Owning a dog while in vet school?

[pinkpuppy9]

Not to bury tori's question, but now that this thread is bumped, I have a few of my own.

I'm waiting to hear from my IS, Illinois (6 hours), and UF (16/18 hours, or two planes). I will miss my dog dearly, but won't bring her with me. I can't feel good leaving her in a kennel all day. However, I want to bring my cat and rabbit. It's not leaving them at home that I'm worried about....it's the traveling. If I got into UF, I'm looking at flying home for Christmas (I'd likely do the drive for summer break). Can anyone tell me how they've handled flying with pets? Have you had them as carry-ons, or had them stowed? I've seen one dog put into the underbelly of a plane, and I have never in my life seen an animal so scared before. I'd like to avoid that.

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[k80rigs]

Not to bury tori's question, but now that this thread is bumped, I have a few of my own.

I'm waiting to hear from my IS, Illinois (6 hours), and UF (16/18 hours, or two planes). I will miss my dog dearly, but won't bring her with me. I can't feel good leaving her in a kennel all day. However, I want to bring my cat and rabbit. It's not leaving them at home that I'm worried about....it's the traveling. If I got into UF, I'm looking at flying home for Christmas (I'd likely do the drive for summer break). Can anyone tell me how they've handled flying with pets? Have you had them as carry-ons, or had them stowed? I've seen one dog put into the underbelly of a plane, and I have never in my life seen an animal so scared before. I'd like to avoid that.

Carry-on, my dog is small enough. All I can say is acepromazine is a wonderful thing.

 

[deleted498041]

My dog flies in the cabin. I would never let her fly in cargo. I wouldn't give ace on a plane, as a matter of fact you should never admit to giving it because some airlines won't let you on. Alprazolam is said to be a better choice for travel anxiety. I've never given my dog anything to travel; Piper just sleeps the whole way.

 

[jmo1012]

Not to bury tori's question, but now that this thread is bumped, I have a few of my own.

I'm waiting to hear from my IS, Illinois (6 hours), and UF (16/18 hours, or two planes). I will miss my dog dearly, but won't bring her with me. I can't feel good leaving her in a kennel all day. However, I want to bring my cat and rabbit. It's not leaving them at home that I'm worried about....it's the traveling. If I got into UF, I'm looking at flying home for Christmas (I'd likely do the drive for summer break). Can anyone tell me how they've handled flying with pets? Have you had them as carry-ons, or had them stowed? I've seen one dog put into the underbelly of a plane, and I have never in my life seen an animal so scared before. I'd like to avoid that.

i would not fly the rabbit. its unusual for airlines to even allow them on board, but the amount of stress you'd be putting a fragile animal through is inhumane. you can definitely fly the cat in the cabin, its usually expensive though (AA was $125 each way). there are of course other ways around that, but i'm not opening that can of worms...

 

[jmo1012]

Carry-on, my dog is small enough. All I can say is acepromazine is a wonderful thing.

i wonder if you'll feel differently about acepromazine after you get through a few years of school. i liked it a lot more before i really understood the physiology and side effects of the drug.

 

[DVMDream]

I flew with my cat in the cabin. She did fine. Didn't give her any sedatives. She didn't care much for the first landing, but after that she kind of calmed down and just laid in the carrier.

 

[k80rigs]

i wonder if you'll feel differently about acepromazine after you get through a few years of school. i liked it a lot more before i really understood the physiology and side effects of the drug.

Too bad it's so cheap...all my vets choose it because its inexpensive and easy to administer. Does the trick for me!

 

[pinkpuppy9]

i would not fly the rabbit. its unusual for airlines to even allow them on board, but the amount of stress you'd be putting a fragile animal through is inhumane. you can definitely fly the cat in the cabin, its usually expensive though (AA was $125 each way). there are of course other ways around that, but i'm not opening that can of worms...

You think flying a cat is more humane, then? Frankly, it'd be awful for any of my animals, but based on the fact that my rabbit has done a 19 hour drive before and did fabulously, he'd be the best candidate. I think my cat would poop himself and cry the whole time. However, my rabbit will need to come with me regardless of how he gets down there. My parents aren't willing to deal with spot cleaning him on a daily basis and I know they'd never give him his floor time.

