Page 32 - Harnett Life Fall 2018

Life With OUr

ANimals-

Pet Travel

By Dr. Janet Batker-
Lillington Veterinary Hospital & Boarding

Greetings, pet lovers, from Dr. Jan at Lillington Veterinary It’s great if you can get a house sitter you trust, but there
Hospital. What do you do with your pets when you travel? are always emergencies that come up, and cost can be an
Many hotels now welcome well behaved pets if you like to issue. Traditionally, kennels have provided boarding ser-
take your pet along. Often RV owners or truck drivers trav- vices, and some newer ones feature play time and provide
el with a pet. This takes a little planning, you don’t want exercise equipment, including pools. We have added space
to travel with a severely anxious pet or forget important to our hospital and purchased cat condos that are superior
items. It’s easier to travel with one who has no medical housing to the stainless steel confines we used in the past,
issues; it can be hard to find a temporary veterinary care no matter how comfy we tried to make them. The cats get
giver-or act as one. A neighbor is often recruited for a few to watch videos too, of birds and fish-we have pictures of
days, and pet sitters who visit the home, walk the dogs, the cats being VERY attentive to this! Ask for a tour of your
feed the pets, give cuddle time and medication abound. boarding facility, and may I also suggest it is sometimes
Some sitters may be bonded, perhaps a member of Pet Sit- appropriate to give pets drugs for anxiety. We make use
ters International, and some simply love animals and want of pheromones to relax our guests. Happy trails, have fun
to provide a service to the community-since you need to traveling whether it is with or without your best friend, but
trust the person entering your home, an interview and a make preparations to reduce your fears for them when you
supervised meet and greet with the pet should be arranged. arrange that trip.