbal calming treats I bought and I know work with her. I'm in the "less meds the better" camp, including vaccines and flea toxic medication, unless it's absolutely necessary. Likewise covered on waste bags, which I always have.
I am going to call the vet, tell him where I'm going and ask if she needs any vaccinations. Looks like Lyme disease won't be an issue. Won't worry about heartworm for 2 months, after doing extensive research on that.
Not worried about her barking, as she'll always be with me. Plus she only barks if she feels she needs to defend her territory -- she didn't bark once for the first two months I brought her home for kennel breaks, before adopting her -- and she won't consider any of these places hers.
Never heard of a Garmin, will have to Google. Sounds great though, will have to see what they cost as I am on a budget. Yep, don't want to be fumbling with a phone while driving, or having to locate reading glasses just to see it!
I didn't know you make this bi-annual trip. So that's where you were. I wondered. Welcome home! Can't blame you for wanting to get home ASAP. Being on the road or away from home when you're not well sucks.
I'm the same, refill at the half mark. It beats running out of gas, or worrying about it.
Cut up apples (or other fruit) and cheese sticks are good ideas. Not a fan of pretzels, and luckily don't get car sick. I'll definitely take along water for both of us, and various other drinks for me. Doesn't that large thermos of coffee require numerous restroom breaks at the start of your trips?
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kspkap (13626)
7 years ago
I don't think my points assisted you. But, as far as fleas are concerned, an oral med can be less toxic than the dog having fleas. Fleas cause tapeworms. One swallowed flea can cause severe problems. Taking a pet who is not fully protected to unfamiliar areas is asking for problems. The 7 in one vaccine is a must. Heart worm medication should be a monthly maintenance dose. I was negligent and missed a one month dose for my chow. One month! He got heartworms which resulted in a very expensive treatment. Also, the parvovirus. Nasty, nasty way for a pet to die. I had yorkies and when returning from the vet I removed my shoes before entering my house. I disinfected them. I've seen too many pets suffer needlessly from lack of vaccinations.
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godewey (16472)
7 years ago
It's me again.
I am sorry about your issues with your pets. They are never pleasant.
A lot of this has to do what your dogs are exposed to.
I have 4 dogs and the only Vaccinations I give are for rabies. Only because it required by law.
I also give heartworm meds during the summer because of the mosquitoes.
Recent research has shown that the vaccinations stay in the systems much longer than
previously thought. Some up to 10 years. Maybe longer. The last case study was only for
10 years so it very well might be longer.
Like I said it depends on what your dogs are exposed to.
My dogs never leave my property. They have 6 acres to run around on.
My vet comes to my house. They aren't exposed to any other dogs.
Based on the research and conversations with vets I am comfortable with not giving
my dogs vaccinations. They have never been sick once.
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kspkap (13626)
7 years ago
I think it may be where we live. I'm from the South. Florida, Texas, back to Florida, now Mississippi. I agree the rabies vaccine is now a 3 yr injection. But, the heartworm med is monthly. The oral flea med is a necessity. I had five acres in Florida and fought fleas constantly. Wild animals, neighbor's cats which I chased off my property when possible, hundreds of feral cats due to the "no accounts" who take their pitiful pet and drop it in the woods only to breed more. These feral cats kill a tremendous amount of wildlife.
There was a time when we seemed to be over taken by the damn things. I didn't realize how bad the yard was infested. The front of the house had a large overhang which resulted in constant shade. I took my little yorkie out front for his business I noticed what looked like a jar of pepper had been dumped on him. It was fleas! I bathed him and the fleas were falling off him like crazy. I rushed to bathe Snoopy which resulted in what looked like blood flowing! We eventually (with constant spraying) got rid of them.
I used to give my animals their vaccines which I purchased from the farm store. Two dogs and a cat. I was faithful in doing so. The cat, Gremlin, lived outdoors with his buddy Snoopy the cur dog. Wherever you saw one the other was close by. It was a funny sight to watch both follow behind my husband on his tractor. They never left the property...roamed free. One day while looking out the window I noticed my two in a stand off with a feral cat. It wasn't long afterwards Gremlin became ill, rolling in water, hiding in the shed. I took him to the vet. He had feline leukemia caught from the feral cat in a set to. "But, I give him all his vaccines" while crying. The vet replied "You didn't give him this one. Only vets are licensed to give the feline leukemia vaccine." Nasty disease...feline leukemia. They suffer terribly. Gremlin was put down and I left sobbing. From that time on my animals received their yearly vaccines from a vet.
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godewey (16472)
7 years ago
Sounds like you have had your share of bad times with your pets.
It would make sense that in the southern states would have more of a problem
with fleas.
I thankfully have never had to deal with fleas. I'm in Lyme country.
I myself have had Lymes twice. That's a devastating nasty disease. I still have
flare ups once in awhile. I have a barrier around my yard to help control the ticks.
Which get worse each year.
Here we can get away with only giving heartworm for half the year or so.
I've been extremely lucky with my dogs.
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kspkap (13626)
7 years ago
Would you believe anywhere can be Lyme country? My husband used to go surf fishing at Sebastian Inlet over by Melbourne, Fl. He was born in Kissimmee next to Orlando. He and whoever was with him would stay at one of the motels which catered to fishermen (uh! oh! have to be PC)fisher women, fisher people, etc. The Sea Grape was their favorite; now a memory due to 2004 hurricanes.
People from all over would stay there, including "them damn Yankees!" Well, as bad luck would have it he got bit by a tick!
