Traveling With Your Pets: Pet-Friendly Hotels and Packing Lists

Traveling With Your Pets: Pet-Friendly Hotels and Packing Lists

Our pets are integral parts of our families, so it’s no fun leaving them at home when you have to be away. If you’re lucky enough to be able to travel with your pets, then you’ll need to find a pet-friendly place to stay while also making sure you pack everything your pet will need to feel comfy while away from home.
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Pet-Friendly Hotel Chains in the U.S.

We always recommend checking on individual hotel pet policies before you travel since individual hotel locations might have slightly different policies. However, the following list contains a variety of hotel chains that tend to welcome pets for overnight stays:
  • Best Western
  • Choice Hotels
  • DoubleTree by Hilton
  • Extended Stay America
  • Four Seasons
  • Hampton Inn
  • Home2Suites by Hilton
  • Kimpton Hotels
  • Marriott
  • Motel 6
  • The Peninsula Hotels
  • Red Roof
  • The Ritz-Carlton
  • Staypineapple
  • Westin

What to Bring When Traveling With Your Pet

Once you have your pet-friendly accommodations arranged, you can start to plan your pet’s packing list. Be sure to bring the following items along to keep your pet comfortable, happy, and healthy:
  • Pet health/travel certificates (if using public transportation of any form or traveling internationally)
  • Vaccination records
  • Your pet's favorite blanket, pillow, bed, or stuffed toy that smells like home
  • Chew toys
  • Collapsible food and water bowls
  • Drinking water for the trip
  • More food than you think you'll need
  • Treats
  • Harness, collar, and leash
  • Up-to-date and readable ID tags
  • Potty bags
  • Airline-approved pet carrier
  • Your pet's medications
In addition to this packing list, we strongly recommend getting pets microchipped before traveling with them. Pets are much more likely to become frightened, disoriented, and lost while away from home in an unfamiliar place. A pet microchip can greatly increase the odds of reuniting with your pet if they are lost or stolen. If your pet has already been microchipped, make sure your registered information is up to date before you leave.
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Pack More Pet Meds Than You Need

We always recommend packing more pet medications that you’ll actually need when traveling with your pets. This is a good fail-safe just in case you get stuck longer than planned due to canceled flights or other snags in your travel plans. To get more pet meds before you leave, we welcome you to contact your veterinary office or VeMtedics Compounding Pharmacy.

How to Keep Your Pets Safe on Halloween

How to Keep Your Pets Safe on Halloween

It’s the spooky season, and that means frightful fun for everyone. While we, humans, can enjoy a good scare from time to time, the same is not always true for our pets. In fact, Halloween presents a lot of safety risks for our furry friends. To make sure your pets have just as much fun this Halloween as you, consider the following safety tips for pets.
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5 Halloween Safety Tips for Pets

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1. Be Conscientious About Costumes

Not all pets like to dress up. If your pet seems uncomfortable in their costume, then don’t make them wear it. It’s also important not to leave pets unattended while they’re wearing a costume as costumes can get caught on furniture or branches resulting in the risk of strangulation. They can also contain choking hazards for pets that like to chew.

2. Choose Pet-Safe Decorations

Halloween decorations like fake spider webs, fake blood, and glow sticks are all dangerous and/or toxic for pets. Additionally, make sure all electrical cords are safely out of your pet’s curious reach.

3. Store Treats Safely Away From Pets

Many Halloween treats and ingredients in Halloween treats are toxic for pets, this includes chocolate, raisins, certain nuts, xylitol (sugar-free sweetener), and more. Make sure your stash of candy is kept well away from your pet’s reach.

4. Keep Pets Safe Inside

With so many scarily dressed people coming and going from the house on Halloween, pets can easily become frightened and run away or simply escape through the front door when you answer it. Keep your pet closed in a quiet room with their food and water throughout the evening.

5. Get Your Pets Microchipped

Pets commonly go missing on Halloween, and that’s why we recommend microchipping your dogs and cats before the holiday. Pet microchips greatly increase the chances of reuniting with a lost or stolen pet, and it’ll give you a little peace of mind if your pet gets lost.
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Pet Meds Don't Have to Be Spooky! Learn More About Our Compounding Pharmacy

October is frightening enough without the addition of difficult-to-administer pet medications that pets can sniff out from a mile away. Instead of struggling to get your pet to take their medication, talk with your veterinarian about the options available to you through VetMedics Compounding Pharmacy. We can formulate your pet’s medications into an easy-to-administer form in your pet’s favorite flavor.