Tips for Camping With Pets
Camping with your pet can be extremely rewarding for both you and your pet. And it sure beats the alternative of putting your pet into a kennel or other facility, or leaving your pet at home. However, there are some things to consider when taking your pet on a camping trip.
1. Do a Dry Run
Think about setting a tent up in your house or backyard for a couple of days to get your pet used to being inside it. Pets need to be familiar with their surroundings in order to be comfortable. If you decide to forgo this step, you may have trouble sleeping with your pet whining to get out all night. You'll want to consider buying a travel pet bed that can be rolled up to a compact size.
You may also want to take your pet for a short day hike to an area similar to where you'll be camping. This way you can see how your pet reacts to their outdoor surroundings. You'll want to practice your commands especially with dogs to make sure you have control over your pet when they come into contact with any forest animal.
2. Leash Your Pet
When your pet is not inside the tent, you must have them leashed at all times. As mentioned above, there are quite a number of stimuli that can distract and entice your pet to run from your campsite. Make sure you never leave your pet by themselves, whether that is tied up to a tree or in the tent. This will stress out your pet and could create negative feelings associated with future camping trips.
3. Get That Pet In Shape
Pets, just like people need exercise. If you plan on doing a lot of hiking on your camping trip, make sure you and your pet take plenty of walks with a gradually rising difficulty level so that your pet has the stamina to keep up with you on those demanding hikes you might encounter on your camping trip.
4. Prepare For Every Eventuality
Bring a first-aid kit filled with items such as tweezers (in case your dog gets ticks), pliers (for removing porcupine quills), veterinary gauze wrap, and styptic powder. (Styptic powder is an antiseptic clotting agent that you can use if your pet's claws get nicked to the point of bleeding.) You might also want to consider bringing some poison ivy lotion. Not that your pet will be affected by poison ivy, but they may bring it back to camp on their coat and give you an unpleasant gift!
Also bring plenty of fresh water for your pet to drink. Don't count on using the local stream or lake for your dog to drink out of. These water bodies could contain Giardia or Cryptosporidium which could make your pet very sick or even result in death. As far as food is concerned, it goes without saying to give your pet the same food that you would at home.
Other Tips:
Make sure you discard your pet's waste in an air-tight containers such as a plastic bag. Forest animals are attracted to these scents and might be lured into camp if this is not considered.
Ensure that your pet has their rabies vaccine and is wearing their rabies tag. Also make sure you have a current identification tag on your pet.
Every morning give your pet a general inspection to check for any skin issues, cuts and to check for fleas, ticks and insect bites.
By taking these suggestions to heart, you can be sure that your camping trip with your pet will be a success. And the next time you say to your pet, "do you want to go camping?" your pet will jump for joy!
