Long Airplane Flight with Puppy: How do we do this?
 

We will be taking our first trip with our 14-week old puppy Logan. He will be 16 weeks old when we take the trip. He currently weighs 1.5 pounds. We are still crate training Logan, and that is going very well.

The first leg of our flight is one hour. No big deal. But we have a 3-hour layover at the airport. Then the final leg to our destination is 5 hours long.

Where will Logan go potty during our 3-hour layover and 5-hour flight? He'll have to eat and drink water during this time as that would be too long for him to go without food at his tiny size. That means more potty trips.

How do we do this???

Puppy pads in the bathrooms.

I would still keep the food and water to a minimum. Just to keep him hydrated and sugar levels even.

I was so nervous the first time too----Milo was a dream though.

I was just reading that you have to keep your puppy in his crate under the seat at all times on the flight. That means Logan would have to remain under the seat for at least 5 hours on the final flight - no potty or food breaks. That concerns me. Some say it's best not to travel with puppies, so I'm wondering if this is a good idea at all.

I have traveled a few times with my puppy, and he did so well. I promise you that you will have a tougher time with it than the pup will :) It'll be okay. Just take your 3 hours that you're at the layover and find a family bathroom that you can go in yourselves and lock the door. I would say put a puppy pad down and give a VERY minimal amount of food and water, just enough so he gets something in his tummy. I would play around in there for a good while (there are plenty of bathrooms, don't feel bad about taking that one for a while....*at least I wouldn't...hehe:p) Anywho, I would just play in there and try to wear the pup out for the 5 hr trip because he will be under the seat, but if he's tired he'll just go to sleep and have no idea what's happening. You will be fine! I think you're better to take him along if you're able than to leave him with someone else. JMO...hope that helps :)

So you all don't think 16 weeks and less than 2 pounds is too young/small to travel like this? I've just never done this before, and I'm concerned about Logan's wellbeing.

Great advice already, just wanted to add, be sure to tuck an extra blankie in the bottom of his carrier and I always put a little pair of jammies or at least a shirt on Toto. We have flown with her regularly since she was about a year old and it's just "old hat" to her now. Some of the people at the airport in B'ham. have seen her so often, they get excited when they see us there! :) When we leave the local airport here in Grand Junction for our "hop" over to Denver, we take an early flight and they do not warm the plane before we board. It's really cold on the floor so I want to make sure she is warm. Also, if you are really lucky and get nice flight attendents, they might let you hold the carrier on your lap during the flight. We have been fortunate and had several wink and say "dog?? What dog??" I really appreciate those who do that and if anyone should ever complain, I would swear that we just sneaked her out and the attendent didn't know it!! :rolleyes: Most of them will at least let you take the carrier out long enough to check on him and give him a tiny sip of water. Also, it might be a good idea when you check on him, give him a little "pea sized" treat of Nutri-Cal.

Good luck and I hope you all have a wonderful vacation!! ;)

I want to bring the Nutri-Cal but it's in a 4.5 oz. tube, and the airlines allow only 2 oz. of liquid/gels in a container. If I put some Nutri-Cal in another container, it won't be labeled, and that could cause problems (been there, done that). Do they make travel-size tubes of Nutri-Cal?

"I want to bring the Nutri-Cal but it's in a 4.5 oz. tube, and the airlines allow only 2 oz. of liquid/gels in a container. If I put some Nutri-Cal in another container, it won't be labeled, and that could cause problems (been there, done that). Do they make travel-size tubes of Nutri-Cal?"

You might could just take a 1/2 tube, roll the bottom up and if they question it, just tell them your pup has to have it. I get Toto's from her vet [vet formula] ... I'll give him a call and ask! ;)

I think you've gotten some great advice here, not much I can add. Hmmm. Don't know. I don't think it would taste bad, you could taste it if you get questioned and just tell them is a sugary product for your pooch.

What I did when I flew to LA was open the crate just a little andd put my hand in there every so often and talk sweet to her. Potty time was in the bathrooms as was food and water of which she wouldn't eat or pee. Didn't pee in her crate either. But I did put some dry kibble in my hand and let her eat it when I opened the crate a little and on the layovers, I got her out and hand fed her a little and kept her pretty much in my lap the whole time but if you take a leash with you, on the layover, you can put her on the floor next to where you are sitting .

