If you’ve ever come home to a shredded throw pillow littering the living room like freshly fallen snow, or a puppy puddle pooling in the pantry, you might have a few reasons in mind for why you’d rather not bring your pets on vacation. Pets don’t always behave themselves. Good behavior or not, pets are still part of the family. And if you prepare ahead of time and follow a few simple rules, you can keep your pet happy and the family can enjoy their presence on your next trip.
When it’s time to get ready for your next RV trip, bring your rig by the Motorcoach Store. We’re located in Bradenton, Florida, and we’ll make sure your RV is properly maintained and ready for your family, pets included.
The number one rule of pet parenting is consistency. Animals don’t have the ability to think ahead about their future, so their immediate feelings and anxieties are very important. By being consistent with their feeding schedule, exercise routine, and environment, you can help to calm their anxieties.
One good way to develop consistency for your pet is to bring some of their favorite objects from home into your RV. Bringing along things like cat and dog beds, toys, and food dishes will help to establish a connection to home. This is especially true for animals with specific behavioral problems like chewing, barking, or aggression which may stem from anxiety. The more you can make them feel like they’re at home, the calmer they’ll be.
In addition to bringing along their favorite objects, you’ll want to bring along plenty of food and any medicine they might be taking, too. Yes, you need to feed your dog, but more importantly, you need to keep your dog on the same type of food. Switching an animal’s food can be a harrowing experience any time. You don’t know how their system will handle the new formula, and you don’t want to give them something they won’t eat. Switching an animal’s food when they are stressed just increases the possibility that something will go wrong or they’ll have a poor reaction to the food. You might also think it’s possible to simply buy the food elsewhere. Unfortunately, you never know how long it will take to find the food you normally give your dog when you’re away from your home pet store. So unless you like dealing with severe gastrointestinal problems on your vacations, bring their food from home.
RVs are longer, heavier, turn wider, and brake slower than normal cars. Coordinating all of this is a complex task. Driving an RV requires concentration and focus, so it’s crucial that you keep your pets away from the driver. This might mean you need to keep your pet on a leash, or better yet, in a crate, as you drive. Even if they whine and cry, though, it’s better to have them away from the driver.
From campfires to woodchopping, wildlife to waterways, there are a multitude of potential hazards to animals when camping. Keeping cats safe is relatively simple so long as they are indoor cats. Just make sure the RV doesn’t get too hot and keep them away from the kitchen and they’ll probably be fine. With dogs, it’s somewhat more complicated. Try to keep them on the leash until you’re acquainted with the surrounding area. Make sure to keep the campsite a relatively calm place because when dogs get excited, they can run into the street, too close to the fire, or into the woods where they might get hurt. If you’re in an area with predatory wildlife, you’ll need to keep a close eye on your pup.
RVing with animals can sometimes be stressful, but it’s rewarding if you give them the support they need. Stop by the Motorcoach Store if you need parts or services for your RV. Located in Bradenton, Florida, we proudly serve Sarasota, Tampa, Fort Myers, and Lakeland, Florida.
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