Yorkie on an Airplane
 

I've been a lurker for a long time because I usually find answers to my questions in other people's posts, but now I feel like I could benefit from some direct help. I have a 3 year old, 10 pound pup named Widget.

Generally, he's an excellent traveler. In cars, he sits quietly on my lap or on the seat beside me. On the subway, he stays in his carrier without any fuss (trips are usually 30-40 min max). On the long distance bus he lays down on my lap and sleeps the entire journey without incident. Usually a bus trip is an average of 5 hours with one potty break, but even when the bus driver is unreasonable and won't allow a break, the little one does allright. No whining, no wriggling- he's the supreme dog of relaxation.

Airplanes however are another story. We have an official airplane approved carrier and he uses it for subway trips so he's familiar and comfortable with it. We always pay to have him in the cabin with us. Despite all our efforts to do everything to ensure his comfort on airplanes, Widget is not a happy flier. He'll stay quiet for maybe 15 min or so, but then he'll start whining without pausing for breath. The whining builds in urgency (sort of like puppy hysterics?) until he starts to scratch violently at his carrier. Of course I'm trying to bend over in my seat and talk to him, soothe him, give him a treat or a toy. Nothing works. He's fine with the carrier, but something about being in the carrier underneath the seat without human contact freaks him out completely. I've been told to ignore him in so that he tires himself out and stops, but I worry about his safety. With all the panting and whining and scratching he starts to get really hot and I'm worried he'll suffocate or hurt himself!

My husband and I have tried various ways of sedation. Children's benadryl was recommended by our vet, but it did not calm him down in the slightest. A different vet prescribed acepromazine (i think that's the correct spelling). We tried trial runs at home and it worked fine, but when we've used it for actual airplane trips he was as alert and hyper agitated as ever. We've tried the max dosage of the acepromazine and he's still extremely agitated on the airplane. Is there anything else we can do/ give our dog to calm him down or knock him out completely so he won't work himself into a panic like this?

We are an extremely laid back couple and even when flying we are not stressed- there's no banging of luggage or tense conversations. I don't think he could be picking up stress signals from us, so I'm at my wits' end trying to figure out what else I can do to calm him down. Is there some drug we can ask our vet for that will let our dog sleep peacefully for the duration of the flight (6 hours)? Something that works as strongly as a sleeping pill for humans, only one that's meant for dogs.

Is nobody else's yorkie a nervous flyer or is my post too verbose?:confused:

I'd love to know how you guys deal with anxious travelers!

I am sorry I can't help as we don't get out little guy until Saturday :)

My mum however has a Westie and he totally hates being in the front seat of the car or sitting on someones lap he goes crazy, shaking constantly and being restless.

Stick him in the trunk though (one of those big estate type trunks) and he loves it, either just sits there looking out of the window or falls fast asleep within minutes!

So, sorry I wasn't really much help there :S

I have no suggestions as my guys have never flown. I wonder if it's his ears that are causing his anxiety? Someone here will have some ideas...

I don't have experience flying with pets, so I'm sorry that I can't offer any advice on this issue.... but I do want to say WELCOME to YT.

I'm sorry your little one is a nervous flier. With all the ruckus, I'm surprised the stewardesses didn't allow you to have him on your lap to help calm him down. I hope someone has a suggestion for you. I've only flown with my little one once, and I broke the rules because I know he's highly anxious and tends to panic. He was content to sit in my lap under a blanket. :)

I have flown with remy once.. Round trip.
She was ok..she did whine and wanted out of the carrier..but calmed down.

I used rescue remdy ..it calmes her. I was also thinking maybe a thunder shirt?

I also agree with having his ears checked.

Good luck

He is such a cutie. Just like with humans some medicines just don't work so I would try to talk to your vet about trying another medicine and explaining the problem to him.

I have never flown with a dog. The only things I can think of that you might try, if not already, are a Thunder suit, and ginger...but that is mostly for motion sickness. It could be that his ears are more sensitive and he's disturbed by the cabin pressure, but I am not sure what to do about that. I flew with a toddler who was horribly pained by cabin pressure, but so were most of the other passengers...including myself, and the Flight Attendants were passing out gum...which didn't help me, and my son was too young to try their fix. This was many years ago.

He could also be troubled by frequencies generated by the engines, etc. Dogs can hear sounds we cannot, and he may be bothered by them.

I'd hate to think he was hurting without you being able to tell. Have you discussed this with your vet, by the way? Maybe s/he can offer a better option/solution.

Good luck...I hope you can figure it out and resolve it. He's a cutie pie...

Thanks all for the warm welcome!

Hmmm, his ears... If his ears are hurting him because of pressure and "popping" I'm not sure what a vet would be able to do. We've tried giving him treats during takeoff and landing so that he'll swallow and his ears won't pop but he refuses to eat in the carrier.

