14-05-2025
Upstate veterinarian highlights safest ways to travel with pets for summer
GREENVILLE, S.C. (WSPA)— As the weather gets warmer, more people will be traveling with their pets. Veterinarians in the Upstate want to make sure pet owners are doing it safely.
VetChat Mobile Veterinarian Dr. Christy Belcher said the first thing people should do if they're planning to take their pets with them on a trip is to get them up-to-date on all their vaccinations.
Dr. Belcher said all dogs and cats need to be current on their rabies vaccine. Pet owners are advised to have their pets' official rabies certification with them, which displays their tag number. Dr. Belcher explained that pet owners can keep a digital copy of the rabies certification on hand or print it out.
'We also recommend distemper, Parvo and Leptospirosis for dogs and then bordetella kennel cough for dogs, since dogs are going to be mingling with dogs all over and we don't know their vaccine status. And then, the same for cats, just a rabies vaccine and then a feline distemper and a feline leukemia vaccine,' said Dr. Christy Belcher.
Dr. Belcher recommends printing all medical records for the pets to make it easier to refill a prescription, especially for those traveling out of state.
'Some pharmacies have a drive-thru, so, you know, explain to them, 'Hey, I have an animal. Is there any way I can buy whatever I need through the drive-thru so that I don't have to leave my pet in the car? Dr. Belcher added. 'We say probably for every four to six hours of driving, we want to stop, just let the pet get out.'
Dr. Belcher went on to say pets should be in crates while driving and never left alone. She also advised pet owners who are flying to complete all the required health certifications for boarding a plane two weeks before their trips.
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