How to Travel Safely With Your Pet

At First Regional Vet, we are committed to being your go-to for all health and safety questions, that's why we share our expertise with you! Today, how to travel safely with your pet is a big question! Dr. Spencer wants to teach you about safety precautions to avoid emergencies with your pet.


Traveling with pets is becoming more and more popular. Today's dogs, and even some cats, are vacationing thanks to friendlier airlines, safety innovations, pet-friendly hotels, resorts, campsites, and restaurants with outdoor dining privileges.

Gregg Takashima, DVM, founder of the Parkway Veterinary Hospital in Portland, Ore., offers tips to keep pets safe while traveling:

By Plane
In most cases, it's safe for your pet to travel by plane if your vets give the OK. "Animals accustomed to traveling in a car, going out on walks, and who are socialized tend to travel very well depending on their personalities,'' Takashima said.
Traveling internationally or even crossing state lines in a plane requires a health certificate from your vet. Additional ways to prepare:

• Make sure vaccines (especially rabies) are up to date.
• Consider an ID collar and a tag - even a microchip.

The trend nowadays is against sedation unless significant risks for pet injury exist. "Sedation can cause the pet to feel unstable and cause more fear,'' Takashima explained. "Cats tend to fly pretty well because they are usually allowed in the cabin in a cat carrier under the seat.''
Preparations for international travel with pets can be complex and there may be extensive planning. Double check with the airlines and your destination's consulate to make sure you have the most up to date information about the papers you are required to bring. Many documents for international travel require the signature of a certified USDA veterinarian which adds an additional step. Pet travel companies, like travelpets.com, remove a lot of the guesswork. "It's very tedious to have to do the work yourself. You would have to start six months ahead of time,'' Takashima said.

By Car
A few pointers for traveling safely with dogs in motor vehicles:

• Have your dog always wear a specially designed dog seat belt or dog car harness in front and back seats.
• Ensure adequate ventilation.
• Never let your dog put its head outside the window, as this can lead to ear and eye injuries.
• For cats, provide a good carrier, a place to sleep, and a safe place for the litter box. Make sure they cannot escape if the doors or windows accidentally open.

By Boat
Some innovative products make boating and sailing with your dog reasonably safe. "There are dog life vests," Takashima said. "If they do fall overboard, you can pull them up.''
Dogs can also use puppy pads and artificial turf products for elimination. "Your pet can get acclimated fairly easily, but do that well ahead of time,'' Takashima said.

Basic Tips

• Make sure your pet is well groomed (not itchy or dirty).
• Take along some comforts of home – bed, blanket, toys, litter box.
• Rather than buying new types of food, carry your pet's familiar food from home when practical.
• Carriers should be big enough for standing and turning around, with room for food and water.
• Place absorbent towels on the carrier floor in case of accidents.
• Have a pet first aid kit for emergencies.

Takashima's own dog sleeps in a carrier every night, even at home. "We turn off the television and he runs to his carrier. He's a good traveler,'' Takashima said.


Originally published at Everyday Health.

Holiday Safety Tips

‘Tis the season for friends, family and holiday feasts—but also for possible distress for our animal companions. Pets won’t be so thankful if they munch on undercooked turkey or a pet-unfriendly floral arrangement, or if they stumble upon an unattended alcoholic drink.

Check out the following tips from ASPCA experts for a fulfilling holiday feast that your pets can enjoy, too.

Talkin’ Turkey

If you decide to feed your pet a little nibble of turkey, make sure it’s boneless and well-cooked. Don't offer her raw or undercooked turkey, which may contain salmonella bacteria.

Sage Advice

Sage can make your Thanksgiving stuffing taste delish, but it and many other herbs contain essential oils and resins that can cause gastrointestinal upset and central nervous system depression to pets if eaten in large quantities. Cats are especially sensitive to the effects of certain essential oils.

No Bread Dough

Don't spoil your pet’s holiday by giving him raw bread dough. According to ASPCA experts, when raw bread dough is ingested, an animal's body heat causes the dough to rise in his stomach. As it expands, the pet may experience vomiting, severe abdominal pain and bloating, which could become a life-threatening emergency, requiring surgery.

