Plane Travel this Xmas
 

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 !!

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 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.

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

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!

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.

Flying is a breeze if you are prepared for anything
 

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.

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.

@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.

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.

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

I didnt think Delta did either...but back in January i flew with them and they asked for his vaccine (rabies) record. First time any airline asked me for papers. I carry them anyways..but I'm never asked for them.

As a good rule of thumb, i always print out their pet rules from their webpage and carry it with me...."just in case" I get an employee who asks me for more than what they say on their website.

This is what I do too- although I have never had to use it with jetBlue they always seem to know what is going on, or just don't care :p

Actually it is a law and not an airline rule that you have to have a health certificate to cross state lines with an animal. My vet told me that by the letter of the law this is true even if you are driving - obviously nobody does that. I'm pretty sure that all airlines require this certificate even though most never ask to see it. We've flown quite a bit with ours and every now and then one of the airline officials will ask to see it. I'd rather have it than risk being at the airport and not able to fly. By the way, the last one that asked to see it was Delta.

When I travelled with Buster in July I had to have a health certificate to fly on Delta and they did look at it when I paid for his travel at the counter. Also remember to bring a blanket. The floors of the plane where the carrier will be are very cold this time of year. One the flight out one attendant let me keep Buster on my lap. I opened up the case enough to get my arm in so he could lie against my skin and Buster was nice a cozy. On the flight back there was a stricter attendant and Buster had to stay completely zipped up. Have a wonder flight and trip.

Each airline sets their own rules and not all require a health certificate- you need to check with your own carrier: as per jetBlue's OFFICIAL policy


Interstate travel of pets appears to be governed by state law and not federal law >
Per the USDA on interstate travel:

I stand corrected!:questione

Good idea-Delta has nothing on their website about health certs in the cabin. I have travelled with Delta very often and was never asked for a health cert, but it has been two years now. I just called Delta and spoke to a rep in their Skymiles department where my husband is an elite member and she said that Delta definitely does not require a health cert for a carry on pet. So if an employee does ask and anyone does not have a cert, I would ask for a supervisor.

For domestic (US) flights, Delta does not require a health certificate. International flights are a different story and most do require a health certificate (and possibly much more depending on the country you are entering). Bringing proof of vaccinations is always a good idea regardless.

i've never flown with the dogs but can you take them in the plane with you. i mean they don't ride in cargo do they?

Cali and I fly frequently and she is used to it. The others are correct - many flight attendants follow the rule of "no heads out of the bag" rule very tightly, especially if the flight is full.

If your baby is potty-paper trained I will share our routine between flights: Go to the restroom - if your dog will not stay close to you use a leash - otherwise got into a handicapped stall and put down the potty-pad. The dog gets to walk around a little bit in the stall (be sure they don't go under the door or into another stall) and then they will settle down and use the potty-pad. I then just roll it up and dispose of it where ever they dispose of the diapers and we are on our way. Cali now "piddles" on command, but if they are used to potty-pads they will get the message fast, especially if they need to use it.

Having a sedative on hand is a good idea if it is a first trip -- save alot of heart ache if you baby does not adjust as well as you hope. If you don't need it no problem, but on a really rough weather flight it never hurts to be prepared.

I have traveled all over with Dexter and had two long flights (once to Costa Rica and once to Peru) with him with no drugs. I always take a homeopathic spay called Rescue Remedy with me to use as a calming agent. it is completely safe to use on pets and humans...i used to take it when i was a paralegal arguing cases in court as i have public speaking anxiety. wouldn't be able to stand up in court without it!!

If you have a stop over, i also recomend NOT taking them out past security as it can be a pain to get back in. i usually find a quiet corner in one of the gates that is empty and let dex out to go pee on his pad and stretch his legs. i have yet to be told not to do this.

i bring a small dish with me to give him water and a pack of dehydrated chicken breast treats to feed him for long flights

hope this helps!

Where do you get this spray. I am flying with Bella who is 6 months for the first time on the 8 of January. I have pet meds from the vet but this would be so much safer. I had a King Charles Cavalier that travelled in Cabin with us for over 13 years and the only thing I ever gave him was Children's gravol. He loved to fly and loved his travelling bag. This little one is a liitle more active than him so I will have to wait and see. The first day we are only going to Montreal which is only a 2 hour flight, but the next day we have a 3.5 hour flight with a layover in Miami and then a short flight to Key West. I am praying that she is going to love to fly. It makes it so much easier than driving. I am a liitle afraid of giving her the meds. She only weighs 4.5 pounds.

not too sure where you are located, but you can likely get rescue remedy from any health food store. i get it from my natropath, but have seen it in health stores.

On most airlines you can travel with small dogs or cats, they ride in a carrier stowed under the seat in front of you. There is a size/ weight restriction- it is usually somewhere around 20 pounds, including the weight of the carrier- there are size restrictions on the carrier and the dog must be able to stand and turn around inside that carrier. You need to book early usually because there is usually a limit on the number of pets allowed in cabin- jetBlue for example is 3 pets per flight. They also only allow pets in the aisle or window seats and no pets in the exit row- so you have to make sure to get these seats before they are gone.

I would always bring Prince's (RIP) medical records when we went on road trips in case he had to go to the vet away from home.
When I spoke with a Delta rep, she said documents were only required for international travel, but, as I said, I always bring mine...just in case. We just got back from Connecticut on DL, and we weren't asked for anything except for $125.00 each way.
One thing to note is that rules and procedures may vary depending on the airport, agent and stress level.:rolleyes: