When we thought about hitting the open road and taking Tilly, there was a fair amount to consider regarding her healthcare. It wasn’t just a case of putting her into the car and off we go. The main issue was Tilly’s healthcare, does she need any extra vaccinations in other states? What ticks should we be aware of? ie the Paralysis tick! Doggy first aid kit and sleeping arrangements in the van. Plus always being aware where the nearest vet was just in case.
In this post we’ll cover these dilemmas and more to help those thinking about taking their four legged bestie on the trip of their lives.
Vaccinations
Now we’re from Western Australia, so Tilly was kept up to date with her regular annual vaccines at our regular vets. Before we left, I spoke in-depth with dr Steve at our practice and asked him his thoughts on what Tilly needed. If you have a good relationship with your vet this is definitely the best place to start.
All dogs need their annual vaccines to protect against distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus and kennel cough. However in other parts of Australia other vaccines are needed.
Luckily for us, Dr Steven had worked interstate in far North Queensland and knew the healthcare for that region. He recommended a vaccine for Leptospirosis, which has to be given in 2 seperate shots a few weeks apart. This is where your planning is required, especially as not all vets carry this vaccine.
However please check with your vet all the areas your going to be travelling to make sure your pet is covered for all their healthcare needs.
Research
I remember being stood in Forbes NSW and phoning vets in Charters Towers in Queensland and they didn’t stock the vaccine and weren’t even sure where we could get it. After speaking to another friend who works in emergency vet care in Melbourne she recommend JCU hospital in Townsville. For more information if you choose this vet please visit http://jcuvet.com.au/
JCU is a University teaching hospital, the vets and nurses are trained onsite and they’re totally professional in their care. Located in the heart of Townsville with a fully functioning vet practice, it’s a great choice for your dogs needs. Tilly was given a full checkup and treats for cooperating with the vet. They gave her her first jab for the lepto and suggested when she gets her next shot in cairns that we maybe get her teeth cleaned.
Once in Cairns a few weeks later, we got Tilly her 2nd vaccine. Followed up with her teeth clean… someone was like bambi on ice after those anesthesia meds lol.
Lastly on the leptospirosis, there are various strains. The Far North Queensland shots would be different to the Northern Territory equivalent. So do your research beforehand.
Ticks and worms
There are so many options for tick and worm treatments and we’ve used various products over the years. From collars with treatments in them, vaccines to liquid lotions and pills, it can be confusing on what to use. In the end we opted for nexgard spectra. A once a month chewable treatment, which covers all your worming and tick issues, even the deadly paralysis tick.
They’re not the cheapest of options, however if you do your research you can get them cheaper. Chris and I would look at online companies. Generally pet barn and other big pet superstores will price match any Australian company. If they didn’t we’d order from pet circle and get it delivered to a local post office.
Vet healthcare
One bit of advice which our awesome vets told us before we left Perth was always be aware of your local vet in each area you visit. This was a routine we kept to whilst travelling with Tilly. It made for peace of mind that if Tilly needed a vet visit we’d know exactly where to go and how far away it was.
Tilly thankfully didn’t need any emergency vet visits but it’s always good to be prepared.
We also had a doggy first aid kit, which can be purchased from St. John’s ambulance. Again we never needed to use it but again peace of mind.
As for your normal routine vet trips for check ups and vaccinations, do your planning. Tilly visited 4 vets whilst we were on the road, one for a infection, and the others for routine appointments. We were on top of which vets to use, if they had a good reputation and location to where we would be staying.
As said time and time again, they’re not like us, you have to think ahead with regards to their healthcare. That would be our most important bit of advice to people travelling with their fur babies.
Finally, on a side note, we opted to get pet insurance for Tilly before leaving. We thought about the what if’s….. like a snake bite, or she ate something she shouldn’t. All these things can spiral into the thousands, so we went with Woolworths pet insurance, we found them to be the most competitive on price, but cover a lot more than a lot of other insurance companies.