Don't Let Them Eat Cake

If you’re baking up Thanksgiving cakes, be sure your pets keep their noses out of the batter, especially if it includes raw eggs—they could contain salmonella bacteria that may lead to food poisoning.

Too Much of a Good Thing

A few small boneless pieces of cooked turkey, a taste of mashed potato or even a lick of pumpkin pie shouldn’t pose a problem. However, don't allow your pets to overindulge, as they could wind up with a case of stomach upset, diarrhea or even worse—an inflammatory condition of the pancreas known as pancreatitis. In fact, it’s best keep pets on their regular diets during the holidays.

A Feast Fit for a Kong

While the humans are chowing down, give your cat and dog their own little feast. Offer them Nylabones or made-for-pet chew bones. Or stuff their usual dinner—perhaps with a few added tidbits of turkey, vegetables (try sweet potato or green beans) and dribbles of gravy—inside a Kong toy. They’ll be happily occupied for awhile, working hard to extract their dinner from the toy.


Adapted from a post published by the ASPCA.

Keeping Your Cat from Getting Bored

There is ample evidence that cats who spend their lives entirely indoors live much longer than their outdoor-only counterparts. But keeping an indoor cat happy as well as healthy means providing more than just good nutrition and regular veterinary care - you must also enrich your kitty's environment. Eliciting a cat's natural behaviors with hunting and foraging games can do wonders for your companion's well-being.

With a little creativity, you can keep your cat stimulated and interested, even in a small apartment and on a limited budget. And the good news is that enrichment research has shown that toys that are removed and then returned after several weeks regain much of their novelty; extend your enrichment budget by rotating your cat's toys regularly. Get started with a few of these feline friendly activities, but begin slowly and be sure to get a thumbs up from kitty's veterinarian.

Foraging Fun
Separate each day's food rations into small batches. Place the clusters around the house and then toss a few small treats in random directions. Not only will this encourage active foraging, it'll also keep kitty from scarfing down her food too quickly.

Pleasurable Puzzles
Toss a few treats into a square Rubbermaid® bottle and leave it on the floor with the lid off for a great beginner puzzle.

Any plastic container with a secure lid can become a hanging puzzle. Just cut two or three slots around the bottom outer edge of the container and place a few treats in the center. String a cord through the lid and hang this puzzle over a doorknob. Once your cat gets the hang of it, you can encourage exercise by raising it higher.

Scent Searching

Use old socks as washable scent baits. Just mark the sock with a dab of perfume, lotion, vanilla extract or even peanut butter, or place a pinch of any aromatic spice inside, then rub it over a slice of lunchmeat to pick up the scent. Scatter the socks throughout the house and your cat will be on the prowl for hours, delighted by the variety of scents. If you're pressed for time, simply mark a scent trail with a bit of cheese and then hide the cheese at the end of the trail.

Bird Watching

Attach a suction-cup bird feeder outside your cat's favorite window. Hungry birds will provide hours of entertainment. Don't place feeders too close to the ground as it leaves birds vulnerable to enemy attacks, and be sure to keep the window closed - 'excited cats can push right through screens.

Mouse Trap
Leave a ping-pong ball in the bathtub and watch as your cat makes it sail around the curves during her hunt for the elusive orb.

Crafty Cardboard
Use cardboard boxes as beds, dens, tunnels and mazes.

Make a "busy box" by attaching small toys to short lengths of cord and suspending them from the ceiling of a large box. Cut window flaps in the den at various heights.

Add a "Tiger Tug," ' a miniature version of a game popular with both tigers and chimps. Feed both ends of a length of parachute cord into the box through small holes. Tie a toy or a large knot on each end. When the cat tugs at one end, the other end mysteriously comes to life. For multicat households, run the ends into separate boxes.

Article Originally Written by W.R. Shaw and published on PetFinder. 

Bees and Wasps in September

We tend to see a lot more bees and wasps buzzing around picnics during September than any other month of the year. Because they become bigger pests, it’s important to make sure that your pet is safe! If you suspect your pet has been stung by a bee or a wasp, monitor them for symptoms for the next 24 hours. You should see swelling near the sting site, and should notice that your pet is uncomfortable. Apply an icepack wrapped in a towel, if possible, to reduce swelling. If symptoms persist, please seek veterinary care with us immediately!

