Should we take our 2.5 month old, 2 lbs, puppy with us on vacation? (terrier, kennel)
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Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
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Originally Posted by justnice
We bought him from a pet store, and he's going in for his shots this week. My husband is going on a business/training trip and we're all going with him. We will be driving to TN. The puppy is already bonded with all of us, and I don't have/want anyone else taking care of him while we're gone. He sleeps most of the day, the last two nights he slept almost through the whole night. He's also very good with the crate training and either uses the training pads or we take him outside. We still have two weeks till we leave. Thank you all for your responses, you all had really good points to consider.
OK, based on that additional information and the fact that you obviously cannot postpone the trip, then I say take the pupper with you. Just make sure that you don't leave him alone for more time than he can hold his pee and poop for and, when he is left alone, that it's not too warm for him.
It is irresponsibe to take the puppy with you on such a long trip.
I want you to ask yourself this important question, if the puppy causes you a heap of frustration, discomfort and heartache on that trip, will you always be remembering that it was your bone head decission to take it with you or will you somehow feel a bit pissed at the puppy for the problems?
Your placing the puppy in a situation where at its age, it should not be. Justify all you like but this is just wrong!
To the OP: I just have to ask, f you weren't going to take the advice, why did you ask the question?
One set of vaccines does not protect a puppy from parvo. It is very dangerous for a dog this young to be exposed to public places. Every rest stop is potentially lethal to this puppy. At least please discuss this with your vet and understand the risks. (PARVO)
If the puppy contracts parvo via a sniff where another dog has been, and if it survives long enough to get it to a vet, do you realize how much a vet bill to treat this would be? $$$$$$ What will your kids say if the dog gets sick and dies?
And please do not leave this dog in a hot car, even for a minute...
We bought him from a pet store, and he's going in for his shots this week. My husband is going on a business/training trip and we're all going with him. We will be driving to TN. The puppy is already bonded with all of us, and I don't have/want anyone else taking care of him while we're gone. He sleeps most of the day, the last two nights he slept almost through the whole night. He's also very good with the crate training and either uses the training pads or we take him outside. We still have two weeks till we leave. Thank you all for your responses, you all had really good points to consider.
Oh boy. First off, he's only getting ONE set of shots this week. Puppies that young are still in major danger of catching parvovirus. Parvo is basically 100% FATAL in such young, small dogs. Parvo is crazy hard to get rid off from surfaces (a puppy could still catch parvo from, say, a carpet an affected dog peed on 4 months ago). Parvo is no joke and scary as hell to deal with. Someone around my neighborhood used to take their 4-6 month old pit bull puppy to play at the local dog beach but hadn't been around in a while. Found out recently that the pup contacted parvo and nearly died (I don't want to think about how many other dogs at the beach that pup may have infected, but I know that we're not taking our dog there until we're sure her vacs are working). I did some google search afterwards and read how treatment for an affected dogs can cost over $1000 and still not guarantee that the dog will live. To reiterate: parvo is a ghastly disease and so easy for small puppies to catch.
The fact that you got this puppy from a pet store worries me even more. If you're pup is 2.5 months old and only 2lbs, I'm going to take a stab in the dark and guess it's a yorkie, chihuahua, toy poodle, a Pomeranian, or some mix of the above. Toy breed pups, especially breeds like yorkies and chihuahuas, are very prone to certain diseases and pet store pups even more so. If this pup is a yorkie, PLEASE study up on liver disease/shunts. The next few weeks are critical to check to see if you bought a pet store lemon (so, so so common) and if your pup gets sick on the road, it could die before you reach the next vet. I'll repeat, postpone this trip, or rather, just let your husband go do his thing and you stay home with the puppy. I think the risks are too high for a puppy this small and young.
