U.K. has had a taste of winter weather in the last few days and I’ve had to get one of my dogs to the vets in the evening when snow was potentially due to fall again so of course I ensured I was prepared for as much as possible for our journey.
Our veterinary practise is Colne Valley in Colchester and we live outside of Harwich so it’s a 30 mins drive on a good day then add in work traffic and the chaos winter weather can cause – mainly due to people worrying about driving when there has been snow nearby, not because there’s any actual issue with the roads.
Heading to the vet and back could potentially have been longer than usual and having had some rubbish experiences previously travelling in winter I like to ensure I’m over prepared!!
Here’s an example of what I have with me with I take my dogs somewhere at a time when there may be ice or even snowfall. I hope it’s helpful for your own preparations. Most of the items in the lists I have in my van or work bag all the time so I don’t need to pack all of this for every journey but they are in the list as I have them with me!
What I take for me / Jon:
- Spare thick coat
- Gloves and hat
- Bottle of water or Ribena (!)
- Snacks! Being stuck for hours in traffic is NOT fun!
- Tissues
- Spare towel
- Blankets just in case
- Jump leads
- Window scraper for ice
- Spare shoes or boots for longer journeys
- Phone charger / Battery pack
- Torch
- Heated body warmer and spare battery pack
- Leucillin spray (for people and dogs)
What I take for my Dogs:
- Spare collar, lead and harness – just in case
- Light up collars
- Equafleece / Jackets
- Blankets plus extra blankets!
- Towels (more than one)
- Travel bowl – non spill
- Spare water
- Treats or food that can be used as a meal
- Poo bags!!
- Travel Canine First Aid Kit
- Pet Remedy Spray in case of an accident
- Wet Wipes / Water Wipes for paws
A good 15 + years ago I was working in the office at my previous job in Colchester – running enough the office was above my vets I have now! It started snowing in the afternoon but we weren’t allowed to leave early – I asked to go at 4pm instead of 5pm. I was also driving home my pregnant friend as we car shared back to Braintree (approx 45-50 mins drive) so I was a little tense about this too!
By the time we left work Colchester was gridlocked! There was snow starting to settle but as is often the case there will be people who aren’t confident drivers or have never driven in winter weather who panic or make unusual decisions and then it’s just chaos! It took us over an hour to get from on end of Colchester to the other, a journey that daily took us under 10 mins usually.
My dogs, Cassie and Taylor, were at home and had been at home since I left them at 8am so of course they were on my mind too!
That journey was awful! I’m confident driving with ice and snow but the roads were bad, traffic was bad and when we came to Bradwell on A120 near Braintree there is a steep slope up and down and there were various Lorries that had got stuck so no one could go anywhere! I ended up using a back road which was scary as there was no clue on where the edge of the road was and the start of the ditches around the fields!
After dropping Kate home I felt a little less tense and then slid around the roundabout on hidden ice! That was a moment I won’t forget! Narrowly missing a couple of cars!
I got home 6 hours after leaving work, at 11 pm. Exhausted, hungry and thirsty, aching from clutching the steering wheel to protect mother and baby and with two dogs who were patiently waiting for me at home!
Since then I have always had supplies in my vehicle and during winter I increase those supplies further. Thankfully I’ve not had another journey like that return from work since then but there’s been times when I’ve gone to training for evening classes and it’s snowed while in there and once I leave at 9pm ish I don’t know what the roads will be like.
I don’t travel when the weather is very bad, but if I need to take my pets to a vet then it needs doing and I’ll be sure to be prepared for as much as possible!
Link for some of the items I use are below including some links we have discounts especially for you!
No Fuss Fill – Gloves that you have to check out that are not only cosy but also practical when you have dogs too! I have three pairs!
Gloves
Pet Remedy – so useful for dogs during travel generally but even more so if there is a collision and your dog is shaken up. You might find it useful too!. Discount included in this code
Dickie Bags – excellent bags made to carry your bags of dog poop without emitting scent. Honestly we forget anything is in ours until we go to put another bag in on the next walk! If you’re stuck in your vehicle with bags of poo for a few hours you’ll be glad to have it shut away!
Poo Bags!
My Anxious Dog – if you have a dog who is anxious generally you may find Sarah’s website of interest. During travel and if there are issues sometimes even dogs who love the car can become worried so having ways to help them through can really make a difference.
Dog First Aid Kit – There are lots about, we recommend kits by Rachel Bean RVN. We also have Rachel teach our Canine First Aid sessions and have a link for her online Canine First Aid too.
Dog First Aid Kit
Smaller First Aid Kit
Canine First Aid Online Course
Leucillin Spray – the absolutely best spray for dogs and people! We use on scrapes, cuts, stings, sore skin, red patches, itchy ears – so much! It’s PH neutral so doesn’t sting and helps in so many ways! Great to help clean paws after a road walk where there may be grit down.
Spray
ID Tags – I use flat tags that don’t have the thin metal ring that breaks to ID tags are lost and the engraving doesn’t wear down either! I have spare tags so if we do go away my dogs’ collars have a list of phone numbers to get hold of us as the first line of our address doesn’t matter when we are several hours away from home!
ID Tags
Equafleece Jumpers – so many styles to suit all sizes, height and lengths of dogs! I use the tankie style with no legs for my small dogs to protect their bodies without any restrictions on their legs.
Equafleece
Check out our blogs on Winter Dog Walks and Fitness for Dogs in Winter too!
