With nationwide travel heightened Labor Day weekend, the Food and Drug Administration explained Friday how to best hit the road with pets.
Whether traveling by plane or car, the FDA provided specific guidelines on the best practices of traveling with animals.
The FDA recommended that prior to going on a trip, a veterinarian should provide the pet owner with a health certificate, any vaccines or blood work for the animal and a microchip implemented for identification.
When traveling by car, the FDA said to only leave pets in the car for a few minutes, especially with hot temperatures in many areas this weekend.
Health officials also recommended that pets be secured while in vehicles to avoid any potential car accidents on the road.
The FDA said some pets will experience motion sickness, so best to not feed a pet a large meal before travel and open windows to allow fresh air circulation.
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When traveling by air, the FDA recommended that pet owners do research on how each airline allows for animals on board the plane, as each has different requirements.
For international travel or to Hawaii, many countries will require that pet owners provide documentation of the animal to the embassy in order to enter, according to the FDA.
Whether by air or car, health officials said recommended that pets do not take a sedative medication as this lessens their ability to react to the environment, which can be dangerous in an emergency situation.
