Traveling with Dogs and Dog Food on Vacation

Traveling Dogs Need The Same Food As They Have at Home

While you make plans to travel with your pets, think about their foods, vitamins and medicines that you are feeding them.  Plan ahead and know where you’ll find your pet’s food, and supplements at your destination.  It’s best for your pet to have the same diet on vacation as he or she has at home.  Some dogs can eat and digest anything; other pets need special diets, vitamins and medicines. Like other Border Collies, mine has a diet suggestion from her vet that has made a positive difference. 

Keeping their meals and schedule as consistent as possible will help keep them calmer.  Traveling can be exciting and stressful for us and our pets.  It may take some fun out of traveling with your pet if you’re in a B&B, hotel or a home of friends or family and you’ve switched pet food for the trip, and it isn’t agreeing with your dog. 

We recently traveled to Utah, and I couldn’t find the same dog food we have at home.  WE had a personal emergency several times during the night, and we both went out for a 1:30 & 2:15 AM walks.

I purchase pet food on-line and have it delivered at home. I planned to have her food sent to the address where we would be visiting, until I was told deliveries are unreliable there.  We could NOT find the same food in the local stores, and settled on different brands that seemed to be of similar quality.  When my dog didn’t eat, and was having tummy troubles, I didn’t know if it was the excitement of the travel or change of diet that made her insides queasy.  

When switching foods, it’s best to integrate the new brand to your pet slowly over a few days.  I had brought some food from home, and we had to make a speedy switch, and it didn’t go smoothly.

I still order my pet food on line, because it is very convenient for me.  I switched to a General Mills brand of grain free dog food I can find in grocery stores, big discount stores, and pet supply stores around the country.   Most of these stores will order on line and hold in store for pick up, so I know they can have our brand of dog food when we arrive.