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Ranch trip preparations

hbmama

Well-known member
Hi all.

We will be leaving soon for a 11 day vacation stay on a lovely 5,000 acre ranch on the Idaho/Wyoming border. (Lucky for us, my friends boss co-owns this property and gives her 2 weeks usage per year for free!)

This will be our third year going there with friends who also bring their little affenpinscher (Dotties best friend.) Dottie is crate trained for car and sleep but has never traveled any great distance or stayed over night elsewhere. We plan on stopping about every two hours to let the dogs stretch and potty along the way.

When we arrive, we will have the entire propery to ourselves, staying in a 6,000 sq ft home on the land. (The cattle will have already been moved off the land before we arrive.) I would like suggestions as to what to take along with us re supplies, first aid, etc. Or if anyone has any suggestions of OTC meds to have along if she does develop a sick tummy along the way, that would be helpful.

Brian, you have traveled extensively with the girls too. Any suggestions of what worked, and what didn't?

Thanks everyone!
 
I took my pups to Whistler BC this summer (similar environment albeit higher elevations).

We took a small first aid kit but never used it. We put some stretchy guage wrap in the kit in case we needed to wrap up the legs to prevent sharp grasses and sticky items from getting in their feathering and ears but never needed it. I did brush them out every night and inspect their ears for things they could have picked up along the way. The worse we experienced was them walking through some tree sap-type of material so having the scissors handy (and having recently cut the fur between the paw pads) was helpful.

We also gave a small dose of Frontline Plus before leaving home, and took benadryl in the first aid kit, just in case (cut into 1/4 size pieces).

The biggest issue for us is that in California, we have to take bottled water everywhere with us or they get a bit ill. In Oregon, Canada, etc., they were able to drink tap water without getting sick. They even drank lake and stream water while I wasn't watching but didn't get ill at all. I would think the water in your area might be equally pure.

If you have horses on the ranch and the doggies have never seen horses before, prepare with a proper introduction. My youngest pup barks at horses which can cause a scare if someone is riding a sensitive horse.
 
Wow, fabulous -- can I come along? :)

A basic firstaid kit is useful -- but am sure you won't have any problems. Something to remove ticks I'd think (make sure she's had her flea/tick preparation in advance), bandages, maybe something to induce vomiting, benadryl for any allergic reactions or stings. Aspirin can be used fairly safely for most dogs as an emergency painkiller if needed.

Depending on age you probably don't need stops ever two hours -- if she is crated most likely she will sleep well. I stop every three hours or so when driving with mine. They all go to sleep once the car is rolling along.
 
Hi hbmama

The place you are staying at sounds like heaven i am sure you will have a superb holiday ,how far is it you have to travel it must be many hours ,when i used to go on hols to my uncles in Kentucky I know when we went out some of the distances were huge compared to us in the UK ,I remember he said on one trip we were just going on a couple of days out to Niagara he meant 1 1/2 days traveling each way Phew.My current car is a Honda CRV and we have a double crate in the boot for Poppy and Daisy and a single on the back seat for Rosie so they can all lie down and sleep but I stop every 2 - 2 1/2 hours but then my journeys this year have only been max 5 hours ,and as the car which is a reasonable sized 4 wheel drive (lowest emissions for a 4 wheel drive only 183 ) has no room left inside after all the doggy stuff i had to buy a big roof box for the human luggage ,plus i bought all these additional crate fans to keep them cool but with our summers we never even get remotely warm. My first aid kit has 2 tubes of benadryl cream, 1 tube of otodex cream (anti itch) 1 tube of germolene (anti-septic) 1 tin shaws paw wax ,2 packs anti histamine tablets 1 bottle of thornit canker powder, assorted tape bandages ,gloves ,wet wipes ,dry wipes ,two splints, surgical tape ,crepe bandage ,tablets to induce vomiting ,foil blanket ,irrigation solution salt ,three types of tick pickers ,scissors ,petflex bandage ,sterile hydrogel cream ,woolen blankets ,rope, oral syringe, eye wash, tweezers,tongue depressor,nail clippers ,thermometer, styptic powder ,sterile needles, sting pads, towels, cotton wool, combs ,purification tablets ,fresh water and bowls and two ft walking sticks for protection against unwelcome guests plus a great big container to put that lot in and also 1 large pet first aid book.
Have lots and lots of fun and safe driving and best wishes to Dottie.(y)
Pls advise if i am missing anything ,better safe than sorry even though thankfully i haven't used a single thing .
 
Sounds fun...we go to the North Carolina mountains a few times a year with our dogs, it's an 11 hour drive. Every 3 hours should be a good time to stop (I usually have to stop before they do!)

We've never had a problem until our last trip, when Ollie had a bout of diarrhea...long story. If you're interested, check the other board.

Anyway, I would suggest NOT to feed them before you leave. They won't die of hunger. If they do get an upset stomach or diarrhea, my vet suggested 1 tbs. of pepto bismol liquid every 4 hours.

Have fun!
 
Thanks everyone for some great travel suggestions. It should be a great trip, and as Brian mentioned, when you are prepared for anything, nothing usually happens, but when you are not, watch out!! Yes Trisha, I read your story about poor little Ollie and I will definately not feed Dottie before we go. I didn't know you could give a dog Pepto Bismol, so that is a good tip to have some along.

One of these days I will get computer savvy and download piccies to share. I typically just drool over everyone elses beautiful dogs, but it is time I figured it out and shared photos of my cutie girl. Hopefully the trip will be as fun for her as it is for us!
 
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