"We would like to go on holiday in summer with our Rottweiler. What do we have to consider in general? Are there any special requirements to the feeding of our dog?"

Dogs are pack animals, and accordingly they would like to accompany their family everywhere, also in the vacation. With the appropriate precautions this is no problem at all and the common vacation can become a varied adventure.

When travelling abroad you should make sure that your Rottweiler is sufficiently vaccinated. You can ask your veterinarian or the respective national embassy which entry regulations apply in which country. Plan several months in advance in order to achieve sufficient vaccination protection. When travelling abroad, all vaccinations must be entered in the EU pet passport. Please do not forget to protect your companion from exotic parasites, especially in southern countries. Here, too, you can obtain suitable preparations from your veterinarian, usually for instilling in the neck or in tablet form. Only in this way can you protect your dog from dangerous "souvenirs" such as leishmaniasis or babesiosis.

To be on the safe side, you should take precautions in advance in case your dog gets "lost" on holiday and have him marked by the vet using a microchip. Chipping" is obligatory anyway when travelling abroad, but a microchip can also help to bring your dog back to you if it has been registered with an animal centre (e.g. TASSO).

Even before you start your journey, you can find out where the nearest veterinarian can be found in your holiday resort and where you can turn in an emergency. If your dog suffers from a chronic illness, remember to take sufficient medication with you. Make a note of the telephone number of your veterinarian so that you can contact him if you have any questions about your holiday destination. In this case, avoid long journeys to distant destinations. You may also consider having your sick dog looked after by a trusted person in your home town to spare him the stress of travelling.

When driving for long periods of time, remember to take sufficient breaks every one to two hours and then give him enough to drink. It is best to take a bottle of tap water and a small bowl from home with you. However, the dog should not be fed, as this unnecessarily strains the gastrointestinal tract. If the dog is to fly in the plane, a dog-friendly airline should be chosen. Otherwise it can happen that dog boxes are transported in an unheated cargo space between the luggage and no supply is possible during the flight. If your Rottweiler suffers from severe travel sickness while driving or from fear of leaving during air transport, various medications for calming down are available from the vet.

With all the new and exciting things on your holiday, you should offer your Rottweiler something familiar and take his accustomed blanket and some toys, including his chewed retrieving rope or his beloved old ball with him. In the same way, a holiday ration of the previously fed food should be taken with you on your travels, even if this makes up a not inconsiderable part of the luggage, especially for large dogs. It is not advisable to buy dog food directly at the holiday destination in order to save space in the trunk or flight luggage. On the one hand, you cannot be sure to find a food for your dog that meets your needs on the spot. On the other hand, a sudden change of food, especially during holiday stress, strains the dog's intestines and can damage the sensitive intestinal flora. The unpleasant consequences are diarrhoea and abdominal pain. Therefore, it is better to take a holiday ration of the usual food from home. Especially if the holiday is to take place in a climatically changed region, be it a hot beach holiday in the south or a strenuous mountain tour, it is particularly important that the food is easily digestible and optimally covers the need for all nutrients. If necessary, the change to a new dog food should take place a few weeks before the beginning of the holiday, so that the organism can adapt to the changed composition and is optimally prepared for the holiday. Then the journey becomes an unforgettable experience for dog and family.