Pet Travel Tip: In Case of Emergency

Many people, including myself, often travel with a pet. While it's easy to pet-proof your own home and keep things that could be dangerous for your dog out of his reach, the task can be more difficult when visiting hotels, for example.

If you travel with your pet, keep the phone number to the Pet Poison Helpline handy...just in case. This hotline is available 24/7. If your pet eats something poisonous or dangerous, and you can't reach your own vet immediately, this hotline is staffed by veterinarians who can help by providing life-saving guidance.

Call (800) 213-6680, or visit The Pet Poison Helpline's website at www.petpoisonhelpline.com. There is a flat fee of $35.00 per incident, which includes a follow-up phone consultation. The group which operates this hotline has handled more than 750,000 cases involving pet poisoning.

When traveling with your pet, do some research in advance. Determine where the closest veterinarian office and animal hospital is, based on where you'll be staying. Also, be sure to pack a copy of your pet's medical records. Help4Pets.com is an excellent (annual fee based) resource for finding nationwide referrals for all of your pet's needs.

New Airline That's Just For Pets

So while many airlines allow pet owners to bring their small dogs aboard an airplane for a hefty fee, the options for large dog owners is more limited.

Crating a large dog and placing him into an airplane's cargo hold during a long flight is uncomfortable for the pet, potentially unsafe and costly.

Now there's a solution to transporting your pet cross country or between a handful of popular U.S. cities. A new airline, called Pet Airways, is exclusively for dogs and cats. It offers a safe, comfortable, supervised and convenient way for pets to fly (albeit without their owners).

According to Pet Airways' website, a one-way flight starts at $149.00 (between New York and Chicago), for example. A one-way flight between New York and Los Angeles will cost $199.00. Pet owners can track their pets throughout the flight with ease. This is the first attempt by any airline to treat pets like passengers and not cargo. To learn more, visit Pet Airways' website.