Handling Pet Care & Emergencies On The Road
My last post on Taggart generated A LOT of comments (THANK YOU for all your kind thoughts & support) and just proves how many pet-lovers we have reading the blog. Clearly we’re not the only paw-crazy people out there!
It also got me thinking about the whole topic of pet care on the road. In the past I’ve written detailed posts about how to travel with cats, and also brief posts about handling pet emergencies (and even how to handle a flea-infestation) on the road, but I’ve never really written an in-depth post about general pet care.
Just like human health care, nomadic pet care can take some figuring out, and when you first get on the road it might seem rather overwhelming. You’re away from your home vet & constantly traveling, so how do you figure it all out? But like all things in life a little prep work and a few bits of know-how can make the whole process a lot easier. So, I figured this would be a good time to write a more extensive post with my top tips on the topic. Here goes….
Note/ Non-paw-inclined folks can skip this post completely. I promise I’ll get back to more regular RV stuff in my next post.
Before You Get On The Road
If you’re not RVing yet, there’s a few things I’d recommend looking at before you even get on the road. You can look at these later too, of course, but I think they’re basic items that every pet owner should consider.
Get Pet Tags & Consider Micro-chipping– Everyone who travels with pets should consider getting pet tags with name and contact info. Lots of places to buy these, either on-line or at your local pet-shop. They cost less than $10, link onto your pets’ collar and can be a life-saver if your pet gets lost or runs away. Another thing to consider is micro-chipping. Micro-chips are not fool-proof (not all places have scanners), but shelters and vet hospitals will usually scan for a chip when a lost pet comes in, and if your pet has lost his/her tag this can be another life-saver. If you go this route make sure your chip is registered & your online database info is up to date. Read more about micro-chipping HERE.
Create A Pet File – Another thing I recommend is to go to your existing vet and get a copy of all the latest bloodwork and any vaccination history. Then scan those somewhere you can always access them online (e.g. on Dropbox) and/or create yourself a pet file. This will be incredibly handy when you need to see other vets on the road or you have an emergency. Plus if you decide to travel cross-border to Canada or Mexico you’ll need that vax info for the border crossing too (specifically Rabies). We have a file for all 3 pets and I always ask for print-outs of bloodwork & any diagnostic work done at every vet we go to.
Put Together A Simple Pet Emergency Kit – Every pet owner should have a basic set of stuff in their RV for simple emergencies such as cuts, allergic reactions (e.g. stings) etc. We always carry the following, at a minimum:
- Tweezers (e.g. to remove ticks or cactus thorns). We carry these with us when we hike too.
- Disinfectant (I like Betadine or Bactine, since they don’t sting)
- Gauze/tape (to wrap injuries)
- Epsom salts (for swelling)
- Hydrogen peroxide (to induce vomiting, if needed)
- Benadryl (for allergic reactions or stings)
- Re-hydrating salts (unflavored Pedialyte is great)
- Sterile saline (for eyes)
- Digital thermometer
We also carry a few natural remedies such as:
- Slippery Elm Bark – for nausea and general, minor stomach distress.
- Bach’s Rescue Remedy – Flower remedy to help calm pets (and humans) in traumatic & stressful circumstance. Doesn’t work on everyone, but works great on my stress-sensitive cat Rand. We also carry Feliway for this same reason.
- D-Mannose Powder – for e-coli urinary tract infections.
There is lots you can do w/ these simple things, even if you are nowhere close to a vet, and as a bonus all the items work for humans too! For a more detailed pet emergency list read THIS article.
Get A Good Pet Carrier – If you have pets you probably already have carriers, but for RV travel I really value soft carriers simply for their “squashability”. We’ve had the same Sherpa Travel Bag for our cats for over 12 years and love the fact that we can squash them down and store them in a plastic bin downstairs. They don’t take up much space and they’re always easily accessible. Plus, they’re approved for airline carry-on travel (if you should ever need that).
