Pets on the Road...

Spleenstomper wrote:
What breeds have any of you seen that are not allowed? I have a 100 pound Boxer/American Bulldog/Hound mix who is---- to other people UGLY. (I think he is gorgeous). My sister bought him a bandanna to wear that has lavender in it (they visited lavender farms while RVing two weeks ago) so now he has Flair and he smells good.

Vicious dogs don't usually wear flair. Lol. We have taken him camping before-- he LOVES it! He gets so excited when we pick the RV up from the storage unit.

Here he is with his flair (he has a weight problem we are trying to get under control. He probably should weight about 80. He is 2 years old).

We have two Boxers & never had any issues........ Many don't allow "bully breeds" Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, Dobs, etc. & mixes there of.....


BE SURE to take along your rabies cert. & immunization info.....

What breeds have any of you seen that are not allowed? I have a 100 pound Boxer/American Bulldog/Hound mix who is---- to other people UGLY. (I think he is gorgeous). My sister bought him a bandanna to wear that has lavender in it (they visited lavender farms while RVing two weeks ago) so now he has Flair and he smells good.

Vicious dogs don't usually wear flair. Lol. We have taken him camping before-- he LOVES it! He gets so excited when we pick the RV up from the storage unit.

Here he is with his flair (he has a weight problem we are trying to get under control. He probably should weight about 80. He is 2 years old).

Kennedycamper wrote:
Some parks go by weight on dogs. Like dogs up to 35 - 40 lbs are allowed.

I'm sure there are some who DO hold fast to this size limit; but my experience with "weight restrictions" is that it helps weed out some of the "banned breeds"? My 55 lb Cattle Dog and 73 lb Aussie were welcomed at a park that showed a 40-lb weight limit :-) So it never hurts to call and ask - when they find you own a "gentle breed", the doors might open for you?

Some parks go by weight on dogs. Like dogs up to 35 - 40 lbs are allowed.

It certainly can not mean that the tens of thousands of other clinics can not comply. I don't believe I have ever been in a clinic that was not governed by the state board of vet med.

While a non-accredited hospital may actually be in compliance, a huge number are not. There are mandatory minimum standards and then multiple suggested standards ranked by a point system - a minimum score in about twenty different categories is necessary to be accredited.

Every state indirectly regulates veterinary hospitals through licensing of the veterinarians. Many do not inspect individual hospitals (unless there are complaints to the vet board) or even have standards representing minimum standard of practice.

One thing that made veterinary news recently, Alabama is a state that requires inspection and will now accept AAHA accreditation/inspection in lieu of state inspection. I think California and Tennessee have inspection (don't know how often) and I'm sure there are more but it's not universal.

Board certification in vet medicine is a different ball game than human medicine. When I graduated from Vet School, the only Board Certifications were in dermatology, ophthalmology and surgery. Referral to specialists was just about never done. Now there are boards in just about every discipline and referral is common. Being board certified means special training and education in that specific discipline. There is no need to be associated with an AAHA hospital, but if you look most are.

Unless you have a specific problem, a good GP veterinarian (board certified or not) is a good place to start.

dturm wrote:
You are SO wrong here. Did you even read what accreditation means?

AAHA is the ONLY accreditation veterinary practices have. The reason "only" 3200 vet clinics are listed is that there are only 3200 that will subject themselves to outside, third party inspection and critique of their practice. This is NOT a pay some money and get listed in a data base system.

Are you aware that most states DO NOT INSPECT veterinary practices? Your vet has to be licensed, but once licensed facilities can pretty much do what ever they want how ever they want unless the individual is sanctioned by the state board of veterinary medicine.

Of course AAHA accreditation does not GUARANTEE that you will get a good practice or vet, but it's certainly better than googleing the vet nearest the CG.

Doug, DVM
AAHA Accredited hospital medical director

I stand corrected. Thank you for clarifying it.
Then when on the road where you do NOT know of the history of the local clinics it would give you an edge on finding an acceptable one.

I thought it was legit but when I saw that only 3,200 are, in the entire United States made me question it. And in part still does why such a small number? It certainly can not mean that the tens of thousands of other clinics can not comply. I don't believe I have ever been in a clinic that was not governed by the state board of vet med.

The only thing I do know is not all vets are 'board certified'. That one blew me away when I was told that one. I assume a vet can be board certified and still not request to be accredited by AAHA?

You are SO wrong here. Did you even read what accreditation means?

AAHA is the ONLY accreditation veterinary practices have. The reason "only" 3200 vet clinics are listed is that there are only 3200 that will subject themselves to outside, third party inspection and critique of their practice. This is NOT a pay some money and get listed in a data base system.

Are you aware that most states DO NOT INSPECT veterinary practices? Your vet has to be licensed, but once licensed facilities can pretty much do what ever they want how ever they want unless the individual is sanctioned by the state board of veterinary medicine.

Of course AAHA accreditation does not GUARANTEE that you will get a good practice or vet, but it's certainly better than googleing the vet nearest the CG.

Doug, DVM
AAHA Accredited hospital medical director

this site, sponsored by the American Animal Hospital Association

Have you tried this site? I just did a few searches of THE top notch vet clinics I know where I used to live and where I am at now and none of them show up on this site. In fact many do not show up. I don't think this is a complete data base of vets but merely a website they have to subscribe to have their clinic show up.

Web site makes it sound important to belong to this but I seriously doubt it, is since they only have 3,200 members in the whole US! :B

""Accreditation: As part of our dedication to practice success and quality pet care, AAHA has developed a set of accreditation standards that are widely used as benchmarks to measure excellence in veterinary medicine. Currently, more than 3,200 veterinary clinics hold the “AAHA-accredited” designation.""

I just google vets near the CG. I pick the closest vet and the closest open 24 hours critical care clinic. Write down the phone numbers and stick them on the fridge. And repeat at the next CG I stay at. :C

LBurbank wrote:
Is it difficult to find campgrounds that allow pets? Is there a weight limit? (i.e. I have a pair of St. Bernards).

No, it's not difficult to find campgrounds that allow pets. Some do have a limit on the number of pets (usually two) and some won't allow supposedly aggressive breeds. I don't believe I've ever seen Saints on a banned breed list. In seven years of RV'ing we've encountered one campground that had a weight limit.

Most campgrounds post pet rules/restrictions on their website. If you can't find the info you need or you have questions about anything, don't hesitate to call the campground and ask.

how do you find reliable veterinary care for them on the road?

Thankfully that isn't something we've ever needed. If we did, I would either inquire at the campground office for references or use this site, sponsored by the American Animal Hospital Association, to find an accredited veterinary practice in the area.

LBurbank wrote:
I am new to RV-ing...in fact, I don't even have an RV yet. I'm hoping to learn what I can here before I invest. I have pets. Is it difficult to find campgrounds that allow pets? Is there a weight limit? (i.e. I have a pair of St. Bernards) Is it only certain types of pets that are allowed? And how do you find reliable veterinary care for them on the road? Any info would be greatly appreciated...=)

Yes when you travel with dogs you will have to call ahead to the CG's and ask what their restrictions on pets is. IT varies from CG to CG. There really is no complete comprehensive list of CG's that allow pets.

The Saint's are not on the banned breed list, most CG's allow 2 dogs so you will be ok there, but you WILL run into the 'weight limit' restriction more often than not. Calling ahead and inquiring what their pet policy rules are is you best bet.

Good Luck finding that perfect RV for your family and welcome to the forum. :C