Airplane.

[MyFirstDaxie]

This June we may or may not be flying to BC for a wedding. I have never had a dog to bring with me before, so I am not sure how I should handle this. I don't want to traumatize the poor thing, I expect it would be loud, and there would be other dogs barking in the cargo hold. When I bought his crate the pet store lady said it was airplane safe, I wish I had saved the tag to double check the name of it.

Should I talk to my vet about a sedative or something? I am so scared of the idea of him being down there - and what if he gets put on a different plane? :oops: So much could go wrong.

I hope we decide to drive instead.

EDIT: Maybe I could bring him on as a carry on? He's small, and it would only be a few hours worth of travel. Westjet I think allows small dogs, I wonder if any other companies do?

[oscarforevermom]

I don't want to traumatize the poor thing, I expect it would be loud, and there would be other dogs barking in the cargo hold.


I would never let my dogs travel in cargo hold. Call the airline you plan to fly & see what their rules are for keeping him in the cabin with you- his travel crate on the floor by your feet. They usually let only 2 dogs in the regular cabin at the same time for each flight.

If you plan to fly - make your reseervations early.

[Teckle Mom]

On Air Canada's website it advises that you DO NOT sedate your animail in preparation for flying.

Unfortuantely, Air Canada discontinued the practice of allowing animals in the cabin of the plane, so for many - cargo is the only way. Unless there is another airline, that might be an option.

What airline are you flying with? I would check with them to see what arrangments need to be made regarding flying with pets.

[MyFirstDaxie]

Since we are flying from Alberta to BC I hope it will be WestJet. I don't think I could put him down in the cargo hold... So much could go wrong. I will have to get Will to call his parents to figure all this out ahead of time.

[Cocoa and Me]

Besides taking him with you IN the plane, is there anyone around you that could babysit? How long would you be gone for?

[longtimecouple1]

I just looked at Westjet and they do allow small dogs in the cabin, but they do recommend booking early, and make sure when you call that you tell them upfront that you are bringing a pet in cabin.
It is only $50, that's $30 less than USAIR, I paid $80 each way, each dog when I went to AZ last month.

Below are the restricions directly copied from Westjet's website.
Hope this helps. Oh, and as far as sedation, I recommend it, my 2 each had a 1/2 pill each way and they slept like babies, it was a very low dosage, I will look at the name when I go home and post it for you with the dosage.
I know they say not to, but believe me, they don't ask, and they would rather you do that than have the dog disturb the whole plane. I think they only say no for liability purposes. If they tell you to sedate them and anything happens, you can sue them, if they tell you not to you are on your own.


Service fee per kennel $50 (each way)
Types of pets allowed Cats, dogs, rabbits,
and birds only.
Cats, dogs, rabbits, birds, chinchillas,
guinea pigs and hedgehogs only.
Total # of pets allowed per flight A maximum of four kennels in the cabin will be accepted per flight. A maximum of three kennels in checked baggage will be accepted per flight.
Total # of pets allowed per guest One
Weight restrictions (animal & kennel combined) 22 lbs (10 kgs)
Size restrictions (per kennel) 16” L x 17.5” W x 8.5” H
(40 cm x 44 cm x 21.5 cm).

Kennel requirements Soft-sided kennels only
Designed for airline travel
Leak-proof
The animal must be fully enclosed in the kennel. Duffle bags, gym bags, other non-kennels, or hard-sided kennels cannot be accepted.
Kennels taken in cabin must be able to fit under the seat in front of you and your pet must remain in the kennel at all times.

[MyFirstDaxie]

We are going to be gone for a week, but I really want to take him with us. Will says we will most likely be driving (16 hours :(), but I much prefer that to cargo. He is going to call his parents tonight and get the scoop.

[longtimecouple1]

PS My dogs did better on the plane with sedation than hubby did!

[MyFirstDaxie]

Would it have to be a sedative you get from the vet?

So I would need to buy a different kennel, ours is hard-sided.