Next thing we know he became deathly ill. The damn doctor he had sent him home with "Oh, it's just a virus. Take this and go to bed." I continued to phone the Dr. "He's not improving. He's getting worse." "Give it time." was the answer.
My husband was running a temp of 102 for at least a week. I was having to change the sheets constantly. A grownup doesn't run a 102-103 temp for a long period unless something is seriously wrong. Then it got to the point he couldn't turn the shower knob or hold a glass. By this time I was frantic. I didn't call. I went to the office and raised hell! As luck would have it the quack was out of town and another Dr. was seeing his patients. The doc immediately hospitalized him. He had Lyme disease and as a result pleurisy. He was dying, but thank God he received the correct treatment for the Lyme disease and recovered. But, by it taking hold of his body his auto-immune system kicked in and he developed Lupus. Now we are treating skin cancer. Too much surf fishing and being a Florida guy.
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godewey (16472)
7 years ago
Sorry about your husband ksp. It sounds like you have sure been thru it. I hope it works out
for you.
Lymes disease is nasty. All from one little bug. I went through everything your
husband did. Towards the end I couldn't even walk and it started to affect my
breathing. I took 3 blood test. It wasn't until the last one , which was 6
weeks after being bitten that I tested positive. Luckily for me I got the famous
bullseye rash. So I only went through this for a little less than a month.
By the time I tested positive for Lymes I had already went through a Doxy cycle
and was better. I still suffer the effects of this. It never leaves your body.
It will always be our blood.
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Catbookss (13664)
7 years ago
Not so, Ksp. You gave me several helpful points about taking a long trip, in general, and I thank you for them.
I don't, though, need tips on general things about animals, as I'm already well acquainted. We all do what we think best for the health and wellbeing of our animals.
I am very sorry to hear what happened with your chow, although perplexed because the actual mechanics of the cycle of the heartworm nematode take longer than 1 month to develop. Obviously *something* went wrong, but I have no idea what.
https://terriermandotcom.blogspot.com/2008/05/billion-dollar-heartworm-scam.html
I will say that if I were you, having had this experience, which was not only very expensive but awful, and on top of that lived in the south, I too would be very cautious.
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kspkap (13626)
7 years ago
http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/guide/heartworms-in-dogs-facts-and-myths#1
Interesting read. It looks like the heartworm problem is spreading across the states. Somehow the vet detected from the blood test my chow needed treatment. It cost me over $500 and attempting to keep an outdoor dog quiet is quite a chore. He had to be walked on a leash which was a change for him. He was used to doing his own thing and going where his favorite spot was.
I was a responsible pet owner and got between him and the neighbor's two rotties, which broke loose, armed with only a broom! My husband fired a couple of rounds into the ground to scare them off. The neighbor went ballistic! Next thing we know the sheriff arrived. He told the neighbor my husband had a right to shoot to kill. Needless to say things were no longer good. There is truth in the idiom "Good fences make good neighbors"
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Catbookss (13664)
7 years ago
Ah, I think I understand what happened to your poor chow. He'd been bitten by a mosquito carrying the larvae, which the test detected. So he had the larvae, but not actual adult heartworms.
Since you're in southern Florida, or the other very southern states where the warm conditions are more likely to remain consistent for long enough for the two-stage lifecycle in the mosquitoes, they are going to be more prevalent there.
If you look at the site I posted, you'll see there really isn't the spreading epidemic vets (who profit from the meds, and the extremely expensive and unnecessarily harsh treatment) and the pharma companies who produce these drugs (which are insecticides) would have us believe.
Same as vets and the producers of the toxic flea medications want us to give them to our pets year round, whether needed or not. They profit from this -- a lot.
Also, the long but far safer and inexpensive treatment doesn't require keeping our animals so quiet.
I'm not suggesting or inferring you're not a responsible pet owner. That never crossed my mind.
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kspkap (13626)
7 years ago
"I'm not suggesting or inferring you're not a responsible pet owner. That never crossed my mind."
I know that. I think I was attempting to reassure myself. Having pets in Florida is a great responsibility which I thought I was doing. My outside dogs were neutered/spayed at 6 months. That old wives tale of waiting until the first heat is a bunch of malarkey! They were receiving the necessary vaccines (I thought) which are needed in FL. My little yorkie which became a member of our family in Texas never adjusted to FL. He developed the most horrible skin allergy which was a constant battle. The poor little thing would gnaw until he bled. I tried everything to give him relief to no avail. I started having him cut short by the groomer so I could better treat him with herbal remedies. At 10 yrs he was living a miserable life and had gone deaf. I wrestled with my self over that decision most of us have to make. I took him to be put down.😭😭I never will forget him looking at me as I left the exam room and turned around to say "I'll see you later." The look on his face was "Why are you leaving me?" Never again would I leave one without holding him/her when given the final shot...I'm sorry, I can't write anymore. I can't see the screen
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Catbookss (13664)
7 years ago
Good, I'm glad you knew that wasn't what I was saying, or thinking.
I'm sure you did everything possible to be a loving and responsible dog and cat owner, and going the extra mile by giving them the vaccines you thought was all they needed, yourself. You can't ask more of yourself than that.
I think back on what I didn't know, and wish I'd done differently had I the knowledge then I have now. But, I did everything I knew to do to take the very best care of them. I have been very fortunate to have had very healthy animals. Most of them I never had to take to the vet until the end of their lives.
I'm sorry about your little Yorkie. Sounds like allergies, which can be no joke. I've always been there at the end, when it came to that time. It's heartbreaking, no matter what. Console yourself with the fact that it only lasted a few more minutes, and now he's free of all misery. ((((Ksp))))
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