Plane Travel this Xmas

[Mochas mom]

Hi all,

Little 4 month old Mocha is traveling for the first time by plane. I have all
her "things" already prepped and ready to go but am wondering if anyone has given their little one a bit of Benedryl to help them relax? I asked our vet and she said it would be fine since she is very wiggly and to be confined in a carrier for 5 hours might be pushing it. Thanks !!

[cowgirlc]

Originally Posted by Mochas mom

Hi all,

Little 4 month old Mocha is traveling for the first time by plane. I have all
her "things" already prepped and ready to go but am wondering if anyone has given their little one a bit of Benedryl to help them relax? I asked our vet and she said it would be fine since she is very wiggly and to be confined in a carrier for 5 hours might be pushing it. Thanks !!

Hello there, I'm glad you posted this...my baby is 4 yrs old now and he took his first flight at the age of 2 yrs, at which time I had the sedative to give him just in case but my little gizmo is trained to his travel bag so he was fine in-flight. The only reason I had it was because the rule is that the carrier must fit under the seat in front and I was concerned that he would want to be in my lap and not under the seat however I had a good flight crew that allowed me to keep the bag in my lap as long as he was zipped inside, so he never made a sound. We are also traveling on the 24th to Michigan from Texas and we have to change flights in Atlanta, so I will carry the sedative again this trip and based on gizmo will determine wether to give it to him or not at that time.

Hop this helps

[QuickSilver]

Actually, I have a question on this as well. Virgin Airlines told me that I need a dated certificate from my vet stating that his shots are up to date and he's over 8 weeks old. No problem.

Then when I called my vet, they said I would need to come in for a check up so that they can certify that he is healthy enough to fly. I explained that I only need the vaccination/age data and they agreed to provide it. However, I'm a little worried that the attendent will spring a "health certificate" requirement when I actually get to the airport.

The Virgin staff didn't seem to really know what was going on - they read the brief info on their website, which states the above. I am spending so much money I don't want to pay for an unecessary checkup, but I don't want to get surprised at the gate either. Does anyone have experience with this?

[ArmaniMan]

I do not give mine a sedative and they are always fine.

Armani was in the crate for a total of about 10 hours last trip with travel to the airport, time in the terminal and the flight, and he was totally fine. ONE time in the terminal he barked one small bark, I told him quiet and I never heard from him again.

JetBlue does not require any documentation to fly domestically and no one has ever questioned this.

[cowgirlc]

Originally Posted by QuickSilver

Actually, I have a question on this as well. Virgin Airlines told me that I need a dated certificate from my vet stating that his shots are up to date and he's over 8 weeks old. No problem.

Then when I called my vet, they said I would need to come in for a check up so that they can certify that he is healthy enough to fly. I explained that I only need the vaccination/age data and they agreed to provide it. However, I'm a little worried that the attendent will spring a "health certificate" requirement when I actually get to the airport.

The Virgin staff didn't seem to really know what was going on - they read the brief info on their website, which states the above. I am spending so much money I don't want to pay for an unecessary checkup, but I don't want to get surprised at the gate either. Does anyone have experience with this?

I am flying AirTran, out last flight was Northwest, each time I have gotten the first document you mentioned, indicating he is has up-dated shots and no problems, however no-one has ever asked to see it, I would think the shot up-date record is enough sweetie don't think you need to have a full on exam. Good luck, are you as excited asd I am to be traveling with your furbaby....lol

[bellajayne]

Glad to see these questions come up...we are flying in May for only about 1.5 hours with Bella. My concern is that she is good about sitting in her bag with her head popped out if I'm carrying her but everytime I try to put her in her carrier that has to be entirely zipped up and enclosed she gets really anxious and barks. I don't want to be the person everyone on the flight is annoyed with and my family is hiding in the bathroom on!! I have until May so my plan is to work on trying to get her to a comfort level with it. I can see the Benedryl being beneficial though, think I'm gonna take some along in case!

We are flying spirit air and I've called and been told that they don't require any documentation for her...hopefully things don't change when we get there. I'm going to make another inquiry a week before our trip, I'm thinking I'm going to email their customer service so that I get a written reply that I can print and take with me for reinforcement!

