Have Dog. Will Travel.

Here’s a topic near and dear to my heart. Tika, as I have briefly mentioned before, is our 6 1/2 year old chihuahua and miniature pinscher mix. Don’t ask me why, as a yachtie, I have a dog, but if it were up to me – I’d have a farm!

We’re so lucky to have her. The owners of the boat knew we had her before they even spoke to us. They also knew exactly how to sell us the job – by stating up front that Tika was to live on board permanently. SOLD!

Well, this past week, our very feisty little monster has been down in the dumps. She’s always been a very healthy (and tough) little girl. To see her lethargic and sad is to take a small part of me and stomp on it. Luckily, Dr. Bizzell, the vet from Nassau, was making his monthly rounds last week to the out islands of Eleuthera.

After a few tests and a 104.4 temperature, we figured she had just gotten into something she shouldn’t have. She’s extremely curious. An anti-inflammatory shot and two antibiotic boosters – her temperature went back to normal within a day, but she still wasn’t right.

The other morning we noticed a lump on her right side. We’re pretty sure its a broken rib from getting scissor-chopped when she snaked between my legs while running. It explains the lack of desire to walk and favoring sleep on her left side instead of “dog log” position. If this is the case, she’ll be just fine, but she’s going on three days without proper eating, so I took her off the antibiotics. She’s small enough as is. Poor girl. 😦

When traveling with pets aboard, always know the whereabouts of the nearest vet. I’ve lost countless nights sleep worrying and checking on her. You never know what’ll get your four legged fuzz ball of love sick.

I have tendencies to over pack for Miss Tika, but with good reason. If you plan on being on an “out island” like we are for an extended period of time, you should probably bring a doggy med kit. The Human Society as well as DogHealth.com both have really good examples of what to pack. Traveling by yacht, we carry proper offshore medical kits, so I do not pack any first aid items in her bag.

Dog specific items I usually carry onboard:

Canned wet food

Doggy aspirin

Dog vitamins

A regular digital thermometer (for her only!) (It goes in her butt) and non petroleum lubricant

Styptic powder such as Kwik Stop for bleeding

Her typical flea, tick, and heart worm preventions

Burts Beeswax calming dog shampoo

Safety – life jacket, extra harness, and an extra leash

All paperwork – updated copies of her shots, last travel health certificate, and a copy of her permit for whatever foreign country we’re in

If she’s not better by tomorrow, I’ll be taking her to a proper vet hospital upon arrival in the US. It’s better safe than sorry. Wish us luck!