Either way, if I couldn't take them as carry-ons, I wouldn't do it at all.

 

[jmo1012]

You think flying a cat is more humane, then? Frankly, it'd be awful for any of my animals, but based on the fact that my rabbit has done a 19 hour drive before and did fabulously, he'd be the best candidate. I think my cat would poop himself and cry the whole time. However, my rabbit will need to come with me regardless of how he gets down there. My parents aren't willing to deal with spot cleaning him on a daily basis and I know they'd never give him his floor time.

Either way, if I couldn't take them as carry-ons, I wouldn't do it at all.

dont come crying if your rabbit panics, stops eating and dies from serious ileus complications. cars and planes are pretty darn different. theres a lot more we can do for a stressed cat, and on a scale of hardiness, that cat is much more hardy than a rabbit. i would NEVER fly my guinea pig for that reason. did my dogs like flying? not really, but they trusted me to keep them safe and to get them through it.

 

[deleted498041]

You think flying a cat is more humane, then? Frankly, it'd be awful for any of my animals, but based on the fact that my rabbit has done a 19 hour drive before and did fabulously, he'd be the best candidate. I think my cat would poop himself and cry the whole time. However, my rabbit will need to come with me regardless of how he gets down there. My parents aren't willing to deal with spot cleaning him on a daily basis and I know they'd never give him his floor time.

Either way, if I couldn't take them as carry-ons, I wouldn't do it at all.

The problem is that a lot more can go wrong with rabbits if they do get anxious or have a panic attack. Not to mention, rabbits are much more likely to be stressed out by an event like this just speaking from a physiological standpoint. My grandfather used to hunt rabbits and he loved it because whether he hit them or not, he got to bring some home.

It's not necessarily that your cat would handle a flight better than your rabbit. It's that your cat may poop itself and cry, but your rabbit could get ileus and die.

 

[deleted498041]

Too bad it's so cheap...all my vets choose it because its inexpensive and easy to administer. Does the trick for me!

It can cause pretty severe respiratory depression which is a problem given the pressurized nature of the cabin.

 

[pinkpuppy9]

dont come crying if your rabbit panics, stops eating and dies from serious ileus complications. cars and planes are pretty darn different. theres a lot more we can do for a stressed cat, and on a scale of hardiness, that cat is much more hardy than a rabbit. i would NEVER fly my guinea pig for that reason. did my dogs like flying? not really, but they trusted me to keep them safe and to get them through it.

You're not wrong in that a rabbit is more sensitive. But 4 hours in a plane vs. a 19 hour drive? Mind you, my rabbit did not eat until the last 3 hours of that drive, and even then it was a cherry tomato. As soon as he was put into his new cage, he finally peed/pooped/chowed down. He was calm and alert the entire time, but wouldn't eat. So besides that, did fabulously. Now that I know he likely would not eat should I drive him, why would I risk that again? I know there are differences between a car and plane.

 

[DVMDream]

You're not wrong in that a rabbit is more sensitive. But 4 hours in a plane vs. a 19 hour drive? Mind you, my rabbit did not eat until the last 3 hours of that drive, and even then it was a cherry tomato. As soon as he was put into his new cage, he finally peed/pooped/chowed down. He was calm and alert the entire time, but wouldn't eat. So besides that, did fabulously. Now that I know he likely would not eat should I drive him, why would I risk that again? I know there are differences between a car and plane.

Remember it isn't just the plane ride when taking a plane. There is also the drive to the airport, the waiting in the airport, the security (you have to take pets out of their carriers when going through security and hold them in your arms), the amount of other people around, kids, loud noises, suitcases, traffic, etc, etc. My cat is really damn good on car rides (for a cat), she really didn't do as well with the plane. She didn't do badly, but it was obvious that she was stressed with what was going on and every noise was scary.

So, yes the shorter time in an airport and flying vs. the longer hours in a car could very well have different outcomes...

ETA: Not to mention that you are only allowed one pet carrier per person and that carrier can only have multiple pets of the same species in it and only up to 2 animals of the same species.

