What If Your Dog’s Allergies Trigger While You Are Traveling?

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Are your dog’s allergies threatening to derail your epic road trip? What should you do? Luckily, there are ways to manage her reaction so she doesn’t ruin your vacation.

Does your dog have travel allergies?  Here's how to help you.  Itchy Shiba Inu in Bed

When you go on a trip, you probably won’t think much about your dog’s allergies. But once you’ve spent a few sleepless nights listening to your pooch scratching, his condition will likely jump to the top of your priority list!

If your pup has lived his entire life in a climate, you might not even know he has environmental allergies. For example, a desert dog may never have encountered sprouting grass. Or your pup living by the lake may not have experienced the dust common in the desert.

While traveling around the United States, we were surprised to find that our dog, Buster, was allergic to something (or everything!) in the Pacific Northwest. I hope our experience will help you.

Dog has allergies - Buster in T-shirt

Find out about your dog’s allergies

It may have been a particular plant that thrived in the Northwest. Or maybe a mold or fungus that thrived in that rainy, humid environment that irritated Buster. Whatever the cause, allergies have seriously taken hold under Buster’s skin. And soon we were all irritated.

The poor boy scratched himself raw. And, if you’ve ever had a dog with allergies, you know Buster being miserable was enough to drive us all crazy.

Luckily, wearing his Thundershirt (Amazon) during the day and a long-sleeved t-shirt at night kept Buster from hurting himself. Slowly, the big red stripes disappeared. But that didn’t solve the underlying problem.

Ty and Buster at America's Deepest Lake

So we called Buster’s vet. Based on our description, he agreed allergies were likely the culprit and suggested over-the-counter allergy medication. Buster took it for a few days, but we saw no improvement.

What the heck, we haven’t done the emergency animal hospital thing in a while… who wants to go to the vet?!

LEARN MORE ⇒ What you need to know about emergency vets (before you need them)

Buster the German Shepherd lying on the floor in the veterinary clinic

Looking for allergy relief on the go

Maybe Buster was in desperate need of some relief. Or maybe he just forgot what the word “veterinarian” means. Either way, he was ready to go…immediately!

Ty and Buster in RAV4

See an emergency veterinarian

At the hospital, Buster was super nice – even more than his usual carefree. I suspect he was manipulating the other pet owners in the waiting room to scratch under his Thundershirt where he couldn’t reach. He wasn’t above using people.

Dog has allergies - Buster sleeping at the vet in Thundershirt

The doctor was great and agreed that Buster probably suffered from environmental allergies. She prescribed a week-long course of steroids to help relieve the itching. And we have an oatmeal shampoo to soothe his inflamed skin.

She also suggested another over-the-counter antihistamine to see if it gave her better results. The vet warned us that until we knew how drowsy the allergy meds would make him, Buster shouldn’t be driving the RV.

As soon as we got back to camp, Buster took a bath with his new shampoo – which he loved!

Buster takes a bath

Allergy treatment results

The new medicine and shampoo did the trick for Buster! The itching disappeared quickly. And believe me, he wasn’t the only one feeling relieved!

Be prepared in case your dog has allergies

Do you plan to be a full time nomad with your pets? Taking your dog on an epic road trip? Or simply planning a vacation somewhere different from your dog’s usual home? Learn from our experience with Buster and be prepared in case the environment triggers your dog’s allergies.

Before you leave

You might not think to contact your veterinarian until after two weeks of vacation. But I hope our history shows that it is a good idea!

Be sure to ask your veterinarian which allergy medications (and other over-the-counter medications) are safe to give your dog. And write down the appropriate dosages.

Once you have the information, add these medications to your travel first aid kit. Use a piece of tape and a pen to put your dog’s dose on the bottle so you don’t have to search for the information when you need it.

And don’t forget to pack a good anti-itch shampoo in your dog’s travel bag. It might be difficult to buy on the road if you are camping in a remote area.

Note: It may take two weeks or more for some medications to have an effect on skin allergies. It is therefore normal not to notice an immediate improvement.

LEARN MORE ⇒ How to make a pet first aid kit for your car

Does your dog have allergies?  Man holding a pill with a dog in the background.

Additional Things You Can Do to Relieve Your Dog’s Allergies

There are some things you can do while traveling to reduce the risk of your dog’s allergies kicking in at a new vacation spot.

  • Use a damp paper towel or wet wipes to remove pollen from your dog’s feet, paws, and belly after each outing.
  • If your dog shows mild signs of an allergic reaction, use a Lunatec (Amazon) pressurized spray bottle to rinse him off after walking through vegetation.
  • Consider bathing your dog when you return from longer walks or hikes that may have exposed him to allergens.
  • Find vets in your travel area on GoPetFriendly.com and bookmark them on your phone in case you need them.

Checking your dog after hikes is also a great opportunity to check for ticks, foxtails, or small wounds.

LEARN MORE ⇒ Obtain veterinary care when traveling with pets

Rinse after a hike if your dog has allergies - Dog biting the water jet

All of this may seem like overkill if your pup has never had allergies. But trust me, no one will rest if your dog’s allergies kick in!

Unfortunately for Buster, his people were a bit slow to catch on. We hope your dog can benefit from our experience!

Visit our Amazon store to learn more about the products we rely on to make traveling with pets easier, safer and more fun!

Amazon Affiliate Disclosure: GoPetFriendly.com LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide website owners with a means to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, audible.com and any other websites that may be affiliated with the Amazon Service LLC Associates program. As an Amazon Associate, the owner of this site earns a commission on qualifying purchases.

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