I'll be perfectly blunt: buying a puppy from a pet store weeks before a major trip wasn't the smartest idea. You couldn't have bought this pup AFTER your trip? It's right up there with buying a puppy on Christmas eve. The first few weeks you have this puppy will shape his life forever and it's typically recommended that those weeks be as calm and typical as possible so the pup can get used to your routine and lifestyle. You'll have, what, a month with this pup before you go on this trip? Even if the pup has bonded with you, a month isn't long enough to learn his quirks and work through them, to properly socialize him and jump start his training. You could end up with a dog deficient in certain areas because it spent some of its most formative learning time in a crate in the back seat of a car.
Sorry if I'm coming off too harsh, scary, or blabbing a lot. I just honestly don't think this is the best idea. You're taking a major and unnecessary risk here that may end badly for your pup if you're not careful. Hopefully it works out for you and I'm proven wrong.
We bought him from a pet store, and he's going in for his shots this week. My husband is going on a business/training trip and we're all going with him. We will be driving to TN. The puppy is already bonded with all of us, and I don't have/want anyone else taking care of him while we're gone. He sleeps most of the day, the last two nights he slept almost through the whole night. He's also very good with the crate training and either uses the training pads or we take him outside. We still have two weeks till we leave. Thank you all for your responses, you all had really good points to consider.
Sounds like you made up your mind regardless of him being fully vaccinated against Parvo and Distemper. You are taking a risk exposing him the elements and disease. Are you prepared for an emergency vet bill if your pup comes down w/ something?
Having bought a malti-poo male dog a while back from a pet store at a similar age and weight.... based on my experiences with the dog at that age I would much rather see if you can leave him with a friend/family member. Many pups at that age can get quite nervous and sick in new situations.... if he was 6 mo old...then I would say different....
Last year I adopted a puppy 13weeks from a high kill shelter In Texas. I am in California and had a friend in Texas pull the puppy before her date to be put down. She could not take it home as her dog does not like puppies so her vet boarded the puppy and a week later I was able to fly to Texas and fly home with her. I have no regrets about that week she boarded as everyone at that vets spoiled her rotten and even now a year later she thinks a vets office is Disneyland and loves when we go to the vets. As for it effecting her bonding to them verses me, well I do not think Chaos could be any more bonded to me then she is. I do also think that having so many different people giving her attention at such a young age socialized her in a great way as she loves everyone she meets and wants to meet everyone she sees.
I have to agree with others I would not take such a young puppy on a long trip as Parvo and distemper are real threats and I am sure that Heartworm in many places in the country at this time of year is a big risk too.
First of all, a 10 week old dog at that small size - should probably still be with his Mother and littermates (unless he came from a puppy mill) However, since that ship has sailed . . .
You are going to have to exercise extreme caution no matter what you do. A dog that young and that size needs lots of rest and lots of opportunities to use the bathroom. He is not fully vacinnated. He can dehydrate very quickly at that age and small size. His blood sugar may not be stabilized if he does not get regular meals. He should not be left alone in a strange hotel room for any length of time.
There is no good answer. I wouldn't want my little 10 week old pupster in a cage for how many days? Can't remember.
I would try and find a trusted family member to keep him - either at my house or their house. One with no other animals since yours is not fully vaccinated. Ideally would be someone that is retired or home all day that can keep an eye on your young pup. Lots can go wrong at this age/size.
When I had two puppies who were about five months old, I went to board them for a family visit, and the kennel told me they recommended not boarding any pup before at least six months, even if they'd had their shots- that their immune systems are still too fragile to be in the setting. They also said that less-concerned operators would board the pups, but that this kennel thought it was a bad idea.
I ended up canceling my trip and incurred my sister's wrath for some time, but she's easily incurred!
I'd only take a young pup like that if traveling in an RV and having a vacation plan that didn't include leaving the pup alone in the RV for hours, etc.
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. As for it effecting her bonding to them verses me, well I do not think Chaos could be any more bonded to me then she is. I do also think that having so many different people giving her attention at such a young age socialized her in a great way as she loves everyone she meets and wants to meet everyone she sees. 
