SOULMATES offers the unique service of escorting your animal by plane (in the cabin), or by car if needed, to any destination you require.

Planning and preparation are necessary when traveling with family pets. Consider whether your animal is comfortable when traveling. Some animals, like some people, function better in familiar surroundings. A car-sick animal can make a trip miserable for everyone. Some ill or physically impaired dogs and cats cannot withstand the rigors of travel. If this is the case, discuss options such as using SOULMATES or a clean, well-managed boarding facility with your veterinarian. SOULMATES can help with your vet consultations.

A few general tips apply whether you travel by car or plane. Be sure your animal is properly identified with a current tag or a microchip. Grooming (bathing, combing, trimming nails) before a trip, plus having its favorite food, toy(s), and dishes available will make her or him more comfortable. Have both proof of rabies vaccination and a current health certificate when crossing state or international borders.

Before undertaking any trip, consult your veterinarian to be sure that all required vaccinations are up-to-date and to receive a health certificate within ten days of travel.

• When traveling by car, we pack a simple pet first-aid kit that includes assorted bandages, antiseptic cream, an antidiarrheal medication that is safe for pets, gauze squares, and the phone numbers of your veterinarian, a national poison control hotline, and a 24-hour emergency veterinary hospital.

• In addition to a standard identification tag (which should be labeled with your name, home address and phone number), your pet's collar should include a travel tag with information on where you are staying while away from home. Should your pet become lost, this will allow you to be contacted locally.

• SOULMATES also performs a daily "health check" on your animal while away from home. In unfamiliar surroundings, your animal's appetite, energy, and disposition may change. We look for unusual discharges from the nose and eyes, excessive scratching or biting of any body part, unusual lumps, limping, loss of appetite, abnormal elimination, or excessive water consumption. SOULMATES will visit a local veterinarian if we are concerned about any physical or behavioral changes.