 

[pinkpuppy9]

Remember it isn't just the plane ride when taking a plane. There is also the drive to the airport, the waiting in the airport, the security (you have to take pets out of their carriers when going through security and hold them in your arms), the amount of other people around, kids, loud noises, suitcases, traffic, etc, etc. My cat is really damn good on car rides (for a cat), she really didn't do as well with the plane. She didn't do badly, but it was obvious that she was stressed with what was going on and every noise was scary.

So, yes the shorter time in an airport and flying vs. the longer hours in a car could very well have different outcomes...

My cat can't even cope with the 10 minute drive to the vet....

I'm just worrying that I will have that 18ish hour trip again. I'm obviously going to bring my car down so I could drive him, but like I said, flying home for the shorter breaks might be easiest. I just don't know if I could handle watching him not eat/drink/poop/pee for another 18 hours....he didn't show any other signs of stress, but he didn't have to. I had them covered myself haha. It got to the point that halfway through, we'd pull him out at rest stops and I'd literally massage his belly to get him to poop.

 

[Minnerbelle]

Why would you even need to fly all those animals back and forth for your breaks? Have someone house sit. There are enough vet students that can't afford to go home or stick around for other reasons, who can totally use the cash. That would be much kinder for your cat and rabbit...

Or do what I do. Date someone who you trust with your animals who is local. Free pet sitting with a person your pets already know

 

[Minnerbelle]

Roommates also work too

 

[DVMDream]

My cat can't even cope with the 10 minute drive to the vet....

I'm just worrying that I will have that 18ish hour trip again. I'm obviously going to bring my car down so I could drive him, but like I said, flying home for the shorter breaks might be easiest. I just don't know if I could handle watching him not eat/drink/poop/pee for another 18 hours....he didn't show any other signs of stress, but he didn't have to. I had them covered myself haha. It got to the point that halfway through, we'd pull him out at rest stops and I'd literally massage his belly to get him to poop.

Well, you asked what peoples' thoughts were... you got some answers. Seems like you just aren't happy with those answers, so not really sure what else to tell you...

 

[pinkpuppy9]

Well, you asked what peoples' thoughts were... you got some answers. Seems like you just aren't happy with those answers, so not really sure what else to tell you...

Well, I asked how people have handled flying with their pets. Not to be told that I'd be killing my rabbit if I did choose to fly him. I do appreciate the advice though. I guess it all depends on where I end up, so I shouldn't get too ahead of myself. After doing well for my UF interview, I was kinda like "Oh sh**, I better start thinking about this just in case."

 

[tori_luvs_dogz]

Hello, I wanted to bump this thread to ask whether anyone has experience turning a "country dog" into a "city dog". I was recently accepted to ISU CVM C/O 2019 and my brother (an undergraduate freshmen) and I just bought a home to live in right by the vet school. I want to bring my 7 year old collie to live with us, however he has lived on our farm his entire life. He is well-trained - I showed him in AKC conformation/obedience and 4H throughout high school, but since I have not lived at home since 2012, he has not left our farm to go to dog shows since then. Do you think it would it be unfair to bring him to Ames? Does anyone have experience with helping a dog adjust to living in town rather than the country?

Anyone have thoughts on my post from earlier?

 

[DVMDream]

Well, I asked how people have handled flying with their pets. Not to be told that I'd be killing my rabbit if I did choose to fly him. I do appreciate the advice though. I guess it all depends on where I end up, so I shouldn't get too ahead of myself. After doing well for my UF interview, I was kinda like "Oh sh**, I better start thinking about this just in case."

So, we shouldn't warn you of the distinct possibility that flying a rabbit could be very harmful to their health? Guess I figure people would rather hear about that before they make that decision rather than after and the rabbit has already died...

 

[deleted498041]

Well, I asked how people have handled flying with their pets. Not to be told that I'd be killing my rabbit if I did choose to fly him. I do appreciate the advice though. I guess it all depends on where I end up, so I shouldn't get too ahead of myself. After doing well for my UF interview, I was kinda like "Oh sh**, I better start thinking about this just in case."

