Pros and Cons of using acepromazine to tranquilize a 5 month puppy on his first 6 hr flight?

Question

This is the first time I take my puppy from California to New York. The flight is 6 hrs long and the Vet gave me acepromazine. I wonder if anyone has used this product. What were your experiences? Also, do you have any suggestions as to how many hours before flight should I feed him? What about water? What about handling him at the airport (he likes to bark and wants everyone to pet him. I am also concerned about his peeing on someone? Once on the plane, how to handle him?

Thank you very much for your anticipated assistance.

Answer 1

Your pup will have to be in a crate to fly. Get him used to the crate asap. This way he'll be flying with a little piece of home. Don't feed him for at least 3 hours before the flight, you don't want him to get airsick.

If he's small and his crate his small enough you may be able to fly him in the cabin of the plane with you, he'll have to go under the seat. This will help as well.

The Ace tablets aren't as predictable as the injectable form of Ace so your pup may either be highly sedated or barely affected. It is a long lasting drug normally 6-8 hours.

Ace is a fairly commonly used drug, I've only had good experiences with it, but my experience is only with the injectable form.

Here is a website with some really good information on Ace, you should definately check it out before giving it to your pup. http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_acepromazine.html

Answer 2

I am assuming that you are taking the pup on the plane with you since nobody will fly a dog as cargo to NY in the winter. Try to get the first flight out in the day so you have a better chance of getting it rebooked.

Do not let anyone touch your dog at the airport since if it nips anyone, your dog will probably be refused boarding on the plane since it is "dangerous." Keep it crated from the time you get out of the car until your are outside the airport in NY. You will not be allowed to handle the dog on the plane except through the openings in the crate. It must stay crated.

My experience with sedated dogs is that they often bark even more and are not aware of you enough to be convinced to stop. Training the pup to not bark on command is best. Dogs with soft palate issues, like that reverse coughing thing, often have difficulty breathing while sedated.

If you are flying in the morning, no dinner for the dog unless it is a small breed like a Chihuahua that gets dangerously low blood sugar. Take the water away five hours before the flight takes off.

Answer 3

Recall that dog that got outta the crate at JFK and was never seen again? Take a roll of duct tape with you and after the anitbomb inspection wrap a layer around the crate over the door so it can't pop open.
Ace can allow a nervous sound sensitive dog to handle the crate and plane noise but reduces the dogs ability to control its body temp and the plane cargo hold is not alway heated to room temp.

Answer 4

Hi, I understand that you are looking for some advice or resources to help fully train your dog or fix behavior problems. If a professional dog trainer is not an option at this time, or if you want to trt training your dog on your own (a great way to bond), I'd suggest you https://tr.im/Wxmdm

A friend recommened it to me a few years ago, and I was amazed how quickly it worked, which is why I recommend it to others. The dog training academy also has as an excellent home training course.

Answer 5

the pros when it comes to sedation for animals during travel:
1. Your trip is calmer
2. Less stress on the animal
3. Safer for you to drive

The cons:
1. You will have a pretty loopy dog for a while
2. They may have accidents (pee / poop) and not really care
3. They may have adverse effects to the drug
buy a plain sponge, rinse it out really really well. Then cut the sponge to fit any tupperware container. Soak the sponge and put it into the sealed container. Whenever the dog wants water, sqeeze out the sponge into the container. When the cat is done, put the sponge back into the container

Answer 6

NEVER EVER have i heard of drugging the the dog for a flight.. breeders ship their dogs all the time, traveling the dog show circuit,,,, IF YOUR DOG IS CRATE TRAINED,, there should be NO STRESS involved,, as your dog will be quite comfortable in his CRATE!. For water,, freeze a cool whip container with water,,, and put it in the crate,, it will thaw along the way,, and put absorbent towels in the crate also...

PEEING ON SOMEONE?????? ;you r dog WILLL NOT BE OUT OF THE CRATE!!!!!!!!!!!