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How To Prepare For A Vacation With and Without Your Dog

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I’m serving my dog The Nutro™ Company as part of a sponsored series with Socialstars. #HonestToDog

Portion your dog's food for vacation and travel

When you and your family head out of town for a day, extended weekend, or longer, it’s important to remember your pets. In most cases, you’ll leave your pet with a sitter or arrange for a kennel to care for them. To make it easier on everyone, I’ve rounded up some helpful advice to make your trip easier for you and your dog’s caregiver!

If you are bringing your dog with you:

  • Bring their bed if possible. If not, a comfortable pillow or blanket will suffice. You’ll want them to be comfortable and an easy way to do that is to bring their comfort items from home.
  • Bring a portable water and food bowl. They make collapsable bowls that are perfect for travel! You can bring these along when taking your dog for a walk – a bowl and a bottle of water and your dog can stay hydrated on the go!
  • Food and treats, obviously. I find it so much easier, no matter what we do, to just go ahead and take the time to measure out food and portion it into ziploc bags. It seems a bit “much”, but it makes it so easy to just grab a bag, pour into bowl and not have to worry about closing a bag of food, packing a measuring cup, etc. We’ve been trying NUTRO™ ROTATIONS™ so I made up portioned bags of the different varities and labeled them by flavor. Even on the go we can enjoy a fun variety of foods and not worry about digestive issues!

Bring your dog food in ziploc baggies for easy measuring

  • Bring along any medications, supplements, vitamins and other special needs. If you will be gone for an extended time, see if you need to bring along things like additional prescriptions, flea treatments, or vaccine records (if you need a grooming visit while gone).

If your dog is staying home:

  • Make sure your caregiver has an accessible copy of vaccine records, contact information, emergency contact information, local numbers for the vet, and a recent photo (in case your dog runs away).
  • Leave your dog’s leash, collar, harness by the door. Don’t forget about poo clean-up bags, treats, and stock your fridge with bottled beverages! There’s something great about grabbing a water and hitting the sidewalk for a walk and if you can make it easy, your caregiver will be more likely to tire your pooch out!
  • Go over any special instructions, especially the administration of medications, before you leave and preferrably in person. Leave some tips that might help your dog be more cooperative (does it take a sneak attack? special treats? essential oils?)
  • Give your dog one of your shirts, or a blanket you’ve slept with. They’ll appreciate the warmth but more importantly, the scent and familiarization of you. It could help them when they are lonely, or if there’s a storm.

If your dog is going to a kennel:

  • Bring your own food and treats. For us, one of our dogs has a sensitivity to chicken, so we are sure to label her food and her treats so there are no issues.

Portioned dog food

  • Check with the kennel before you bring toys and bedding from home. Some kennels provide their own and can’t gaurantee that the items you bring in will be returned to you. Remember, some dogs get anxious when their owners leave and will soil or chew. The kennel is prepared to replace toys, chews and bedding.
  • Provide the kennel with any information they require – vaccine records, vet records, important contact numbers. Be sure to complete all required forms as well, especially conseent forms for medical treatment.
  • Ask the kennel if there is a way to stay in touch with your dog. Some use social media and provide photo updates, others will allow you to call at anytime and see how your pet is doing. Don’t feel like they’ll make fun of you for worrying – this is your family member! Not to mention, they’ve seen it all already!

NUTRO™ ROTATIONS™ is a dog food that’s not only easy to digest, but allows you to “spice up” your dog’s menu. One flavor in the morning, one in the evening – whatever you’d like! Once you’ve transitioned to the food completely, rotate through the varities whenever you like! Even when we’re away from our girls, we love to give them the best treatment we can!

If you want to learn more about NUTRO™ ROTATIONS™, be sure to visit their site for more information. You can also follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

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