I am traveling tomorrow with my 3 month old puppy German Shepherd. He is too big to fit as a carry on so I have to put him in the belly of the plane. I am a little worried, I want to make sure he is okay. Does anyone have any experience what the procedure is?
2007-04-25 02:33:11 · 6 answers · asked by scrapmail2 1 in Pets ➔ Dogs
He'll be fine. I fly dogs all over the US. The cargo hold is heated and pressurized. I'm assuming that you have the required health certificate from your vet and an airline approved crate. Tomorrow walk your pup and give him water. Don't feed him until you get to your destination. Put some toys in his crate. Take a ziplock bag and fill it with his food. ID tags with both your home and destination on the dog. Bring a sturdy leash with you. Hopefully he's chipped too. Get to the airport early. They will scan your dog and the crate. They will tape the food to the top of the crate. This is so they can feed the dog if you get stuck somewhere. He gets loaded in the plane. Hopefully it's a non-stop otherwise he'll switch planes. You'll off-load and claim your dog at the destination. The airport people have always been wonderful with my dogs and I've never had a problem. Personally it beats the car. Have a great trip!
2007-04-25 02:44:17 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
I have shipped dogs but never traveled with them myself. From what I know, it should be fine. Make sure you get a large pet taxi, you can get a wal-mart, not an extra large as it is to large. They should come with 2 small bowls. Shred newspaper and line the bottom of the crate with it, and tape the food in a baggy outside the crate. IF it is a long trip, the baggage handlers know to take that time to feed the dogs and walk them. However, if it is not a long flight, and I mean not over 8 hrs, i would not even bother with the food, just water will be given to them when there is a chance and everything should be fine. Have a safe trip
2007-04-25 14:13:07 · answer #2 · answered by boleen03 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Yes I have expieirience with the airlines and i say dont do it . the reason being it is a nightmare . My mother and I flew from fla to seattle and we put our dogs in seperate crates . I had a cairn terrier at the time and my mom had a husky/mal mix well some idiot at the airline put our dogs together in the same crate . when we got to seattle our dogs were covered in vomit ,feces and urine !!!! I am still in the legal process of getting this taken care of . My cairn had ingested some jet fuel fumes too as well and had to be put to sleep when i sought vetrenary help for my dog . I had had this dog for 11 yrs b4 this came about . I will never ever put another dog on an airline . I will drive from now on . my mom's dog has had many medical problems since this fiasco too .
2007-04-25 11:40:13 · answer #3 · answered by Kate T. 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I am assuming the airline knows you are coming?
The crate should be JUST big enough for him to turn around and barely stand.
Allow extra time at the airport, probably another hour. When we flew with our dogs we just took them up to the ticket window with us. We did not feed them that morning, they weren't happy about it but we did not want to take the chance of them vomiting in the crates. He won't starve to death in a few hours. I froze ice in the water cups, so it would last longer and not get slopped all over.
Have a sturdy leash handy as you will probably have to take him out of the crate while they run the crate itself through x-rays.
I cut up an old bathmat and put in the bottom of the crates (I shipped dachshunds to Hawaii and back) you can also put a t-shirt you slept in, in there with him so he will feel you are close. A Kong would give him something safe to chew on.
Most airlines will bring you a slip of paper letting you know that your pup is safely on board.
Once you arrive at your destination, as far as I know, the airport will not allow you to take him out of the crate while on airport property, so have a few treats (and possibly a bottle of water) in your carry-on; he will be SO GLAD to see you
He will probably sleep the whole time.
2007-04-25 09:37:57 · answer #4 · answered by Karen W 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Follow the airline's instructions to a tee and you won't have any problems. They will provide you a list of items to have and how to pack them. Arrive at the airport early, as you will need time to check your dog in, then check yourself in. Here's something they won't tell you ... Carry a photo of your dog. Also, carry a photo of you and your dog, as well as other folks you'll be with, with your dog. This way if there's a mix up, you'll have something to identify your dog, and something indicating which people are with this particular dog.
For me, the worst part was when the attendant comes to pickup my dog's crate for loading. They bring it to a van which drives out to the tarmac to load the crate on the plane. I always worry that they'll drive to the wrong plane.
Knock on wood ... no problems so far!
Enjoy your trip.
2007-04-25 09:48:02 · answer #5 · answered by Ginbail © 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
normally they give your dog a seditive so the ride is a bit better but it should be right
2007-04-29 04:46:43 · answer #6 · answered by kelly c 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