Finding Emergency Care
When you’re checking-in to an RV park (this includes Public Parks like State Parks, COE, National Parks etc.) two easy questions to ask are “where is the nearest emergency clinic and “where is the nearest vet clinic”. They’re good things to know both for yourself and your pets, and if you remember to ask at check-in you’ll always have the info on-hand when you need it. Plus, knowing this ahead of time will give you a chance to look-up clinic reviews and check their ratings online.
Outside of asking (or if you’re boondocking, say) Google is your friend. If something serious happens to your pet and you need to get to a clinic right away, simply Google “24 Hour Emergency Vet” and go there! It’s not going to be cheap, but it’ll get you where you need to go.
Handling Regular/Routine Care
I actually think finding regular (routine) pet care on the road is waaay easier than finding human care (doctors), but I can’t deny that it can still take some effort.
Keep A “Home” Vet – If you have an existing vet that you love and you’re able to keep in contact with them on the road, then definitely do so! Just like many RV folks go back to a home-base every year for doctor visits, you can do the very same thing for your pets. If your pet takes meds, many vets are willing to update prescriptions remotely and with online pet pharmacies so easily available you can get those prescriptions sent anywhere you go. Some vets offer phone consultations too, plus they are usually happy to coordinate with other clinics. Don’t assume you have to say goodbye to your beloved vet when you go RVing!
Join A Nationwide Care Network – We learned about Banfield from our buddies Technomadia a few years ago. Since then we’ve had both our cats on a $30/mo Preventative Care Plan that covers their regular 6-mo health checks and basic stuff** like vaccinations, annual teeth cleaning etc. What I love is how “centralized” the whole thing is (I honestly wish I had something like this for myself). They have over 900 hospitals cross-country, all tests/visits are accessible online and the full kitty file automatically transfers to whichever clinic we decide to go to. Last November both kitties had their annual teeth cleanings done at Banfield in Palm Springs, CA and we just completed their 6-mo checkup appointment at Banfield in Portland, CA. Easy, peasy.
**NOTE/ Although I really like the Banfield concept I’m also very conscious of their limits. They are not specialized clinics and cannot handle major stuff like cancer or I-131 treatment, for example. Also their preventative health plans are very specific in what they offer, so if you need something beyond the norm you’ve got to ask for it. For example the kitty plan that we’re on includes complete CBC & chemistry bloodwork every 6 months, but they don’t test T4 levels, so that’s something I specifically had to ask for when I went in last week with Taggart. Always be aware of the limits of ANY care plan you sign up for.
Consider Cheaper Clinics If You’re Cash-Strapped – If you don’t have the $$ to go to a regular vet there are many places to get cheaper options for routine care especially if you’re just looking to keep your pet up-to-date on vaccinations and such:
- Local Rescues -> One of the best places to start looking for inexpensive pet care is the local town rescue. Many animal welfare organizations, rescue groups and shelters offer low-cost vaccinations, spay and neuter, and other routine care at very affordable prices. And if the rescue don’t offer it, they most definitely know who does!
- Pet Wellness Packages -> There are lots of places that offer basic wellness packages for your pets at very affordable prices. For example, VetCo (the “vet” arm of Petco) offers a “Healthy Dog Plus” package that includes all your pet vaccinations, heartworm test, dewormer etc. for under $80. For small $$ you can add-on micro-chipping ($15) & rabies ($19) too. Sometimes regular vets offices will offer deals like this as well, so it’s always worth checking if there is a “special” going on as you’re traveling thro’.
- Country Vets -> Many “country” vets (= vets in smaller towns) typically have much cheaper fees than “big town” vets and will offer inexpensive vaccinations too. So, just getting out of the big city can sometimes bring your costs waaay down. We’ve seen 3x difference in vet pricing between city and country vets in our travels, even just for basic visits!
Locating Specialists For Specialty Care
If I ever get a serious (non-emergency) medical issue you bet your butt we’ll be seeking out the best treatment places cross-country, and it’s really no different with our pets. One of the HUGE advantages of living in an RV is that we have wheels on our home, and although we typically use those wheels for traveling and seeing cool stuff, they can also be a real bonus for specialty healthcare both for ourselves & our pets.