[cowgirlc]

Originally Posted by bellajayne

Glad to see these questions come up...we are flying in May for only about 1.5 hours with Bella. My concern is that she is good about sitting in her bag with her head popped out if I'm carrying her but everytime I try to put her in her carrier that has to be entirely zipped up and enclosed she gets really anxious and barks. I don't want to be the person everyone on the flight is annoyed with and my family is hiding in the bathroom on!! I have until May so my plan is to work on trying to get her to a comfort level with it. I can see the Benedryl being beneficial though, think I'm gonna take some along in case!

We are flying spirit air and I've called and been told that they don't require any documentation for her...hopefully things don't change when we get there. I'm going to make another inquiry a week before our trip, I'm thinking I'm going to email their customer service so that I get a written reply that I can print and take with me for reinforcement!

You know I use to have the same problem with gizmo as far as zipping up the bag, so what I did is a little repetitiveness, I would take him in the car he sits in the bag with head out, now when I park and before I get out of the car I say ok gizmo...''inside''..and he now sits down in the bag and allows me to zip him in. It took about 2 weeks to train him to do this, at first he would growl and bark when I tried to zip up. So what I would do is get out of the car without zipping him in, and proceed to walk away from the car. Of course I would turn around and go right back, get back in the car and say ok gizmo, get inside'', I had to keep repeating this until he got the idea that he could either get zipped in the bag and go with mommy...or he could stay in the car and mommy walks away. You can do this at home, inside or out, and he knows not to make any sound while zipped in, so now he goes to walmart, shopping malls, drug store and anywhere I want to take him, because no one knows he is in there unless you look close.

Hope this helps

[Wall-eWorld]

I was told by the agent at United last time I flew with Wall-e that the Health Certificate is needed in the rare chance that the health department shows up at the airport and demands to see one. No one ever asked to see it on either leg of our trip. So I pretty much spent $100 at the vet on a "rare chance." I am keeping the certificate and using it again next time!

I also give Wall-e a half of a Children's Benadryl to help him relax. He's just under 5lbs so it works great.

[dryoasis88]

My Hepburn is a long haul flyer, since I live in Germany and my parents live in the US. He has been to the US and back to Germany once in the summer, and he just flew yesterday from Germany to the US with me for Christmas break. I have a Celltei bag, I can't remember the name, but it is the one that straps on the front of your body, and I love it. As long as the dog can't get out of the bag, most airlines are ok with their head popping out (depends also a lot on the flight crew on your flight). Hepburn doesn't love flying, but he gets adjusted on the long flight (7-8 hours) and eventually goes to sleep. Make sure the dog thinks of their bag as a safe place. Use the bag not just for flying but for going wherever, in the car, to the store, etc. I have never used any drugs to calm him and he has been fine. If you feel like the dog is getting dehydrated (happens often when flying, the airplane cabin is quite dry) ask for a cup with ice cubes, it limits how much the dog drinks and it can not spill in the bag. Take the dog in the bag to the bathroom, and if he/she is pad trained, release the baby changing table, put the pad down and let the dog out. No one cares what the dogs does in the bathroom and then they can stretch their legs and get a chance to relieve themselves. Hope this helps and safe flying. Just remember, if you are stressed about your dog flying, it will make them even more stressed. Try to stay calm and confident and your dog will do great.

[cowgirlc]

Originally Posted by dryoasis88

My Hepburn is a long haul flyer, since I live in Germany and my parents live in the US. He has been to the US and back to Germany once in the summer, and he just flew yesterday from Germany to the US with me for Christmas break. I have a Celltei bag, I can't remember the name, but it is the one that straps on the front of your body, and I love it. As long as the dog can't get out of the bag, most airlines are ok with their head popping out (depends also a lot on the flight crew on your flight). Hepburn doesn't love flying, but he gets adjusted on the long flight (7-8 hours) and eventually goes to sleep. Make sure the dog thinks of their bag as a safe place. Use the bag not just for flying but for going wherever, in the car, to the store, etc. I have never used any drugs to calm him and he has been fine. If you feel like the dog is getting dehydrated (happens often when flying, the airplane cabin is quite dry) ask for a cup with ice cubes, it limits how much the dog drinks and it can not spill in the bag. Take the dog in the bag to the bathroom, and if he/she is pad trained, release the baby changing table, put the pad down and let the dog out. No one cares what the dogs does in the bathroom and then they can stretch their legs and get a chance to relieve themselves. Hope this helps and safe flying. Just remember, if you are stressed about your dog flying, it will make them even more stressed. Try to stay calm and confident and your dog will do great.

