Any advice on a van trip Adelaide to Darwin with small dog

neverhome · Newbie

Any advice on a van trip Adelaide to Darwin with small dog

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

No National Parks permitted which eliminates most of the top places to visit.
Ticks and crocs in the north are a major risk to dogs.

Cheers,
Peter

Aus-Kiwi · Guru

If you love your dog ? It's a tough decision .. Best and glade we did is to leave the dog with family . Yes easy for me to say .

neverhome · Newbie

Can you get dogs immunised against tics? Crocs will not be a problem as we only walk her on a lead and have no intentions of going anywhere where a croc may be thanks

neverhome · Newbie

May I ask why you did not want to take your dog please. We have no children with us.

hako · Guru

Welcome to the forum.....re your trip with the dog I reckon you'll have no problems. You don't say if free camping or caravan parks but I'd presume a mix of both. You'll find most parks will accept dogs especially if they are the only park in town, otherwise they lose your custom. From what we've seen, about 20% of travellers have dogs. Your dog will love the trip with all the new smells etc...be careful of your dog eaqting any carrion which may have been poisoned. You will have a great trip I am sure.

Good Luck.

wendyv · Guru

For ticks, there is a fairly new product called Nexguard - a monthly pill - that gives some protection from ticks. I think it is cattle ticks that are the issue in the outback rather than the paralysis ticks of the east coast. In the latter areas, I also have our dog weat a KilTix collar, as well as the Nexguard use. Before Nexguard was available used a cream - Advantix - applied to dog's shoulder area; this needed to be started a month before needed.

Watch out for areas where 1080 baits are laid - there are signs posted. But birds can carry baits quite a way. If in doubt about your dog scavenging, use a muzzle when in bush areas.

If it is a very small dog, just stay alert for big wedge tail eagles - they have been known to take very small dogs!

macka17 · Guru

Have a short haired dog. Tablet every month give it plenty of shade, and access to cold not warm water.

We take two cats but basically the same thing.
I've taken proper dogs too.

I bought a 1 mtr sq by 1.2mtr long galv collapsable cage with tray for floor.
Have that outside van under roll out and a towel or cover over half the top. sides and rear for shade .privacy.

Also had a rope between the roll out legs. with 6?ft lead on loop/ring to a collar/harness.

They get full length of roll out with 6ft? ranging either side of .
Plenty of room to play while still under control.

if it gets in ANY scrub. Check over every inch Neck under arms but t end.

A female tick will kill a dropkick size in coupla days.

Female small brownish . Male Grey Leathery and 3 times size

Look on net or in any vet's. they'll have piccy'.

If you do think it may have one. Lethaargic. sleepy, chucky.

Give dog a bath/hose down. It's easier to see actual skin and anything on it when wet.

IF there is a tick. Do NOT try to pull off or try to prise off with anything.

A cigarette is best. touch it on tick. It's reaction makes it release the injecting fangs and drop off.

Any other way. You'll NORMALLY leave the head behind.

WHICH HAS THE FANGS AND POISON IN IT. Still pumping.

I lived in Townsville and Darwin for a few yrs. We normally pulled a coupla ticks off my dog DAILY....
Mastiff/Terrier.
Smooth short white hair. Easy to see.

Also give strong worm (including heart worm) treatment too.
I've lost both a cat and a dog with Heartworm over the yrs.

If you going up there. Buy a small pack of fags, or borrow a few from mate.
and keep them along with lighter. handy.

Crocs love 'em. Dogs.
They like a mars bar to them. Perfect fully wrapped snack.

We always put a pig dog in there first if in strange area and had to cross any water.
Croc raced for dog. You shot croc. Mainly.

Sometimes doggy didn't make it.better him than you.
This is 20/40 odd yrs ago. Still happens today though.

-- Edited by macka17 on Tuesday 7th of June 2016 01:31:08 AM

goldfinger · Senior Member

Agreed with all the above positive posts for travelling with your 'dog person'....we find the reasons for taking are far more compelling than leaving our 'Pepe' at home..

Left Pt Lincoln January 2010 and our dog has been absolutely everywhere with us..including several trips across the Nullabor...

Travelling with a dog is only a problem if you allow it to be...plus take the sensible health/tick precautions above...

He's our first warning someone coming near our van when free camping...couple of barks and stops after he has warned us...

Dogs soon get into your routine and not theirs if you set boundaries..

Take your dog 'Neverhome'..you won't regret it and you will get a lot more exercise walking him/her...

If a Caravan Park does not want our dog..we don't want that caravan park..same with National Parks....plenty of State Forrests without restrictions..

A dog on a lead with its owner is rarely a problem....people not on leads we find much bigger problem.....I'll take my chances with a responsible dog owner any day.. W.A. Laverton trip 006.JPG

You tend to stop more for the dog and we rarely get tired driving by just "pushing on" like many...

Photo of Pepe on a Nullabor toilet stop....Hoo Roo

neverhome · Newbie

Thanks all for your help and advice. We did our big trip, our house princess became a bush dog. She loved it and travelled well. More walks than she ever gets and much more company from us. We did the tick fortnightly back of the neck treatment, watched out for any ticks anyway, as well as watching for crocs up north and eagles as well. She is a white Moodle and did not stay white, but a trip to a dog parlour in Broome changed her back. She was never off her lead but we were not taking any chances anyway. Back home last week, and she has instantly changed back into a house princess. We could not get into some National parks but that did not worry us. She was welcome at Monkey Mia which is a World Heritage site and that was the main one on our list -and that and the Whales at the Bight are so worth every cent!!

wendyv · Guru

So glad it went well for all of you.