Join A Support Group – One of first things I’ve done with ALL the pet issues we’ve had over the years is to join a support group. There are specialized groups (on places like Facebook, Yahoo Groups, IO Groups etc.) that support every pet condition you could imagine from general health to specific illnesses. Not only will these groups be able to answer detailed questions about your pets’ condition, but they’ll also be able to recommend the absolute best places to go for treatment. Support groups have been invaluable to me over the years!
Consider Vet Teaching Hospitals – For “major” stuff and specialized care, you can’t really go wrong with veterinary teaching hospitals (click HERE for a complete list). Not only do they typically have all the latest technology & equipment, but they tend to be up-to-date on all the latest research and are often more affordable than private clinics. I always consider them for specialty care, and wouldn’t hesitate to go to a vet university for things like surgery or cancer.
Read Research Papers – If you’re super-analytical and science-crazy like I am another thing you can do is look-up research papers. There are lots of resources for finding academic papers (e.g. see THIS LIST). Not all are free or provide you the full paper (many just offer an abstract), but they can give you great insight into the latest research on a given disease and (sometimes) even lead you to the the top locations to treat them. Many pet conditions (like hyperthyroidism, for example) have select individuals who are world-renowned for their specialty and whose names appear as 1st author on pretty much every paper out there. So tracking down those individuals and/or the clinics recommended by them can get you some of the absolute best care there is.
That wraps up most of the details I can think of. If you’ve got any ideas or thoughts to add, feel free to post in the comments below. Also I promise we’ll be back to regular (and less “heavy”) RV stuff in my next post.
Quick Taggart Update -> For those wondering, we’re over a week into her meds and she’s finally handling them well, eating well and (even) seems to be putting on a bit of weight. So I think, at least for the time being, we’ve found a balance (our 3-week blood test will tell more). Also, thanks to several support groups I’ve already tracked down the best I-131 clinics in the country and we’re starting to make plans for how/when we’ll get there if Taggart turns out to be a candidate. Wheelingit Summer Plan C is in progress….
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Great advice for the loved ones.
We use the exact carrier to take Fluffy under a airline seat between Alaska and Florida, works fine for years.
Yeah, we’ve used and abused those carriers for YEARS and they’re still in perfect shape. It’s a definite bonus that they’re approved for airline carry-on too.
Nina
Well done, thank you. Like you I’m pro active, but I just learned some liable info. Deffinetly saving this.
Just awesome information. This blog will get saved and referred to and shared.
Awesome blog on a important subject. Thank you!
An idea on the ID for your phone number. We haven’t hit the road yet but when we do we are going to get an AT&T Cell phone as a back up if we’re every somewhere our Verizon phones don’t work. Rather than list all those numbers (or on a small tag that will only hold one number) get a free google phone number because you can set it up to ring several different cell phones until it gets an answer or goes to voice mail. And even if you someone neither cell service works if you can get to wifi and get online you can check your voice mail.
Great little tip. Having a “central” phone number can make mobile life a lot easier, and the fact that Google Voice will call multiple phones before leaving a message (didn’t know that, by the way) gives you the highest chance of getting contacted. Good tip for folks working fulltime on the road too.
Nina
Yes we are going to give our family members the Google number as well. That way all they have to do is call one number and if one of our phones has service it will find us.
Great tips Nina, I’m the same as you, as soon as a ‘crisis’ happens, I go into research mode. Luckily I have a husband who is even more in statistics and even more analytic than I am. I ran a Border Collie rescue group for years before I lost my mobility and with rescue that isn’t sponsored you need to find good options and be able to think outside the box.
We travel with 16 paws, 2 felines and 2 dogs and 2 humans.
Anyway what I would recommend especially for doggy first aid kit is Petflex bandages they come in a variety I have the sock ones because somehow Ms Molly always seems to rip her foot pads. Those sock bandage come with Velcro wrap to attach it. Should work perfectly if you have a doggy that doesn’t chew.
I used to cover it with vet wrap which helped. But now I found also from Petfex the no chew vet wrap . It’s bright yellow color and it taste like bitter apple.
