Flying -- Sedation?
 

Hello, I'm taking Linus and Kimchee on their very first airplane! We're travelling cross-country (6 hours total), and I'm wondering if I should give them sedatives or not? I'm hearing mixed things, i.e., that it helps them because they just sleep and that it is bad for them and makes the flight harder on them. Any advice appreciated -- thanks!

It's not possible for you to carry them in the cabin with you??? I have a pet taxi that slides right unhderneath my seat so I never sedate them.

Just FYI :)

flying
 

NEVER sedate a dog flying in cargo...very dangerous. If they are going in the cabin, they shoudl do very well..there is something about the sound and motion that puts mine to sleep..and I put two in a carrier...never had one bark or make a sound.

Thanks for your responses. I am definitely bring them both in the cabin with me (I could never put them in cargo!), but I wasn't sure if I should sedate them for when they are in the cabin with me. I've purchased a pet taxi to put them in. One of my boys is a barker though, and I'm afraid that he will bark in the cabin. Do you sedate your yorkies for in-cabin flights?

It's not a good idea to sedate them. Ideally, you should get them used to the carrier you will be transporting them in, so that isn't something unusual to them. I have a barker too, but because they are unsure of the situation, they tend to be pretty quiet. I have had mine give a few yips and growls, letting me know he wasn't thrilled, but nothing too loud and what with the plane noise itself, no one really heard him. I had people sitting just in front and behind me surprised I had a dog with me when we were deplaning.
Hope all goes well!!

I have flown with my little Yorkie and she flies in the cabin with me. I would NOT sedate her. The hum of the engines put Tina to sleep and she slept all the way from NY to California. I wish I could have been so lucky. I sedated Tina only once (not for flying) and I almost lost her. If they are little,5lbs or less it is very hard to judge how much to give them. What is ok for one 5lb dog may overdose another 5lb dog. I found that out the hard way. Please don't sedate..........:animal-pa

Thanks for the responses! I'm definitely not going to sedate them. They are both around 4lbs, so it doesn't sound like a good idea. Meanwhile, fingers crossed that they sleep the whole way!

I will have to be in the minority here :). Used safely on a healthy dog, sedatives can make a world of difference on the amount of stress placed upon your pet. If your pet is used to a crate and/or loves its crate - a sedative probably isn't necessary and he'll probably do fine.

However, if you have a dog who hates the crate: stuffing him into a tiny, claustrophobic space with changing air pressures and odd sounds for 4-6 hours, without any release is placing your pet under a lot of unnecessary stress.

I've flown a lot w/ my dogs (neither of them see their crate as "hang out" places). Wylie (7.5 lbs) does really pretty well and stays pretty calm, although he may try to paw against his bag.

Marcel (3.4 lbs, and normally the relaxed one) went BONKERS the first time he flew and I thought I was going to lose my mind. He finally calmed down an hour into the flight - but I could not move a muscle or it would start back up again. The way home, I tried Benadryl (childrens) - which helps a little, but not really enough for him. This summer, we again flew home - Benadryl on the way out and Marcel still was bothered and made noise. So, on the way home - we gave Acepromazine - and it made a TOTAL difference. He could relax, be comfortable, be sleepy - stress free for him and us.

I really didn't want to have to use Ace. - but now realize that it can be used safely. If you go that route, it's probably a good idea to try a dose at home first to make sure your dog reacts safely. [It is never supposed to be used for cargo, btw]

Another thing - both our dogs get reallly hot under those seats - so we brought along those "gel packs" that you freeze and put them in their bags to keep them cool. Security didn't say a thing about, which was great.

Thanks! I had heard mixed things. Definitely something to think about. Both of my boys HATE being in crates. They much prefer to roam free or sit on my lap :) Our flight isn't until tomorrow (and I've already gotten the medicine just in case), so I will think about it all day and tomorrow!

What you can do, is buy some Childrens Liquid Benadryl. Try flying without giving anything at all and see how they do, but bring the benadryl along (you'll also want to bring along an empty syringe you can squirt it in their mouth if needed). If they are going nuts on the flight, you could give the benadryl - but it will take about 30-45 mins to work.