Maybe you can bring a little packet of syrup, like you get at Mcdonalds. That will help sugar levels in a pinch. I don't think Nurical comes smaller.

I flew with Marcus a few weeks ago and was nervous due to his tiny size about traveling too. He did great and it was def harder on me than him. I brought a full tube of Nutri-cal with me in my carry on. When we went through security, they pulled the Nutri-cal out to check it. It was also larger than the amount allowed. I told them that it was medication he needed to ensure that he did not go into a hypoglycemic fit (which is the truth when dealing with these little guys). Since it was medication, they allowed it. The second leg of our returning flight was delayed so we were stuck in the airport for eight hours. Marcus isn't wee pad trained and refuses to have an accident in public. So we had to go all the way out of the airport to find a grassy area close by. Due to the long delay, we had to repeat this three times, each time having to go all the way back through security and be checked out again. We had different security people each time and all said the Nutri-cal was ok since it was a type of medication. Hope this helps and you and you furbaby have a nice trip!:)

Some airports have little "dog yards" - so you could take him outside. There are also ususally pee areas designated outside by baggage areas (for traveling dogs). So, you'd have to go back through security - but at least he could get out, stretch his legs.

I've taken my carrier INTO the bathroom, on the plane - to see if he wants to potty, drink water (do NOT give water from the plane's faucet though), take him out for a bit.

For flight travel, I bring: pee pads, baby wipes, extra towel, brush, extra dog food (in case of major delay), small treats, Nutrical, "hamster" water bottle, childrens benadryl, chew toy, pepto, id tags, harness, leash.....I THINK that's it.....:D

First off,

you need to speak with your vet about this travel itinerary with a 14-week-old puppy. Find out what they reccomend.

I have travelled with our first yorkie to Scandanavia which takes about 26 hours of travel total (with 3-4 connections) to get to my father-in-law.

She was a few years old though when we first started. She went to Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and more!

I am a flight attendant for a major airline.
What everyone needs to understand is that it is the FAA that requires all pets brought onboard in a carrier to remain zipped up in the bag for the entire flight. You must stow the carrier under the seat in front of you for take off and landing, but you can hold it on your lap or if the seat next to you is empty, put it there during the flight. But it is supposed to remain zipped up. Technically we shouldn't even put our hand in there. That is the deal you sign on for when you decide to air travel with your pet.

With that said,
I am not so strict with dogs. (Cats I am becasue we have had them loose and crawling over the airplane.It was so hard to catch them!) I see no evil and let my pax hold them under a blanket on their lap. But all my flying partners have to be ok with it too. And other passengers around you may object as well.
My other beef with the pets remaining zipped up is that it is fine for a short flight, but when you are travelling for quite some time, it is inhumane to not be able to unzip and comfort our pets.

As far as the nutrical going into an unlabeled container, that is not a big deal with the TSA. Only that it is in a container of 3oz. or less. All my toiletries go into little plastic bottles, unlabeled. For all they know it looks like hair gel.
You could squeeze the nutrical into a little plastic container or just put it in a ziplock baggie.

My vet recommended our dog licking ice chips to quench their thirst, but not put too much pressure on the bladder as a bowl of water would. We would feed very little during our travel time. But our girl sort of knew the drill and didn't even want to eat food when it was offered to her. But she was not as young as yours and that does concern me.

Technically, I believe when you are in the airport terminal, your pet is also supposed to be in its carrier. I do see them walking around on leashes, but if an airport employee says something to you about it, they are just doing their job and following the rules.

If there is an FAA agent onboard, they could fine $$$ the flight attendants for not enforcing ANY of the rules we are trained and tested on annually. And God forbid your pet is injured or injures another passenger, it is the flight attendant who will have to answer to the airlines legal department and bear the consequences.

Hope this sheds some light on your travel experience.

I traveled to Mexico when Lucy was 16 weeks and 2 lbs. and she did just fine. The security had no problem with the Nutrical though they may be a bit more strict during the holidays. I took a wee pad and some kibble (and always take wipes in case of an accident). Lucy just slept most of the time.

Happy travels!