If your dog eats dry kibble, you can load up a bag and go to the moon with him- no problem. If your dog eats canned food, well, just ship those cans forward to your hotel in Belize, and you’ve got dinner. For most national brands, when traveling nationally, you can simply buy them at your destination. But what about the picky eaters, the eaters of home cooked food, the dogs who need it hot out of a pot, the dogs who think kibble’s just a little pile of rocks? And what do you do when puppy’s tummy growls and Shanghai’s version of Alpo scares you?
Well, may I ask, where do you eat when you travel? If you eat in a bistro, hamburger (no bun) and the veggie of the day (no corn) will work. Cut and mash to get a good texture. If you eat in a fancy restaurant, order a little bit extra so pup can have a really good doggie bag. If you eat street food… well… have mercy and order your dog something better as take out from a restaurant. No greasy street meats for traveling canines, unless you want to ruin the trip for everybody. (Your choice.) And if your furry friend gets Delhi-belly, go to a real diner counter where they cook for you and order plain cooked hamburger and rice and mix them carefully.
Peruse the hotel and restaurant “childrens menus” for small dogs. Children like bland food that is not highly seasoned or sauced. So do dogs. Children’s chicken and rice makes a great meal for a small dog and you can be fairly confident that the ingredients are carefully selected.
Sometimes sympathetic restaurateurs will offer your dog leftovers from people’s plates free of charge. It’s a kind and money-saving gesture, but if you wouldn’t eat food off the plates of strangers, perhaps your dog doesn’t want to either.
Between destinations in developed countries, take advantage of the toddler foods you can buy in supermarkets. Gerber Graduates “meat sticks” are one of Raja’s favorite travel snacks and the Gerber toddler beef and chicken stews were his main meals in Chile.
I don’t know what or how others feed their dogs, but at home Raja eats a pretty healthy, lean and saltless home cook (see recipes tab) and the timings and quantities are pretty consistent. But he’s not all that much a creature of habit. When he’s on the road, like his family, he enjoys and accepts changes in routine. It’s not a big problem because, in a week or so, he’s back home eating the good stuff. The travel trick is to keep it simple, low salt, low spice, low grease and balance the meat, veggies and starches.
International foods any dog would like: Puerto Rican Asopao de Pollo, French left bank shish kebab and couscous (OK it’s Algerian French); Italian anything; Swissrösti mixed with a little beef or chicken, Moroccan lamb tangine with squash.
Always take a travel supply of tummy meds from your vet, just in case. If you run out, you may use children’s Pepto Bismol and children’s Imodium to calm an overactive digestive system. Let’s hope you don’t need them. Forget them in your luggage, and, yes, you will.
(Still working on Mexico and seeing how Raja feels about mole poblano.)
Well, may I ask, where do you eat when you travel? If you eat in a bistro, hamburger (no bun) and the veggie of the day (no corn) will work. Cut and mash to get a good texture. If you eat in a fancy restaurant, order a little bit extra so pup can have a really good doggie bag. If you eat street food… well… have mercy and order your dog something better as take out from a restaurant. No greasy street meats for traveling canines, unless you want to ruin the trip for everybody. (Your choice.) And if your furry friend gets Delhi-belly, go to a real diner counter where they cook for you and order plain cooked hamburger and rice and mix them carefully.
Peruse the hotel and restaurant “childrens menus” for small dogs. Children like bland food that is not highly seasoned or sauced. So do dogs. Children’s chicken and rice makes a great meal for a small dog and you can be fairly confident that the ingredients are carefully selected.
Sometimes sympathetic restaurateurs will offer your dog leftovers from people’s plates free of charge. It’s a kind and money-saving gesture, but if you wouldn’t eat food off the plates of strangers, perhaps your dog doesn’t want to either.
Between destinations in developed countries, take advantage of the toddler foods you can buy in supermarkets. Gerber Graduates “meat sticks” are one of Raja’s favorite travel snacks and the Gerber toddler beef and chicken stews were his main meals in Chile.
I don’t know what or how others feed their dogs, but at home Raja eats a pretty healthy, lean and saltless home cook (see recipes tab) and the timings and quantities are pretty consistent. But he’s not all that much a creature of habit. When he’s on the road, like his family, he enjoys and accepts changes in routine. It’s not a big problem because, in a week or so, he’s back home eating the good stuff. The travel trick is to keep it simple, low salt, low spice, low grease and balance the meat, veggies and starches.
International foods any dog would like: Puerto Rican Asopao de Pollo, French left bank shish kebab and couscous (OK it’s Algerian French); Italian anything; Swissrösti mixed with a little beef or chicken, Moroccan lamb tangine with squash.
Always take a travel supply of tummy meds from your vet, just in case. If you run out, you may use children’s Pepto Bismol and children’s Imodium to calm an overactive digestive system. Let’s hope you don’t need them. Forget them in your luggage, and, yes, you will.
(Still working on Mexico and seeing how Raja feels about mole poblano.)
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