Traveling with dogs can be a minefield, with so much to think about what to bring, to make sure your dog can go to the bathroom, to feed them.
The latter is something that is really stressful. You want to stick to your dog’s usual diet and give them best dog foodbut how easy is it to do?
Well, certified dog trainer Melissa Goodman of Mission Pawsitive She feeds her dog, Aspen, a fresh meal of food, and in a recent Instagram post, she explained how she stays on top of it when she travels with her pup.
“It’s possible to feed your dog fresh food while traveling,” Goodman explains, “And I kept Aspen on her raw diet during my 18-day road trip.” Meanwhile, he says his advice can be applied to cooked foods as well.
If you want to know how to travel with a dog and their food, Goodman said that for the first eight days of the trip, he stored food, and plenty of long-lasting ice packs — you can use dry ice as an alternative — as well as food-based enrichment toys, in his client’s freezer, while he also buys freeze-dried food as a backup, just in case. During her trip, this proved to be a good idea when the packaging for Aspen’s last two meals somehow got punctured. As she says, “I try to be prepared for everything when I travel!”
Goodman explains that some hotels will also store dog food in their freezer for you, if you ask, although she prefers to book hotels with freezer compartments in the room, or a dial that can change the temperature of a room refrigerator to a freezer.
“To maintain safe food handling practices,” she added, “I bring soap to clean Aspen’s bowl after each meal and disinfectant wipes to clean the surface I prepare food on. I add a little water for extra hydration, and serve!”
If you decide to go the route of serving fresh food to your pup, Goodman’s advice will help you keep it safe to eat when you’re gone. Or, even if you don’t, it’s still worth taking his tips on board when it comes to frozen enrichment toys, for example.
Want more dog travel advice? here is 32 tips for traveling with petsand here it is the best travel destinations for dogs. Going cross-country, or further afield? here how to travel with a dog by plane!
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