This is great, thank you so much for posting this, my baby does use the potty pads so I shall try the bathroom thing. Our flight is 2 hrs changing planes for an additional 2 hrs. I had intended on going outside while waiting for the second flight but will use the pads instead. As for the ice cubes I wonder if he would lick on those in flight, I mean he gets ice water at home, but for some reason he will not eat or drink when we are out. Any way I am, so excited and cannot wait until next friday so we can travel together.


Cowgirl

[LuvMySissy]

On most airlines, a health certificate is only required when a pet flies in cargo. If a health certificate is required, it must be dated within 10 days of the flight - so you cannot reuse a health certificate unless you plan to forge the date.

As far a head popping out goes, it isn't up the airlines, but rather it is an FDA rule that pets carried on board be in a completely closed carrier and kept under the seat during the flight. Most flight attendants do not have a problem if you put the carrier on your lap (after take-off and then put back to landing) provided the carrier is contained on your lap and not encroaching upon a passenger sitting next to you. That being said, most flight attendants will insist the bag stays completely closed. The only exception to this is if you are traveling with an emotional support animal or a true service dog.

[dryoasis88]

@Cowgirl depending on your layover time between flights, I wouldn't recommend going out of the security area to take your dog to relieve himself. If you don't make it back through security in time, you could miss your second flight.

@LuvMySissy I didn't know that the head popping out was a rule anywhere. I have never been asked to close the bag completely by anyone in the airport or on the plane, they only ask if he can get out, and the answer is no, he is on a short leash attached to the inside of the bag. Interesting to know that there is an FDA rule that could be inforced at anytime on one of my future flights. I hope they don't, the agitation is multiplied if Hepburn can't have his head out, but he could deal with it. Thanks for the information.

[LuvMySissy]

Originally Posted by dryoasis88

@Cowgirl depending on your layover time between flights, I wouldn't recommend going out of the security area to take your dog to relieve himself. If you don't make it back through security in time, you could miss your second flight.

A good option is to bring disposable pee pads with you and go into a bathroom stall with your pup.

@LuvMySissy I didn't know that the head popping out was a rule anywhere. I have never been asked to close the bag completely by anyone in the airport or on the plane, they only ask if he can get out, and the answer is no, he is on a short leash attached to the inside of the bag. Interesting to know that there is an FDA rule that could be inforced at anytime on one of my future flights. I hope they don't, the agitation is multiplied if Hepburn can't have his head out, but he could deal with it. Thanks for the information.

Yep - I've been on several flights with very strict flight attendants who will not even let you put the carrier on your lap. There have been times when I unzipped the carrier enough to put my hand in to comfort a pup and was told the carrier had to be remain closed. These rules are more stricly enforced when flying in the USA.

[scrapindee]

Be careful about the drugging of your dog too. I recently was on a 2 hour flight with my 3 month old puppy. There was another 4 month old puppy on the flight--who had been given half a dose of baby benadryl--this puppy was in shock or dehydration on the flight. Fortunately, the flight attentant allowed the girl to take the puppy out of the carrier (totally against the rules). There was no honey on the airplane. I attempted to give the puppy some sugared water and some nutri-cal I had in my carrier.

I showed the girl how to do compressions on his chest. This poor puppy clearly was in a bad state for most of the 2 hour flight and had to go to the vet as soon as they got off the airplane. NOT A GOOD IDEA TO DRUG A PUPPY FOR THEIR 1st FLIGHT. If I hadn't had the nutra-cal and doggie 1st aid, I don't think her puppy would have made it home--she had just picked up the puppy from the breeder's.

[Princes mom]

Originally Posted by ArmaniMan

I do not give mine a sedative and they are always fine.

Armani was in the crate for a total of about 10 hours last trip with travel to the airport, time in the terminal and the flight, and he was totally fine. ONE time in the terminal he barked one small bark, I told him quiet and I never heard from him again.

JetBlue does not require any documentation to fly domestically and no one has ever questioned this.

Neither does Delta. (But I'm going to bring it anyway.)