Benadryl is mild, so you could give it anyway ahead of time - if you want. How much do your babies weigh?

My Harlee HATES the crate or any bag that she would have to go into ....I have flown to Jersey and back to Az with her a few times..Never again !!!!!!!!!
One time my son brought her over here (we usually sneak her out and put her under the blanket) this time not....She scratched a hole in the mesh on the bag and it was awful...
One time we had to take her on the plane , I gave her 'Rescue Remedy" to relax her homeopathically, well, the plane didn't even take off yet and she was having a fit , panting, her tongue almost black from stress...The airline hostess announced if there was a vet on the plane, asked if we wanted to get off. (how could I, it was my son's bootcamp graduation)...A doctor and his wife who happened to be a therapist whose jack russell had similar anxiety on a plane had to give her Jack Daniels, yep, 2 drops (or whatever touched my finger) of Jack Daniels on her tongue...That's desperation!!! You had to be there, I needed to finish the bottle myself... (I didn't)....It was a grain whiskey , they said it would be ok....Well, it was, finally after about fighting off being nervous, she settled down and on my lap...They announced on the plane that she was alright and everyone clapped....What a trip !!! I will never do that to her again !!!
I don't recommed giving any animal liquor at all, except in my scary situation ...she's also 6yrs old and thinks she's the boss and would probably want me in that bag !! LOL And I would have gone in instead of her if I could have...

Yep - and this is where sedatives have their place. Granted, we'd all prefer not to give them, of course. But when we have to travel with our dogs - and we have to choose between causing a stress level of 9 out of 10 for the dog - or giving a sedative, I'd choose a safely dosed sedative. :)

It's a medication, and it can be given safely.

acepromazine
 

:animal-pa
the ACE.....a question... can this sedative be used for grooming with a difficult dog? is this a prescription drug? also.. what dosage of childrens benadryl did you use? thank you:)

does the liquid contain too much alcohol for them???

I'm guessing it would help for that...but honestly in that case, I'd probably look into valium for the doggie - bc valium is usually considered even safer than Ace. (but valium can't be found small enough and convenient enough, for some dogs). Ace. is a prescription. There is a formula for Benadryl - but I give about 1.5 ml to Marcel and about 2-2.5 ml to Wylie.

Childrens Ben. is considered safe for dogs, but if your dog has any medical issues, I'd clear it w/ your vet first. :)

Just saw this so thought I'd chime in.:D It is REALLY important for anyone trying Benadryl for the first time, to try it at home first. I learned that the hard way. Spike does not like the car so on a long road trip I gave him Benadryl. As it turns out, Benadryl affects Spike as speed!:eek: It was a horrendous 8 hours of him completely freaking out. My vet also prescribed Valium for him for his severe storm phobia and it was the same but worse. We had to lock him in his stroller to keep him from hurting himself. He was completely wired with zero coordination. It was pretty scary and I was on the phone with my vet on and off for several hours while we got through it.

Just read this about sedatives here. FYI.

Despite this, acepromazine does have some significant effects that must be considered. It can cause hypotension (lowering of blood pressure). This effect may be exaggerated in Boxers and there have been anecdotal reports of death of Boxers after the use of acepromazine. In addition, acepromazine seems to make it easier for dogs with seizure disorders to have a seizure. This medication should not be used near the time of dipping or treatment with organophosphates for flea control.

thanks.

I flew with our yorkie last year from Chicago to California, not one peep out of her. Actually, we kept checking on her to make sure she was breathing!! She never made a sound and we didn't give her anything. We took her out when we landed and everyone was shocked that she had been on board during the flight. (The flight attendants all wanted to hold her when we took her out, she loved that.)

We are leaving again to California in July and, hopefully, she will behave just as well. I did ask the vet about a sedative and he said to try it without it first and she did just fine. Make sure you get the vet checkup slip within ten days of traveling (we did but were never asked for it and we had to check in separately because of the animal carryon).

There is also a product called Bach's Remedy you can purchase it at most health food stores. It is very safe to use.