So far we've flown about 6 times, and each time that's what ends up happening- I've had to sneak him out of his carrier and hide him on my lap or on my seat with me sitting awkwardly for the duration of the flight. Luckily I'm petite, otherwise there would definitely be no way that could work. The sad thing is, he immediately calms down when he's in my lap. But the stewardesses are very strict and the one time I got caught it was a pretty ugly sight with me having to force him back under the seat where he proceeded to cry piteously for 3 hours. :(

Rescue remedy and thunder shirt? I had no idea what those are but I will definitely consult google! Thank you!

I will definitely look into this thunder suit/shirt idea. I do know that thunder during rainstorms and fireworks on 4th of july don't bother him at all- he doesn't even turn his head. But maybe the airplane is making some other sort of painful sound that I can't hear, like a dog whistle or something. I also hate the thought of him being distressed or in pain, and it feels like needles under my skin to listen to him whine and struggle under the seat.

Sadly, I have already been to a vet (several different ones in fact) several times to try to get the flying issue taken care of, but no luck with their suggestions so far. That's why I was wondering if anyone else had a suggestion for a dog sleeping pill I could ask the vet to prescribe. I'd rather not dope him if I can help it, but he works himself up so badly it seems kinder to let him sleep out the trip.

Sorry that you are going through this, maybe your vet can give you something else..Yoshi used to get carsick but Hydroxizine "spelling error I'm sure" helped him when Benedryl didn't.

Hiya!! You may also try making it dark in his carrier before u get into the plane:)

Hope you find a solution, your baby is super cute!

Stick round too :)

Cali and I fly a lot,but I have never had the problem you are having. I'm a medical person and it looks like drugs may be your best answer even though I'm sure that is not what you want. Your furbaby needs to be out-of-it enought to not care what is going on, probably a little dopey. Hydroxyzine is for anxiety and is good, ace usually works so I am wondering about the dose you used, also there is Valium. You might want to talk with other vets to compare the doses they recommend and your comfort with your fur baby being dopey.

Hope you come up with a solution - best of luck. The floor of a plane is very noisy and sometimes even cold. Clai likes to have her favorite toy in her bag with her.

sounds like the key is that on you other travels he sits on your lap or the carrier is next to you on the seat. It could be a combination of things, he is afraid under the seat in the carrier especially since there are often a lot of loud noises, also change in altitude will get his ears popping. I use dramamine, it helps with the motion and also make him sleepy, check the dosage with your vet. How big is your yorkie? if not to big you might be able to sneak him out during the flight, I almost always do. If traveling with hubby, book a window and an aisle if you can, since often the middle will be vacant, or at least make sure you get a window for yourself. Board towards the end, and DO NOT let any airline personal see the dog when you board, keep the carry case as closed up as you can. Bring a large dark or brown and black multi colored scarf. After things settle down and the flight attendants are no longer walking around, take the dog, and sort of put him between the window and you, if next to your DH put the arm rest up so you can move closer to him giving the dog more room. Throw the scarf over him, I also will carry a magazine to use as a shield, try to keep him from moving to much, also massage the base of the ears, to help with the popping as the plane takes off and climbs to a higher altitude, keep your eyes peeled around the cabin and make adjustments as necessary, sometime if they are doing food near me, the dog goes back underneath, make adjustments as necessary. I will not kid you this is stressful since you are always on the lookout, but what are they going to do throw you off, just say this is his first time on a plane and, he has never acted like this he is getting older and I afraid he is going to have a heart attack, I will do my best to keep him underneath but I can't have him stress himself out that he goes into heart failure. I like Spirit Airlines, because they charge for everything even water so the flight attendants hardly ever walk up and down the aisles. Some people on here have said that instead of a pet ticket that they have bought seats for their dog, while you still are supposed to keep them underneath, at least you will have more room. Do a search and those threads will come up, one was even started by me, but I can not remember what it was called. Good luck

I would like to know the answer to your questions also! I have 2 Yorkie boys. They used to go into the same carrier and Ive flown with them twice over the years. They did fine when they were in the same carrier. Then I had one of them fixed and he put on a whopping 50% of his weight and now they are too heavy & big to fly together in the same carrier and too heavy for me carry in the same carrier. On our flight home from my mothers house my bf took one and I took the other. The airline was complete jerks and made me stick them under the seats and told me to leave them there and leave them alone. Well my little guy who has separation anxiety, went into complete panic mode, even with a double dose of benedryl. He FREAKED! He actually dug at the carrier netting so much that he got OUT of the carrier and I had to hide him under a blanket in my lap for the flight and then try to get him off the plane without him climbing out of his damaged carrier. Poor baby!
If I ever fly with them again, I would like to know what to do to make it easier on him. It stressed me out to see him like that. My other boy just laid in his carrier quietly and slept! Hes a good good boy! :)

I don't know if this will help if it is the ear pressure, but for general anxiety I was recently told by 2 different vets that there is a product called "Composure" chews. It is a natural chill pill, or actually chew. It seems to take affect in about 15 minutes and you can increase the dose safely for special circumstances.

