Taking dog on a plane?

[joenali]

We plan on checking with the vet first to see what we need to do. It would be a three hour flight, in the cabin, in a crate. The problem I foresee is that our dog doesn't use a crate at home, I'm not sure how she'll like a crate in a plane. We haven't bought tickets yet, we want to make sure this is doable. FTR she's only about 9 pounds. Have you taken your pup on a plane? What did you do beforehand? She sleeps in the car and does fine on long trips if that makes a difference.

[speckledfrog]

Ours stayed in a crate before we moved him from MA to TX. The flight was fine. We did have to take him out to go through security. He was petrified and after that refused to go in his crate. But he was quiet as a mouse and we didn't have any issues while at the airport.

ETA:  THat's a bit confusing.  What I meant was that he was fine at the airport, at all times.  We took him out through security and then put him back in.  After we moved he decided that the crate was the worst thing on earth.

[joenali]

Did the vet recommend any medicine to help with anxiety or to aid sleep during the flight?

[speckledfrog]

Nov 17, 2015 22:39:13 GMT -5 joenali said:

Did the vet recommend any medicine to help with anxiety or to aid sleep during the flight?

We didn't ask, so I'm not sure.  He was just a puppy and we didn't anticipate any issues.

[dianecourt]

Can you get a soft crate? Is that allowed by TSA?

[starryfish]

Nov 17, 2015 22:39:13 GMT -5 joenali said:

Did the vet recommend any medicine to help with anxiety or to aid sleep during the flight?

I have taken my chihuahua numerous times on the plane. She hates her plane crate but loves her crate at home. My vet recommended Benadryl (children's) to chill her out. I think it's .5mg per 1-2lbs? You can google it

[starryfish]

Nov 17, 2015 22:43:33 GMT -5 dianecourt said:

Can you get a soft crate? Is that allowed by TSA?

I have only seen soft crates bc a hard crate won't fit under your seat

tSA doesn't care about your dog, only the airlines care

[greenscreen]

A soft crate is definitely best, some of the under seat spaces are actually smaller than the standard size (United).
I've given my dog some herbal calming drops from the vet, but I don't think they did much. Getting her used to the crate beforehand made the first trip helped a lot.

[mich1]

Not a dog, but have flown with my cat several times.

You need a soft carrier to be able to put it under your seat. It will count as a piece of carry on. Check the pet store for these, there are TSA approved carriers. I think mine was about $40.

You'll need to make arrangements when you make your reservation, and pay the fee (it was $125 each direction the last time I flew Gizzy) when you check in. They'll tag your carrier. You have to carry the dog through security, and the carrier goes through the X-ray machine. After you and the animal go through, you return the dog to the carrier for the rest of your trip.

Some airports have doggie break places, you'll have to check out these for your airports. For my cat, I fed him early afternoon the day before and took his food up. His water I took up before I went to bed (for a flight the next morning). I put a couple layers of rags/old towels down in his carrier so if he soiled it, I could pull out the soiled layer and throw it away (I had some plastic bags with me). Never needed to do this though.

I never sedated my cat. My vet said that sedating them may make them unable to keep their balance and it might be harder on them physically, as they'd get bounced around. He was pretty good in the airport and on flights, never made a peep....but howled all the way to the airport in the car!

[thedutchgirl]

Delta requires a vet certification of health, which we were asked to show one time but not another. And yes, it isn't cheap. Only so many carry-on pets are allowed per flight, so make sure to make your reservations with enough notice.

[House4Me]

She will be fine. You need to have her in the doggy carrier on you shoulder when you check in. Her head can be poking out but have it mostly zipped up. 

We found that feeding cheerios to our dog before take off helped occupy him. Then when the plane takes off, they scurry around inside and switch so their head is on the upward angle and then usually settle down on their won b/c of the white noise the plane makes. 

[speckledfrog]

I'd also bring a small blanket or extra sweatshirt to put over the carrier, since it can get chilly on the plane.

[elleblue]

Nov 17, 2015 22:45:43 GMT -5 nicbreeful said:

Drug him.

The reason you're not supposed to do that is because it's harder to regulate their body temp if they're in cargo. But if he's in the cabin with you, that shouldn't be a problem. Have your vet prescribe something.

This, but do a trial run with the medication prior to your trip. Sometimes dogs have a adverse reaction to drugs such as xanax, so it's best to figure this out beforehand.