Special Needs Pet Certification

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Chewster
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Joined: Thu May 19, 2022 3:22 pm

Special Needs Pet Certification

Post by Chewster »

Hi, new member here- our Yorkie has severe protein-losing entropathy, and without our constant care (medicines 8 times daily, home-cooked food, etc.) he's a goner. Question is- is there a process by which we can certify him as special needs (much like a person with emotional needs can qualify their pet to be a 'therapy dog' by having a doctor confirm that the human will suffer if separated from the animal...our case is the reverse).

Example: we travel and stay at an Air BNB- it would be nice to present a certification stating that the dog must be with his humans, due to the dogs "special needs" rather than getting a shrink to concoct a claim that my wife or I must constantly tote the dog around in order to preserve our own mental or emotional stability (which is not really the truth).

Wondering if any of you might have had a similar situation and could provide some insight- thanks!
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CarolC
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Re: Special Needs Pet Certification

Post by CarolC »

Hi Chewster,

:banner:

I've never heard of a certificate like you describe. I wish there was a certificate like you are talking about. What a fine world it would be... I don't think animal rights are quite to that point yet, even though it would indeed be a disaster/emergency to get separated for some special needs pets.

Wow, medicine every 3 hours 24/7/365. That would make it hard to leave him in a room while you go out sightseeing. I suppose if someplace like a theme park won't let him in, then you wouldn't be able to go.

If you are traveling by airline, your dog sounds small enough to fit under the seat so you are not separated. But you can't always avoid delays and cancellations, which could leave you stranded in an airport with his meal schedule affected. I don't fly much at all and I've been stranded in airports twice due to the airline overbooking. One of those times I had a pet with me, which I ended up carrying all over the airport for hours. Thank goodness she didn't weigh much, but the carrier weighed something, too. Your best bet for avoiding being stranded is a direct flight with no connections.

I think you might have to communicate with the rental one-to-one and explain the situation with your dog. If they don't want to accomodate you, there will be someone else who will. There's a special link to search pet-friendly air bnb's.

https://www.airbnb.com/d/pet-friendly

You're probably going to have to get a health certificate from your vet confirming vaccinations and stating he's well enough to travel, if you're going to cross state lines or fly (if you're in the US). Will your vet issue one?

https://www.ovrs.com/blog/traveling-with-a-sick-pet/

Some people have made a video showing how to care for their special needs pet in detail. That might be an option if you would like to try leaving him in someone's care for a day to see how it goes.
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critters
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Re: Special Needs Pet Certification

Post by critters »

:whale: I've never heard of such a thing, but there sure should be. Baby, who had severe cerebellar hypoplasia (cerebral palsy) and who is the "poster child" down on the "Wanting to Adopt" board, loved to travel and was considered for inclusion as a therapy cat. I knew somebody who asked a friend/acquaintance at an airline about such a thing, and, apparently, there wasn't a thing then. That was some years ago, but I'd doubt such a certification yet. I always wondered, though, whether the Americans with Disabilities Act specifies humans?
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