08/20/2019
10 Tips to decrease moving stress for your four-legged family members
1) Stay calm yourself!
Our pets easily pick-up on our emotions, so by staying as calm as possible you will decrease your pets worry.
2) Talk to your veterinarian about ways to manage anxiety! There are many options such as medications/supplements (for anxiety and car-sickness), prescription diets, calming pheromones, and Thunder shirts.
3) Desensitize in advance!
If your dog or cat is fearful of kennels or vehicle rides, leave the kennels out, and start feeding them in their kennel or parked vehicle before the move. Take them on some short rides. Visit your new neighborhood and walk your dog around; you and your dog might even make some new friends.
4) Continue regular daily routines!
Try to keep daily routines with feeding time, walks, cuddles, and bedtime as regular as possible.
5) Deep clean your new house!
Our pet’s sense of smell is much more powerful than ours. They can easily pick up on prior pet resident odors and their stress, leading to unwanted marking behaviors.
6) Pet proof!
Make sure there are no places your pet may hide and get trapped; check windows/screens, remove poisonous plants and pest-control traps, and look for cords and other chew dangers.
7) Set up a safe zone!
Set-up one room for all your pet’s belongings that will be minimally disturbed during the packing and unpacking process. Hang a sign on the door as a reminder to avoid disrupting.
8) Pack you pets belongings last and unpack them first! Keep their kennels, beds/blankets (unwashed with the scent of their old home), bowls, food/treats, litter boxes/potty pads, and toys close at hand.
9) Take them somewhere else on moving day!
Bring them to a friend of family member’s house so there is less risk for accidental escape and less stress from all the commotion. As a precaution, make sure they have a collar with ID tags (consider also adding a GPS tracking device) and are microchipped (in case the collar falls off, remember to update your address).
10) Gradually introduce them to the new home!
Let them explore on their own terms, and slowly expand their access to other rooms by keeping some doors shut.
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https://stephaniesellssacramento.cbintouch.com
