The summer holidays are here at last. Everybody is taking off for a place in the sun, with the whole family - including the dog. On holiday, a dog’s preferred means of transport is the car, because it allows his master to make a stop on journeys lasting several hours and take a break for walkies wherever and whenever he wants. Like no other pet, dogs are perfect for taking on holidays, and in most cases Fido & Co. are enthusiastic or at least patient passengers. So there is no reason not to take your four-legged friend with you when you travel by car.

The veterinary team of the Fressnapf chain of specialist shops has put together the most important basic rules to make the journey to your summer holiday destination as pleasant as possible for you and your dog:

• Do not give your dog too much to eat on the day before your departure and give him his last meal four hours before the journey begins, at the latest, in order to prevent nausea and vomiting. You should not feed your dog during the journey itself.
• Take sufficient breaks to give your dog some exercise and give him something to drink. Journey breaks every two hours are ideal.
• Please ensure that your dog is not sitting next to an open window in the airstream, as he could easily catch conjunctivitis otherwise.
• If your dog yawns or pants a lot on mountain stretches, give him a bone to chew. Chewing will relieve the pressure in his ears.
• Never leave your dog unattended in a parked car. In the summer, temperatures inside the car may reach well over 30 °C. This heat can become fatal for dogs after only 15 minutes.
• During breaks, put your dog on the lead at all times and fix an address tag to his collar. If you have not already done so, you should register your dog in a pet register before the start of the journey. See the websites of the RSPCA (www.rspca.co.uk) or the Deutscher Tierschutzbund (www.tierschutzbund.de) for details on such registers. In order to be registered, the animal has to be marked by a tattoo or chip. This means that you increase the chance - at least within the country for which you register your dog - of quickly finding your pet again in an emergency.
  

Car trips with the dog Fressnapf's vets give the green light for longer car trips with the dog. If one abides by a few basic rules, most four-legged passengers will be enthusiastic or at least be more patient back seat drivers. (Photos may only be reproduced with permission and in connection with editorial text. High-resolution photos can be requested from the Fressnapf press office.)