I don't know if this will help if it is the ear pressure, but for general anxiety I was recently told by 2 different vets that there is a product called "Composure" chews. It is a natural chill pill, or actually chew. It seems to take affect in about 15 minutes and you can increase the dose safely for special circumstances. Here is a link hope it can help.
Good luck!
Composure Soft Chews for dogs and cats - Calming support supplement for small & large dogs, canine

just reread OP and saw that the dog is 10 lbs, might make it harder to hide but worth the chance, also each flight crew is differnt some are kinder, but best not let them see the pet when you get on, I have noticed when they see my dog on boarding they watch more closely during the flight. Also ask passengers around you to ignore the dog, often they want to ohh and aww and pet the dog that get's my Lola worked up since she loves attention.

Don't know if this will help - wheni first got Cali I knew we would fly a lot. In fact I flew to MO to get her and flew no,e with her. I took her carrier and kept it on the end of the sofa and would sneak treats in it for her to find, and would throw her favorite toy in it so she would go get it. The carrier got to be apace that she would go to to take aa nap or take her ball into to play with. Her attitude toward going in it is positive, but it took lots of work for her to feels that way about it. Got to get them used to it being zipped up and they feel safe and OK.

Hope this idea helps.

I wanted to welcome you to YT as well! I have not flown with our Katie Scarlett yet, but am planning to do so this March/April. Did you check out the 'traveling with yorkies' section of the board? I asked a question about flying there the other day and there is a lot of good info on that section. Good luck! :)

You don't seem to have any problems with the crate since he goes other places in it without incident. It could be the noise and vibrations on the plane.
Maybe next time try placing the crate on one of those egg cushions, maybe that will cut down on the vibrating and noise.

Hi I have flown with Buster from CA to MA a few times and I have found that Buster who is a fairly calm Yorkie does get very upset when put under the seat while the plane is taking off. I had him in a pet flys carrier which is his den that he travels in for errands and just relaxing at home. He was so frantic clawing at the cage that when I snuck him out his tongue was purple and I was wondering how much oxygen he was getting under the seats and if the lack of air was increasing his anxiety. I too always bring an extra lightweight blanket that I pull over my shoulder and sit in the window seat so I can turn my back and hide the fact that I have pulled the carrier into my lap. As long as I have my hand in the opening and the carrier is on my lap he is pretty calm. But I have been chastised by the attendants when caught and have to put him back under as I would hate to be kicked off the plane or be unable to fly back. I did buy a new Snoozer carrier with lots of ventilation so I am hoping this might ease his anxiety in case in is due to limited air flow into his carrier. Roll Around Snoozer Dog Carrier - Roll Around Travel Pet Carrier - Pet Carriers & Purses

start taking him on car rides, put him in the carrier and put him in the back seat. Hes just gotta learn hes going to be ok even when he cant see you

carrier question on old thread
 

This is an old thread but seems like an appropriate place.

I borrowed a sherpa carrier on wheels, but it measures 10.5" and is not very flexible on the edges. I am going to be flying on Spirit with my 11 pound baby. Their height limit for the carrier is 9". I don't think I'll risk the sherpa, plus I think the wheels make the inside even shorter.

I saw the sturdibag mentioned and wondered if anybody had tried it. She would need the large which is 12" high, but supposedly "squishes" down quite easily. I don't think any airline allows 12" so has anybody used it? Spirit seems to be big on its fees, so I'm afraid they will measure it's full height and disallow it. What do I do then?

Do they sell carriers in the airport terminals?

Anybody know how the sturdibag really squishes?? I haven't seen it in any stores, only online. I am in NJ.

I have never flown with a dog, but have you seen this website/blog?

Taking your dog on a plane » Dog Jaunt

GREAT reviews on different traveling bags, etc.

So we decided to take Chewie with us in December. We are leaving for Europe for 3 and a half weeks, and we don't want to leave him in a kennel for so long or take advantage of our friends (again).
He is 8 lb and 1.5 years old and this will be his first flight. We are going with Lufthansa in a ~16 hours flight ( 8.5 fly + 2 layover + 1.5 fly + 2.5 layover + 1.5 fly ) and I am a little stressed. Anyone traveled in such a long flight with their dog?
I have a lot of questions like:
- should I feed him before /during flight?
- what is the procedure for potty?
- should I take some puppy boost in case he doesn't want to eat?
- should I look for another flight with a longer layover at the first stop? I have no idea how much longer the check will be because of him.

Any other advice would be appreciated.