Worked like a charm, I have a complete set of homeopathic stuff, put salve on her paw, the sock with the sponge over it so it covered the rip. Two rounds with the no chew pawflex and she was good to go. Normally it stayed on for 20 min but now she left it alone for the whole day. Of course she was now serious injured according to her and could not walk anymore. I nominated her for an Oscar.:-)
So anything Petflex bandages especially made for paws. Petflex is available at Amazon.
I love the Banfield program too but unfortunately they do not cover titers. For those who do not know what titers are, it is a blood test to determine who’s much antibodies a dog or a cat still has from their first vaccinations. There are certain levels they need to have for for instance Parvo. If they do have those levels they don’t need to be vaccinated again. Our Fynn completed his puppy vaccinations and after that we did titers. He is 7 years now and still has enough antibodies from his first vaccinations.
It’s like us humans, we do go to the dr for a Hepatitis injection every year. But the vaccination industry for pets made us believe this was needed. Luckily with titers we can proof they are still covered.
With regard to rabies, not all states will accept titers for rabies and sometimes not even all counties in a state. Luckily ours does, but if we go on the road we don’t take a risk and get a new vaccination.
Outstanding tips! I’m looking up those Petflex bandages right now!
And I definitely agree with you on titers. I so wish Banfield offered them. We’ve chosen not to vax our cats (outside of Rabies), so that’s how we handle them, but we prefer titers for our doggie (again, outside of Rabies) which is one of the reasons she’s not on a Banfield plan. As always, it can get complicated!
Nina
Great Advice Nina,
We cruise with 3 Border Collies and a cat and they are our life. Several of these ideas are things we had not thought of.
One more worth mentioning – we have a animals on bard sign in our window in the door with a phone number to call (our coach has a keypad we can let people in if there was an emergency)
Secondly – Wrote an article about a camera that measures temp as well as taking video and sound. The benefit is it will notify us if the temp inside the coach goes to high or to low and sends notifications to your phone. BTW less than 80 bucks – http://mhrig.com/2016/01/checking-up-on-the-pets-when-not-at-the-coach/
BTW – thanks for all you do – Love each and everyone of your articles
The animals-on-board sign is an excellent idea and one I forgot to mention in the post. And temp-monitoring devices are also a great idea. Lots to choose from here (it almost warrants a separate post), from simple systems to networked systems that alert your cellphone if temps go beyond certain parameters. We always set our air to turn on automatically based on temp when we leave the RV, and back it up with auto-generator start (should main power fail).
Nina
On the topic of healthcare for humans, we have decided, and this is my last chance, that I need to see a specialist for neuro-immune diseases in Mountain View, part of the Stanford clinic in CA.
I looked at the map for RV spots around, preferably west side of the Bay Area, and was shocked about the limited options and horrendous prices. Like Paul and Nina we are a bit handicapped because of the size of our rig, 42FT.
Does anyone know a place to stay for longer than a week? Could even be months depending on the treatment plan. My maximum commute would be 45 min.
I would be so grateful for any tip that you have!
—
Christine
Very few cheap RV spots around the Bay Area (we lived and worked there for years). Are you an Elks member? If so there are several decent Elks in the area for very decent prices. If you’re not an Elk consider contacting a local Elks here and seeing if you can become a member. It’ll open up a lot of possibilities.
Otherwise you may want to check south of the Mountain View area. The commute will be better (than coming from the north) and you’ll likely have more options. There is at least one nice RV park around Gilroy which has monthly rates (not cheap tho), and RV Park Reviews shows another decent spot around Redwood City (which is very close). Don’t know if they do monthly rates though. Sorry I couldn’t help more!
Nina
Nina, Jackson and Kat here from http://www.lifeonthebluehighways.com and I love all of your research and the info you put out there. We started full-timing 3 years ago and have stayed a little under the wire meaning not making comments to often. Your info on just about everything has helped us tremendously on enjoying full-timing. It was just time to come out of the box..hehe.
We have met Watsons Wander and the Nealys on Wheels. This is truly a wonderful experience and when I run in to newer than us guys I refer them to your blog.
