Advice on travelling long distances

[punkie]

I'm travelling with Milo for the first time. We're going to Turkey from Toronto, Ontario.

I got him a Sherpa bag and he'll be allowed to go in the cabin with me. But I'm worried about the duration of the flight. I'll be at the airport 3 hours prior to flying, then it's an 8 hour flight to Amsterdam. Then we have a 5 hour wait there and another 3.5 hour flight to Istanbul. Then we have another 2 hour wait in Istanbul and another hour of flying to another city. So we'll be travelling for almost 24 hours.

He's never travelled before and I'm worried about him getting sick. He's going to have to eat, drink and go to the bathroom at some point. I don't know if the airports allow dogs to come out of their travel bags and go outside or not. Any advice or suggestions?

[hviola]

I would definately try to feed and water her during the trip. As far as pottying, you may just have to carry extra towels and let her potty in the crate. Just make sure you bring a plastic bag to seal the dirty towels in. I cant think of anything else you can do.

[bchgirl]

With the layovers you have I don't see a problem with taking him outside the airport for walks and a break from his carrier.

[izzierj]

My Harlee is 6 yrs old and has travelled from NJ to Az and back a few times...I will NEVER take her on a plane again...If she was crated at home and used to being confined maybe it would hav been better...She has anxiety and didn't know until the flight...One time my son brought her back to Az and couldn't sneak her out of the bag....She barked and scrated a hole , many holes in the bag to get out.... I don't trust anyone here (and I have family here) to take good care of my babies (we now have 3) Because of hawks, owls, coyotes etc...Anyway, I would give her a tranquilizer from the vet...It was funny, one time at the airport , my husband broke it up and gave it to her, took her for a walk in the waiting area, came back and I noticed it in her hair on both sides of her mouth...ha ha...she kept spitting it out...had to hide it in food...She still didn't settle down...No affect...Next time I gave her something called Rescue Remedy...You can get it at a health store..Check it out on line...My daughter gives it to her babies and it works for them...On the other hand Harlee resists that too....It was so bad on the plane that I took her out of the bag, and she was panting so much that her little heart was beating so fast and her tongue was purple, almost black that the flight attendant called the mainland to speak to a vet...It was a night flight (our org. flight got cancelled and waited til midnight to take off) ...The announced it on board and luckily a doctor and a dog therapist (who would have thought) was on the plane....Long story short, we gave her a drop of Jack Daniels to calm her down...It finally did, thank God...I needed the rest of the bottle to calm me down too...lol...What a nightmare....At that point, I swore she would never have to go through anything like that again...
This is probably any unusual case because I see dogs on flights all the time, but this is what happened to us...

[zaknnana]

Originally Posted by punkie

I'm travelling with Milo for the first time. We're going to Turkey from Toronto, Ontario.

I got him a Sherpa bag and he'll be allowed to go in the cabin with me. But I'm worried about the duration of the flight. I'll be at the airport 3 hours prior to flying, then it's an 8 hour flight to Amsterdam. Then we have a 5 hour wait there and another 3.5 hour flight to Istanbul. Then we have another 2 hour wait in Istanbul and another hour of flying to another city. So we'll be travelling for almost 24 hours.

He's never travelled before and I'm worried about him getting sick. He's going to have to eat, drink and go to the bathroom at some point. I don't know if the airports allow dogs to come out of their travel bags and go outside or not. Any advice or suggestions?

Yes you can take Milo out of his bag in the airports ...... just not on the airplane!! You should be able to even take him outside somewhere at the airport if you are there long enough. I have traveled alot with my poodle before over the years and she did great. He will surprise you. Give him ice & water and just try to feed him dry little bits of food or treats that he will eat. He will do fine I'm sure. They are fine as long as they are with you usually. I am going to fly to Az. in Sept. and I am worried what Lily will do on the airplane!! She is pretty WILD right now???LOL Hopefully she will settle down some by then?? She will be 6 months old then?? Good luck on your trip and enjoy!!

[punkie]

Thank you for all the advice everyone Hopefully all will go well. i will post an update once we get to our destination.