Read About Small Pet Travel Risks and Dangers

Whenever you venture out and about with your small pet, there are risks and dangers to your pet’s safety. No matter what precautions you make, there is a possibility for the loss or injury of your pet. Knowing the risks and dangers your small pet may face can help you prepare for what may occur. The more preparation you make and knowledge you glean, the less chance that something awful will happen.

Let’s just touch on the dangers for your small pet being outside. Most small pets, ferrets, gerbils, hamsters, etc. don’t spend a lot of time outdoors. Grass of any height can harbor fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, mange mites, and even some types of spiders and ants can pose health risks to your pet. Some of these pests carry disease that can be dangerous to your pet’s health. Spray your pet with a species safe flea and tick spray. Make sure to get every area of your pet except his eyes. Apply some to a cotton swab and apply it to his ears. Powders are not usually as effective and can shake off. Doing this may be hard to do while on the road. Make sure, especially if you haven’t been able to spray your pet, to check for pests that may have attached themselves to your pet, prior to getting back into the car after a stop. Keep your small pet away from puddles and out of the rain. Rainwater can harbor small microscopic parasites and bacteria that can make your pet ill.

Restrain your pet while in the vehicle. Pets can be injured as easily and as seriously as humans in the event of an accident. There are numerous types of restraint on the market. Restraining your pet keeps them from being thrown from the car or hurled into something within the car. You wouldn’t travel without your seatbelt; the same should be true for your pet.

Heat can be a huge danger for a small pet. Never leave your pet alone in the car, under any circumstances. When you make stops, take turns staying with your pet.

In addition to the possibility of heat stroke or death when leaving your pet in a car, your pet can also be stolen or lost. You leave the window open to give him some air and run into the gas station; someone sees your sweet baby and gets in through the open window. Or your small pet jumps ship; either way trying to find a lost pet in unfamiliar surrounds is worse than near home. Avoid this scenario and do not leave him alone.

Air travel holds different, but just as serious dangers. All pug-typed nose pets, large or small, should not fly in the cargo area. These animals have trouble breathing properly and can become oxygen deficient. Loss is a huge issue for the airlines; therefore, it is vital that you check that your carrier is well constructed and will not come apart. Stress is the largest risk factor. Your small pet goes through so much when flying. There can be extreme temperature changes, no food or water and worst of all, they are away from you. The dangers involved in your pet flying, especially as checked baggage, are large. Think long and hard before you decide to fly with your pet.