A few years ago, Joe and I used a couple we selected from Trusted Housesitters to watch our house and dog when we were going to be out of town for 3 weeks. We had a huge list of “dog things” written for them, including info on food and medications, favorite toys, etc. We also included her medical history and contact information for both her regular vet and our local after-hours emergency vet of choice, in case something happened and she needed medical treatment while we were away.
Meanwhile, fast forward to today and I saw one of those realty TV shows about an animal medical center and a new patient they had who was there with its people while they were on vacation. That got me to wondering what’s out there to help you if you’re traveling with your pet and you have a pet emergency? How do you know where to go?
Turns out, not surprisingly, there’s a website that can help!
Important Pet-Related Documents & Info To Bring
Just as you should have a list of your own medically significant information with you when you travel, the same goes for your pet. Have a list of his/her:
- name, date of birth, breed, weight, color(s)
- whether or not (s)he has been spayed/neutered
- chip number
- vaccination history
- medical history (surgery dates, illnesses, etc.)
- current medications & supplements, with dosage and time they’re usually administered
- allergies
- preferred food and feeding schedule
- name, telephone and fax number of your regular veterinarian
Some people keep the info on a thumb drive that’s attached to car keys, wallet, etc, to make it easily accessible.
How To Find A Vet (Or An Emergency Vet) While On A Road Trip
If Fido or Fluffy get sick on the road, doing a search on Google Maps can only get you so far. After a bunch of searching, we did find this website (provided by a pet insurance company of all places), where, if you log in the city or ZIP code you’re in, the website will give you a list of up to 25 local vets, how far they are, if they do general veterinary care vs. specialty, emergency, or alternative care, or if they offer mobile care.
Here’s the list that came up when I put in Lake Buena Vista (where WDW is):
If you click on any of them, you get their address and phone number, as well as as option for driving directions and their website and Facebook page. Here’s the example for the closest emergency vet clinic to WDW:
And if you click on “Hospital website,” you’ll be brought to their emergency vet’s website and can learn more about their hours, services, etc.
The website won’t be helpful if you’re hours and miles away from any vets (I tried to log in Death Valley and no go) and it’s only good for within the United States. But within those parameters, you should be able to find help, if you ever need it.
For the sake of your pet, and for your peace of mind, I hope you never need to use the website. But if you do, at least you know where it is.
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