Allergies and Pets

Allergies make us miserable…headaches, runny noses, sneezing. But with our pets, it’s different. They experience itchy skin, uncomfortable rashes, and even earaches. During the fall, your pet may develop seasonal allergies, and for some they might be more severe than in the spring or summer season. If your pet has seasonal allergies, be sure to get them medical attention right away, so their uncomfortable symptoms can be relieved. 

The Dangers of Treated Wood for Pets

Pressure treated wood was used for over 68 years in both residential and commercial applications. While it is no longer supposed to be used in residential applications, it’s been used to build decks, walkways, fences, picnic tables, raised garden beds, dog houses, and other structures where a wood that’s resistant to the elements is needed. However, pressure treated wood poses many dangers to our pets (as well as our families) that you may not be aware of.

The process for pressure-treating lumber was invented by Dr. Karl Wolman, and he was issued a U.S. patent for it on September, 29, 1942. The wood product created won’t decay or rot for over 20 years. The wood used was most prevalently preserved with chromate copper arsenate (CCA) and its use began to cease in 2004 due to safety concerns. However, it is still in use in several industrial applications and in some countries around the world. Arsenate is a salt or ester of arsenic acid, in short arsenic which is an exceedingly toxic chemical, as well as a known carcinogen. CCA toxicity can be caused by inhalation of gas created by burning CCA treated wood in a fire. It can also be caused by a dog eating the wood or ashes from a CCA wood fire. One tablespoon of ash from CCA wood contains a fatal dose of arsenic.

Splinters under the skin can cause an infection, and skin coming in contact with the treated wood or lumber can cause dermal irritation or a rash. One Wisconsin man reported his 85 pound Labrador began to show signs of lethargy, no energy and stiffness. It was thought that the dog was poisoned through inhalation of vapors inside his cage (made from CCA treated wood) or through skin contact or even ingesting the wood of the cage. A Pennsylvania man reported that he had been sawing CCA treated wood for about three months, and a few months into the project his dog died of unknown causes. Under certain conditions the chemicals used to preserve the wood can leach out. Arsenic is water soluble and can mix with rainwater puddling on a deck.


How do you protect your pet if there is CCA treated wood on your property? Make sure there are no puddles on your deck after a rainstorm; watering the grass with a sprinkler or power washing windows might also cause the deck to get wet. Never feed, water or give treats to your pet on the deck, and keep their toys off the deck. Limit their access to the deck; if limiting access is not possible, consider a rug for them to lie on. When laundering any rug from the deck wash it by itself to keep from cross contaminating any other items you launder.

Check the deck to see if it needs to be resanded to prevent paw splinters. Wash your pet’s paws and fur after their contact with the deck. Don’t let your pet play in wood chips or soil under or around CCA treated wood unless they test negative for arsenic.

If you’re building or buying a dog house, make sure it is not made with pressure-treated wood. To protect the wood, use paint, stain or oil that is non-toxic. If you have an outdoor project, consider vinyl alternatives or naturally resistant woods like cedar or redwood. Use reclaimed cedar or redwood. Use regular wood and treat with linseed oil or non-toxic stain or paint, and replace it more often.

As the use of CCA as a wood preservative is being discontinued, other preservatives that use the same process are taking its place: Amine Copper Quat (ACQ-D), Copper Azole (CA), Alkaline Copper Quaternary (ACQ) or Quat for short, and Amoniacal Copper Zinc Arsenate (ACZA). There are pros and cons on both sides of the issue, and if you’re a pet owner I would suggest caution when using any pressure-treated wood.

If you believe that your dog or cat may have been exposed to CCA, you can contact the following poison hotlines for information on symptoms and treatment, as well as prevention of a future incident.


Originally written by Ruthie Bently, published in 2010.

Hiking Safety Tips

When hiking with your dog this summer, consider investing in a doggie backpack. These backpacks have been designed with your dog in mind! They are made to balance the load, and give your dog the ability to carry his own food and drinking water. Dog backpacks have been designed by backpackers who understand that cool, comfortable fit of a backpack, as well as the importance of bringing food and supplies on the trail. Just don’t forget, no dog should carry more than 10% of their body weight. And make sure to practice with your dog carrying the backpack empty before you take a long trip!