[Cocoa and Me]

Does anyone know if planes have a maximum limit of how many people can have dogs on the plane? I thought I heard that only one or two people total on the plane can have "carry on dogs". I'd check that out, and book early if that's the case. :)

[Christena]

Total # of pets allowed per flight A maximum of four kennels in the cabin will be accepted per flight. A maximum of three kennels in checked baggage will be accepted per flight.

Looks like Westjet allows 4 per flight.



Kennel requirements Soft-sided kennels only

Another thought; would you want a pet in cargo in a softsided kennel?

[Teckle Mom]

I flew Westjet a couple of years ago, with a rescue dachshund in the cabin, at my feet. He was going to his forever home. I boarded the plane early & set his little bag (with him in it) the back under was under the seat in front of me- the crew were awesome too! They knew I was flying with an animal and made sure we were very comfortable.

During take off and landing, I was able to reach down, unzip his bag a little & give him a treat (to get him to chew, so his ears wouldn't pop). He made not one sound during the two hour flight.

No sedation required.

[longtimecouple1]

No, only the in-cabin pets are in soft, if you look at the cargo side of the chart it says hard sided only.

I think it's great that the rescue went on without sedation, I just felt more comfly knowing that they would sleep all the way, and they did.

[longtimecouple1]

Our vet gave us a small bottle of pills called acepromazine and they are only 10mg, and they each only got 1/2. He told us if it was a long flight and they started to wake up to give them another 1/2. On the way out 1/2 was fine, on the way back our 5 1/2 hr flight became doubled due to a snowstorm in Boston, so when we were grounded for a short while at JFK in NY, I took them out of the crate, and gave them another 1/2. They did terrific with them.

[Irminsul]

My girls did fine without sedation all the way from Germany to the U.S. I have NEVER heard a vet or an airline telling someone to use sedation. The reason I have read is that you don't know how it will affect the animal at that altitude. If the dog has a bad reaction, there will be no way to help on the plane.

I would vote for carry-on, no sedation, bring a treat for takeoff and one for landing.

[Kari]

If you decide to do the carryon route, this bag is really neat: http://www.skymall.com/shopping/detail.htm?pid=69743819&c=

We saw it in the SkyMall catalog while flying this weekend. It's a rolled carryon that fits under the seat in front of you.

[MyFirstDaxie]

Unfortunately it does not look like we will be ging afterall. Ah well. One day, Guinness will touch the sky. :D

[maggiesmom]

Hi ,We have taken maggie a total of 6 times on Jet blue and Air tran.We booked in advance by phone,they allowed 3 pets per flight.I used a carrier by Teafco Its the ARGO Petaboard Airline Approved Carrier XS Amazon had the best price. Maggie is tiny so It was perfect She just curled up and went to sleep,no sedation. It met both those airline specs for size.
Every now and then i watched her move around but mostly slept.The flight was only 2 1/2 hours so I dont know your timing.We gave her a small meal in the morning and took her out a few times before we went through security. I also gave her a nylabone in her carrier

[longtimecouple1]

That's a nice looking carrier. The Sherpa I bought for ours, Coco bit right through the mesh. This actually looks sturdier for less $$
Thanks for sharing the info.

[maggiesmom]

No problem . I bought a sherpa too, but it was way to big at this point for Maggie, I think I got the wrong size. The pet aboard is made really nicely. It has a removable waterproof liner, and lots of lookout space but its hard to see in so maggie stays really calm,People don't even realize that I am carrying her,until they see the bag move(very funny)Have a great day
Amy

[longtimecouple1]

Thanks Amy, you too!

[Travmakar]

Here is an "All Natural Supplement"


Ark Naturals - Happy Traveler
http://www.thedogspa.net/proddetail.php?prod=Happy_Traveler



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Eases separation and travel anxiety, motion sickness, and tension caused by changes in your pet's daily routine.
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Dosage:

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[ZBAndMe]

Hm, has anyone tried this Happy Traveler?

[Travmakar]

My husband and I transported a dog back from the Turks and Caicos Islands for an Adopter in Boston. The puppy was given this by the rescue and it worked like a charm.