Welcome back to the Senior Dog Digest from Grey Whiskers. It’s time to hit the road this holiday season.

In this week’s issue here’s what we are sniffing out

• Road Trip Tips

• Senior Dog Adoption Organization Spotlight

A Guidebook to Senior Dog Road Tripping

The holidays are right around the corner! Many of you, like us, maybe driving out of town to be with your human family. Traveling with senior dogs requires a little more consideration than younger ones, but as long as your pet is up for the adventure, there’s no reason you can’t still hit the road! The most important words to hold in your brain as you consider the idea and prepare are routine and familiarity. Try to keep as much of your older dog’s same routine as you can… of course that’s not entirely possible, but if you normally walk 2 times per day, try to do that. If you do it before or after meals do the same if possible. Potty habits could suffer if you mix this up too much. If your dog gets a mid-day biscuit on his bed, take enough with you to do that on the trip! If you feed him just as the sun comes up, or just as it’s going down, he may be less confused if he still eats at the same times, regardless of what time it is in your new location. If he sleeps on a bed beside you or on your bed, stick to that. You get the idea, right? The older your dog is the more they like a routine. If you add in dementia or sensory deprivation, that consideration is even more important.

Let’s break this into timelines to make it easier:

1 month ahead: 📆 

1. Most importantly: does your dog ride well in a car? We just adopted Ginger, and right from the start, we tested her in the car because we knew this trip was coming. She rides like a champ, but we’ve had dogs who didn’t, so consult with your vet if you need medication. In some cases, a product like Happy Traveler works (see below for the link) but it depends on the severity of your dog’s stress in the car. If they are panicky, DO NOT TAKE them if you can at all avoid it. If you can’t, talk to your vet about sedation/anti-anxiety medicine and test that out early in case it needs adjusting.

2. A car seat hammock keeps your dog from falling between the seats if his vision or coordination is bad. You can also get seat extenders to go on the floor between the front and back seats. These work if you don’t have a lot of packing to fit behind the front seat. The hammock works well if you need to use the floor for luggage, bags, etc.

3. If you’re going to use pee pads for the first time, introduce those to your dog now.

4. If floors are slick and you have carpets everywhere at home (IYKYK) and your dog will need help with traction, investigate that ahead of time, purchase your preferred option, and try it out now! I could write a whole article on traction alone, including dozens of product options.

5. Supply check: Will the items you have on hand work, or do you need a more travel-friendly dog bed, lighter weight/non-breakable food and water bowls? Purchase any of this now and introduce it to your dog early.

6. Consider scent mapping: using essential oils to mark the locations of important places for your dog that will be moved to new locations, especially for confused or vision-impaired dogs. These are great for water bowls, beds, and access to potty locations (doors) or pee pads. Most dogs can find food because we set it near them or take it to them, but if your dog free feeds, make sure he can find that food bowl. If it’s normally near a water bowl, set it up that way in the new place. For more on scent mapping, click here https://www.dogster.com/lifestyle/scent-markers-for-blind-dogs

2 weeks ahead: 🗓️ 

1. Check medication and dog food stock, and order/buy as needed. Don’t forget heartworm preventative if you’ll be gone when it’s due.

2. Do a few test rides in the car with beds, crates, or travel pads installed to get your dog used to the idea. Make those trips positively based, even if your dog loves the car. Ride for a puppacino, or ice cream, or to the park for a short walk. Make sure your dog can’t fall between the seats or hurt herself trying to climb up front or onto your lap.

3. Plan the timing of your travel days: Make sure you add in time for a stop every 2-4 hours so that your dog gets plenty of chances to stretch its legs and go potty. Old dogs need both. Joints will stiffen up much more quickly than you think. Our drive is 18 hours, and we plan to stop overnight, plus about every 3 hours on both days.

1 week ahead.. packing list: 🧳 

1. Harness, leash, collar with ID tags. Make sure his microchip is up to date.

2. Food, water, bowls, snacks, and medications

3. Bed, crate, or sleeping items

4. Coats or sweaters if needed

5. Booties for cold weather or slick floors

6. An old towel for wiping feet and drying off if it’s raining or snowing

7. Wipes or rinse-free shampoo for cleaning messy rear ends

8. Familiar Toy or stuffy for company in the car and at your destination

9. A blanket they know from home, whether it’s a small dog blanket or a full-sized one. We spread a thin blanket over hotel and guest room beds so our dog feels like it’s home and to protect bedspreads.

10. A ready-to-eat meal and any necessary medicines if you will be driving past meal times.

11. Do your best to be sure your dog has plenty of opportunity to go potty after eating, and I recommend observing her so you know she’s gone. While we’re running around getting things ready, our dogs sense impending change and it can stress them out and mess up their routines.

12. Consider using a center console to hold a cup of water for your dog, or take a fresh water bottle and bowl to offer every couple of hours.

13. If your dog can still hear, first congratulations on that, I feel like it’s rare! And second, consider turning off your backseat speakers if your dog is sitting there. It’s not a road trip if you aren’t blasting music and singing, but it could stress your elderly, hearing dog out more than you think. If you’ve ever ridden in backseats you know the music is louder there!

At your destination: 🏝️ 

1. Scan new location for hazards: walk the fence line, check the house for trash cans or accessible food, medications, and gum (same goes for other visitors’ bags) if those are issues for your dog.

2. Be very careful with your dog around stairs, and doors that open and close a lot, and request your family do the same. If your dog jumps on and off furniture at home, make sure it’s safe to do so at the new place or try to manage that risk for him.

3. Create a safe zone for your dog if needed to protect it from kids or other pets. Set up her bed, pee pads if she uses them, and a water bowl and feeding zone in your room. That way if she needs to escape the chaos you can offer her a quiet spot to relax. Dim the lights and play some soft music in the room to create the ultimate getaway for her. 😆

4. Brief your family on any concerns with your pet so they don’t let him out a door accidentally or allow him to be antagonized by a younger dog, a cat, or a small child.

5. Monitor meals to be sure they eat and no one steals their food and consider offering a quiet space to feed them if it’s hectic everywhere.

6. Keep as close a routine to normal as you can. If at home your dog loves to nap in the sunbeams, try to arrange for that if you can!

7. Don’t forget potty breaks, meals, and medicine when things are hectic.

Organization Shout Out

This week I’m highlighting Colorado Senior Dog Rescue & Hospice: another great organization that focuses on senior pets! Right now they have a handful of soon-to-be-available seniors who are getting much-needed vet care. They love donations to help with those bills! You can email them at [email protected] to get direct contact for the vet.

Also, the group will be doing a holiday fundraiser. Would you like to contribute? They need some businesses to partner with to provide services to offer the lucky winners. Use the email address above to participate!

Check them out on IG or Facebook 

Let’s find Matilda a home!

Tip of the Week

If your dog often suffers from a sick tummy and the doctor recommends you feed chicken and rice, save and freeze your leftover white rice from your takeout meals. If you can verify that the rice is cooked without salt or fat, such as steamed from a Chinese or Thai restaurant, it’s a great time saver for dogs who need it quickly if their tummies hurt.

🐶 Sniffing Out Senior Dog News 📰

🐕️ Adopt a Southern Utah senior: Why dogs and cats of a certain age make the best friends

#️⃣ The #1 Reason to Adopt a Senior Pet, According to Shelter Directors

Senior Dog Humor 🤣 

How did we do with this week’s newsletter?

• High Paws

• Pooped in the House