Travel Tips for Flying With Pets

If you want to ensure that your pet is both safe and comfy when flying, there are a few basic guidelines and tips to follow. For starters, it’s important to get familiar with the pet policies of whatever airline you’ll be flying with. For example, will your pet be allowed in the actual cabin with you? Can you transport your pet’s favorite CBD pet products with you on the plane? Consider there might be restrictions if your pet can’t fly in the cabin with you or the airline might need specific pet immunization and health requirements. Are there any requirements for pet carriers? 

Not every pet will be well-suited for traveling by air. Some things to think about include the animal’s overall temperament, if they have any sort of physical impairments, or if they’re suffering from some sort of illness. Before you start out on the trip, make sure your pet can travel. This might include taking them to the vet for an overall checkup and to ensure that the animal is up-to-date with all of its vaccinations. 

Health Certificate

During the vet appointment before your trip, ask your vet if he’ll issue your pet a health certificate. Generally, this should be dated about 10 days before you set out on your journey. Carry it with you while you’re on your travels because at various parts of your trip it might be required.

Carrier

You can get either a soft-sided or a hard-sided carrier. A soft-sided carrier will be more suitable to use as a carry on and will fit better under your seat. That said, make sure you follow the recommendations of the manufacturer to find the right size carrier for your animal. This means it has enough room for your pet to comfortably lie down, turn around, and stand up. Also ensure there’s enough ventilation and that your pet will be secure in the carrier and won’t be able to escape.

Label

It’s important to remember to stick a travel label on your carrier that has your name, your destination, an emergency contact person, and addresses of both your destination and your home on it. It should also have phone numbers for your home, your cell phone, and your destination. This way, should your pet get lost, someone has a way to get in touch with you.

ID & Collar

Make sure your pet is wearing a collar that won’t get caught in the doors of his carrier. Put two pieces of identification right on the collar. One should be a permanent ID that contains your name, phone number, and address. The other one needs to be a temporary ID that contains the telephone number and address where you or an emergency contact person will be able to be reached.

Feeding

Make sure not to feed your pet at least 4 to 6 hours before boarding the airplane. What you can do is give them a bit of water before your trip. If you can, secure a collapsible, small bowl inside the carrier and put a couple of ice cubes in it.

Tranquilizers

Don’t give your pet any sort of tranquilizer unless it’s prescribed by your vet. If your vet does this, make sure he knows it’s for air travel.

Once you get to your destination, open the carrier as soon as you get to a safe space and take a good look at your pet. If there’s anything wrong, find a vet as soon as possible. Get any results from the exam in writing and make sure the time and date are on it. As always, put the health of your pet first.