We talk a lot about traveling with our dogs–but sometimes, as with this week, that travel isn’t a day trip or vacation. Instead, it’s a trip to the veterinarian’s office.
As you know, on Monday Irie had TPLO surgery for a torn ACL. The previous Friday, we headed to our regular vet’s office then Monday we were off to a specialist for surgery. That meant car trips to the vet’s office on Friday, Monday and again on Tuesday when Irie returned home.
Staying Safe
Just as if we were taking a longer (fun!) trip with our dogs, a trip to the vet always begins with safety first; in our case, that means Kurgo dog harnesses. With often frayed nerves on arrival at the vet’s office, the last thing you want is a sudden bolting from the car when you open the door.
When we travel with one of our four cats to the vet’s office, we use a carrier. The carrier can be secured in the car using the seat belt, keeping the cat and carrier secure in case of a sudden stop or accident. When we arrive at the vet’s office, our cats remain in the carrier until we’re safely in the exam room with the door closed. In fact, the carrier is obligatory at most vet offices.
Getting Cozy
We always keep a fleece blanket in the car for the dogs to snuggle against (which they don’t care about as much in this heat) as well as a plush toy. When Irie had to be admitted to the hospital for an overnight stay, they requested no toys or blankets, since those can be difficult to keep up with during a stay. Since I wanted her to have something with the scent of home, I cut up a fleece sweater and put it in the dirty clothes hamper for a day to absorb the smell of home. I gave the vet’s office the rag and asked if they could keep it with her as long as possible, just so she’d have the scent of home with her to calm her. If it were lost, it was certainly no problem. They kept it with her the entire time, though, and it was with her materials on discharge.
Drinking Water
On Friday’s vet visit, which occurred as soon as Irie tore her ACL, we had a wait at the office since we didn’t have an appointment. As always when we take the dogs to the vet, we brought both dogs since calms Irie down to have Tiki along. Between the drive to the office and the wait at the clinic, Irie and Tiki were thirsty. I brought along the Kurgo Zippy Bowl that I ordered recently on clearance! It folds up in my purse so I always have it with me:
The bowl quickly unzipped for use:
It really came in handy at the clinic. But, what I hadn’t realized, was how handy the Zippy Bowl would be during this time while Irie is in a cone. The BPA-free bowl holds 48 ounces; I use it both for giving Irie water and food. She can maneuver the cone over a plate or bowl…but give her the Zippy Bowl and holding it for her is resulting in a LOT less mess! A big paws up for the Zippy Bowl for making travel–even that travel to the vet’s office–that much easier!
Kurgo is a DogTipper sponsor. As always, we only share products that we actually use with our own pets!
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