Camping with your Dog

Is the campsite pet-friendly? This is especially important for campsites located within national parks as you can face significant fines for taking your dog with you.

Is your dog up to date with vaccinations? While there may not be other pet dogs at the campsite, many areas are accessible to feral dogs and dingos, and they may carry unwanted diseases. So it’s important to ensure that your pooch’s immunity is high!

Has your dog had their flea, tick and worming treatment? When camping out in the bush, you’re sharing your space with wildlife, who are the natural hosts of many ticks.

Do you know where the closest vet and emergency vet are? Just in case – hopefully you won’t need this!

Are your pet’s microchip details up to date? This can be checked at your local vet and will help ensure that if your dog gets lost, they can easily find their way back to you.

What is the weather going to be like? If you are likely to see extreme cold or heat during your trip it may be better to forgo taking your furry friend along with you.

Lead and collar (with identification tags). A strong durable lead is a necessity for camping as you will need your dog to be on lead most of the time, and you need a lead that won’t break if your dog were to try to chase after something, e.g. a rabbit or possum. A multifunction dog lead is perfect for camping as you can adjust from long to short lead and hands-free walking (for well-behaved dogs)!

A long lead and stake or a portable fenced pen, so you can contain your dog

Food and water bowls

Food and clean water. Taking bottles of water for your dog is also advisable so they can rehydrate as you travel/explore.

Bed and blankets. A trampoline bed to get them off the cold ground is ideal.

Poo bags, loooots of poo bags!

Towels

Treats and toys

Doggie sunscreen, especially for white dogs or dogs with thin fur around their bellies and nose.

Warm coats. Believe it or not, but not all dogs are bred to withstand a cold night.

Booties. While you may feel a bit weird putting boots on your dogs, this is an excellent way to protect their feet from burning hot sand and ants!

Glow sticks. This may sound unusual, but if you do not have a dog collar that lights up at night, attaching glow sticks is a great way to keep an eye on their location at night (especially if they somehow get off lead).

Wound-Gard – an antiseptic spray that helps prevent infection and discourages licking.

Tick Twister, for those nasty parasites.

Pressure bandage.

Salty water, to clean any wounds.

Any medications your pet is on. If your pet has a medical condition and you are worried about taking them camping your vet is only a phone call away!