Scooter has flown a bunch. The first flight ever, I gave him nothing and it was miserable. Luckly, it was an hour flight and I brought Childrens Benadryl with me (my vet suggested taking it should I need it because of the multiple flights involved). When we landed at the airport for a layover, I rushed into the family bathroom, so I could take him out and calm him down. I took out the benadryl and per the vets directions, gave the correct dose. We had about an hour layover and by the time we boarded our next flight, he was ok. About 10 minutes after take off, he was clearly uncomfortable. He tried to get out of his carrier and I spent the entire flight bending over trying to keep him calm. The flight crew would not let me keep the carrier on my lap. Once we got to our destination, I knew we would face the same thing going home so I called my vet. I was given a new dose to try so we could get home. Return flights, not as bad as the first but not pleasant either. He again tried to chew a hole in his carrier and actually ripped a small hole in the mesh.

Before our next trip, I circled back with the vet. He was not comfortable giving Scooter more benadryl and suggested Ace. I did not want to sedat him but my vet said the dose would be very mild and just keep Scooter calm. Big dogs take several Ace pills....Scooter takes 1/4th of a pill of the smallest available dose. Life has completely changed. Scooter knows that those pills mean we are going to the airport and he is going with me on a trip. I normally give it to him before we leave for the airport. By the time we get there (25-30 minutes away) and park, he is calm as can be. Don't get me wrong, he is normally calm but this is "I am cool, just hanging out" calm. I carry him until we are finished with security so he is not in the carrier yet.

By the time we go through security, he is ready to get in his carrier. He walks right in and lays down. He is sleepy by this point and settles in for a good nap. He is awake when we are moving but once I set the carrier down, he is off in lala land. Take-offs and landings no longer bother him...he frankly could care less. I am not allowed to leave his sight though. I can't get up and go to the bathroom or even put the tray table down without him letting me know he doesn't like it.

I understand the concern about using Ace but with the correct dose, it is a lifesaver. While Scooter wants to nap, if he is alert enough to notice that my tray table comes down, that is not sedation in my mind. I use Ace now for every trip. Scooter weighed probably 4 lbs when we first used it and now weighs 8 lbs. The dose has not changed and I do not intend to increase it. Ace costs me about $3 per pill at my vet which they then split into 4ths for me. It is more costly than bottle of benadryl but it works way better for us.

My advice to anyone thinking about the best way to fly with your pets is talk to your vet. Our vet knew everything about it and answered all of my questions. I feel very confident in my decision to use it, especially with my vets blessing.

Hey I wanted to ask since you flew from NY did the airline ask you for a license for the dog and for a medical certificate?

How did the flight go?

problems with flying and those terrible crates
 

On our last flight, Pepper was so upset I put her on my lap and she immediately calmed down. Unfortunately, the flight attendant told me that dog MUST be under the seat! Now I am very, very, very nervous about flying. She hates the crate too, and since I work from home, she is never in a crate---or far from me.

Linus and Kimchee on their very first airplane
 

How did Linus and Kimchee do on their very first airplane flight?

I fly with my show dogs all the time. I've never had to sedate. The only time any of my dogs have had a problem was recently, but it was during the car ride to the airport. She vomitted. Once in the air, the white noise luls them to sleep.

You can try putting the entire carrier on your lap, and putting your hand/arm in the carrier to pet and comfort your dog. Or.... bring a blanket and discreetly let your pup sleep in your lap under the blanket.

This is an old thread revived! :)

Yorkie Sedatives-??
 

Hi Nicole--I clicked on your message "Just read this about sedatives here. FYI" and it gave me an error, unfortunately. :confused:

Hmm, I just clicked it and it worked for me.

Medication - Acepromazine

I'm flying Wednesday with my 4 month old puppy and she is 2 lbs after a big meal. I hope she does alright she will sleep in the carrier for naps if I leave it open alright but gets upset if I zip it and cries. Is it safe to give one this small any thing if needed? Her cry is more like a tiny mew do the airlines kick you off your connecting flights if their is crying? I'm taking my 7 year old granddaughter home and flying back Sunday.
Just to vent a bit it upsets me that they won't let me bring a carry on bag because her carrier count as my carry on I called Airtran and asked. It goes under the seat not in the overhead and should be considered like a purse plus I'm paying extra it just doesn't seem fair:(