You asked a bunch of vet and pre-vet students about flying your animals. I'd be shocked if people weren't warning you about the risk of your rabbit becoming ill or even dying. I'd probably be a little disappointed if no one mentioned it, honestly.

I fly with my dog across the country (CA-->FL) several times a year but in your case I would leave the rabbit in place and pay someone to watch it.

 

[pinkpuppy9]

So, we shouldn't warn you of the distinct possibility that flying a rabbit could be very harmful to their health? Guess I figure people would rather hear about that before they make that decision rather than after and the rabbit has already died...

I think you are all assuming that I'm not already aware of the risks. Being a prevet, why woudn't I already be aware? This isn't the first time I've owned an animal like this, either. Flying is a risk, and so is driving.

 

[JaynaAli]

Anyone have thoughts on my post from earlier?

I think the main thing you can do to help him adjust is regular exercise. If he's a farm dog used to roaming freely, abruptly being cooped up in the house 24/7 might not be an easy adjustment. But if you guys can make the commitment to take him on regular walks or trips to the dog park, that may help him transition.

 

[jmo1012]

Anyone have thoughts on my post from earlier?

Have a back up plan in case it doesn't work out. I've had a couple of farm dogs as patients this year and they hated being in the hospital (and yes I know that's very different from a home, but still) and I really doubt they would have tolerated being indoors well. Plan for lots of exercise. As in you are going to have to give up precious study time to exercise the dog, more than perhaps your classmates with indoor dogs would. He might really enjoy being a couch potato though so you never know until you try!

 

[HowIMetYourPet]

Anyone have thoughts on my post from earlier?

So I'm not in school yet, but I've thought about this too. I don't live in the country, but I show my dogs too (AKC conformation and occasional agility and two of them have to come with me). Now I have small dogs, so its easier, but they're used to a lot of room to run around in, and having free run of the house when someone's home, plus their own "dog room" where they have huge 4x6 xpens that they sleep in at night and when no one is there...plus our other dogs to keep them company. I think it all comes down to stimulation. I'm planning on making devoted time every night (both for my own mental health, and the dogs) to take them on a decent walk, and maybe do a little training, just to keep them mentally stimulated, and me relaxed. Now, since their small they don't have quite the physical needs a collie would, but they're still there. My biggest concern with a Collie would be the barking... if there's anything I've learned showing dogs, its that Collies are barkers (and not to set up grooming next to them, or you'll be covered in white powder ). If you're living in an apartment, will he/she bark at every noise she hears? Will you be able to give her the physical and mental stimulation she needs every day? Those are questions only you can answer.

 

[tori_luvs_dogz]

So I'm not in school yet, but I've thought about this too. I don't live in the country, but I show my dogs too (AKC conformation and occasional agility and two of them have to come with me). Now I have small dogs, so its easier, but they're used to a lot of room to run around in, and having free run of the house when someone's home, plus their own "dog room" where they have huge 4x6 xpens that they sleep in at night and when no one is there...plus our other dogs to keep them company. I think it all comes down to stimulation. I'm planning on making devoted time every night (both for my own mental health, and the dogs) to take them on a decent walk, and maybe do a little training, just to keep them mentally stimulated, and me relaxed. Now, since their small they don't have quite the physical needs a collie would, but they're still there. My biggest concern with a Collie would be the barking... if there's anything I've learned showing dogs, its that Collies are barkers (and not to set up grooming next to them, or you'll be covered in white powder ). If you're living in an apartment, will he/she bark at every noise she hears? Will you be able to give her the physical and mental stimulation she needs every day? Those are questions only you can answer.

.

Haha yes! Collies are quite the barkers! And having a white collie.. well white powder comes with the territory ... My brother and I will be living in a manufactured home near the vet school, so while it is not an apartment, it still isn't a farm. I think I have decided that I will have him live with me at my new place this summer and work with him to be quiet. I hope that with myself and my brother we would be able to take him on enough walks per day to keep him worn out. And I suppose if it doesn't work out, he can go live back at home with my parents.

 

[allykd]

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