On to the pet thing all us pet lovers know where you are coming from and I have no doubt your kitty will get the best care. We had a rescue Springer named Pink that had 6 cancer surgeries and lived with us for 8 1/2 years. We lost her this year but she had so many years that she would not have had without proper medical attention. It is as you know hard to let go. Keep fighting for Taggart..I know by your info kitty will survive. Our son just did radioactive iodine for thyroid cancer and is doing great. Keep us informed and you will make it.
Very happy to hear your son is doing well after the radioactive treatment. I can’t imagine how stressful & scary that was, both for him and the family. I wish him continued good healing and health.
I’m so sorry about the loss of your kitty cat this year. She sounds like she was quite the fighter and 8 1/2 years is so fast 🙁
You’ve met some of our other fav bloggers by the way…Watsons & the Nealy’s. Both great folks!
Nina
Pets can sure help arrange even the best laid plans. It was an issue with Polly that had you spending extra days in Austin a few years back. With you and Paul’s excellent care I’m sure your beloved cat will be around for many more years.
You have a very good memory! Yes a few years back we missed going down to Padre Island because Polly got badly sick. Spent about a week at a random spot in Texas and then went into Austin for follow-ups. It was a scary time!
Nina
I remember because John and I met you out at McKinney Falls and you let John give Polly treats. John loves getting a Dog fix since ours have crossed the Bridge.
It’s aaaall coming back to me. I remember exactly who you are now 🙂 How fun that you’re still following along on the blog!
Nina
Great tips! I recently bought a tag for our dog from TagsForHope.com. They are a bit pricey, but it includes so much information. You can upload a photo, vet’s info, eye color, coat color, and so much more. The entire tag is coated in a layer of thick, tough polycarbonate (Lexan). Plus, it’s guaranteed for life. I’ve spent $10 for tags that tarnish or are quickly unreadable. I’m happy to spend the $23 for this tag also knowing that a portion of the sale goes to local pet charities. No, I’m not paid for this reply 😉 Just a happy customer who wants to share.
Nice tip. Thanks for sharing!
Nina
Nice helpful post thank you. I would make one suggestion. Do not put the pets name on the tags. We put our names and both our cell phones and our city. By putting a pets name on the tag a thief, more common than anyone realizes, will know the pets name right off, without it they have to name the pet and if people ask and no reaction from the pet an observant person might pick up on it and might notify agencies. Lots of might but we figured anything helps.
This is a great post for people who travel with their pets but haven’t given a lot of thought to pet emergencies. Fortunately, that was one of the first things I researched when we got our RV and knew we’d be taking lots of trips with our two dogs. I have two additional suggestions. Along with their vaccination and treatment records, I keep a color 8 x 10 photo of each dog in their file – that way if they get lost for any reason or if there is an accident and they run scared from the RV, we have photos ready to copy and post. Also, we swear by pet insurance. We use PetPlan and although I am sure there are other good companies, they have treated us wonderfully and we have saved a lot of money on illness and injury claims (both on and off the road).
Great idea to keep a photo handy. I always have plenty of them on my computer, but it’s a great back-up to have them printed too.
I’ll admit we’ve never bought Pet Insurance. At this point our kitty cats have too many pre-existing conditions, but I may look into it for Polly. Cheers for the tip on PetPlan.
Nina
We took Bubba to Banfield before we left Sacramento area for trip north towards Alaska about a month ago, he had a ear problem (common with Cockers), it was great except it was inside a PetSmart which means it cost more $$$ due to what one buys outside of the vets office! Also, we carry Bag Balm for the dogs, good for small cuts, put over tick bites once tick is removed, and great for the bottom of their paws if they dry out.
Paw balm is a GREAT addition to any pet emergency kit! We carry protective doggie shoes for Polly (for places with lots of cactus and such), but don’t have any balm for her. Cheers for the tip on Bag Balm! Another very high-rated paw-protector-balm is Mushers Secret.
Nina
Also your emergency kit should contain a small bag of baking soda. During the summer months I always come across some bored dog who decides to try to bite at the annoying yellow jacket and gets stung. Mix a palm full of baking soda with water to form s paste and put on bee sting and it draws out venom. It works really good on humans too!