Travelling, including Flying, with your Dog

For details on how to find an animal handling agent who can relocate your pet for you, see IPATA. Some will even collect your pet for you from your home address. They have a lot of experience and your pet should be in safe hands. This is a video made by Airpets, which is one from the list.

Choosing a Travel Crate

Your dog will likely need to fly contained in a crate in an aircraft hold. Crates need to meet International Air Transport Association (IATA) specifications. You can, and should, check with IATA for the most up to date requirements; there is a downloadable pdf on the Pets’ Corner page of the IATA website. There is no such thing as an IATA approved crate, since IATA do not approve crates; it’s down to you, the owner, to ensure that the crate you use is compliant, and of the correct size. What IATA does is to produce a list of requirements for an animal container that should be followed. Check here for the most up to date requirements:

The Animal reception centre at Heathrow has a video that shows how to measure a dog for a crate, and some examples of inappropriate crates, which could help explain the requirements.

Some exporters/importers will actually custom make a crate to the size of your pet. Carriage is charged by weight in some instances, and volume in others, so allows for minimum size for compliance to be achieved.

Considerations when choosing a crate include:

• The material it’s constructed from
• Its weight as well as size
• Its proportions
• Its total volume
• Whether or not it can have wheels attached. In reality the wheels are probably not as important as one might initially think, and they have to be removed before a flight. Whether it can be assembled/dissembled easily for getting into a vehicle or for storage, is a valid consideration.

Requirements for travel vary by individual country, and they also vary by airline. This becomes pertinent if you purchase one of the larger containers, which might be fine for carriage by some planes, but not others. Sizes of dog crate aren’t standardised, and vary between makes, so check the actual measurements of your dog rather than relying on the descriptor of “suitable for GSD” or size label of “extra-large” or “medium”. You need to check both internal measurements (this is the one you need to accommodate your dog’s minimum space requirements), and the external measurements (the carrier will use this to decide which aircraft your dog could potentially fly with). This is why it can be good to check airlines for their aircraft fleet and their policies with regard to pet transport before you purchase. Some airlines (eg Air France) sell their own crates.

If you have a snub-nosed breed (brachycephalic), be forewarned that many airlines will not want to carry them at all, and carriage should definitely be avoided in hot weather. For such dogs a crate has to have greater space (currently +10% on the measurements) than the crate required for a standard dog. This is mentioned in the IATA pages.

Measuring your Pet

The important thing to remember here is if your dog has prick ears, the height measurement needs to be to the top of the tip of the ears.

The width measurement needs to be at the widest part of the dog, and this might be the hips for some dogs, and across the chest in others. Measuring with a tape measure is one way to do it, and another way is using a piece of string then measuring that. Be prepared for it to take a few attempts to collect these measurements. I would suggest recording them at the time of doing each measurement too. If you have a voice recorder on your phone you could use this, which saves having to write the measurements down at the time of doing them. I usually measure on at least two occasions, and then use the largest with my own dog. Like us, they can stand differently.

From the IATA site these are the measurements needed. This is a slight change from before, to now include the depth of any bedding in the height measurement.

A = length of animal from tip of nose to base/root of tail.
B = height from ground to elbow joint. The length you need must be at least A plus half B, as their foreleg will protrude forwards when they lie down.
C = width across shoulders or widest point (whichever is the greater). The width you will need will be at least twice this measurement, to allow for your dog to turn around comfortably.
D = height of animal in natural standing position from top of the head or the ear tip, to the floor (whichever is higher). The height you actually need will be this measurement, plus the depth of any bedding as an internal measurement.

The calculated dimensions are internal container dimensions.

Minimum internal container dimensions for a single animal:

• Container length = A + ½ B
• Container width = C x 2
• Container height E = D + bedding
• Snub-nosed breeds require 10% larger container

Please check carefully before you travel to see if your pet may be subject to extra legislation in the country you intend to travel to. If you are travelling internationally, the UK (and some other countries) have legislation that bans certain breeds.

Vaccinations and Protocols

There is more than one kind of Microchip. Make sure the one in your pet is of the right kind for reading with the ISO readers, otherwise you may need to provide your own reader. Usually, this is only likely to apply for dogs from abroad. See: Bringing your pet dog, cat or ferret to Great Britain

Check for the location of your microchip, and if it has moved, mark this on all its registration details and in its pet passport. You should also report that it has moved. See: Report a suspected problem with an animal medicine or microchip

Again, these vary by country, and are subject to change, so requirements need to be checked on the official pages of the countries you are travelling to, as well as your own, should you intend to return with your pet. This is the current page for GB. Usually countries that don’t have English as an official language have an option to read the page in English.

Here is the page for France, for example.

If you are taking your dog out to a high risk rabies country, think about having the rabies titre tested before you fly out, as then you will be all set to return should you have to cut your trip short in an emergency. There is currently a requirement to wait for three months after the date of taking a rabies titre test blood sample, and that must be taken no sooner than 30 days after a rabies vaccination from a dog which must be microchipped before the qualifying rabies vaccination was given, though you can chip the dog, and then immediately take the blood in the same appointment. If you do choose to test before leaving for a third country, you would also have peace of mind that your dog has responded adequately to the vaccination, and therefore has protection (before you enter the high risk country). The titre test will stay valid for the life of your pet, provided you keep your rabies vaccinations and paperwork up to date. This must be done to the letter. One day late, and you will have to start again from the beginning.

If you are relocating countries, do not omit to register your pet’s microchip with the database of the new country when you arrive. This might involve a fee. If you are bringing your pet to the UK. a list of pet microchip database providers can be found on the government pages; I have my own animals registered with petlog.

Things you can do Before the Flight

As soon as you have your crate, you can start to accustom your dog to it. You may be able to make the crate a place that the dog feels comfortable in. This development can be encouraged by using it as a place of good smells, where good things happen, like food being fed, for example. Some crates come in three pieces: a top which fits inverted inside the bottom, and with a removable door. With such a crate, half could be used as the pet’s normal bed, though if the measurements have been done correctly it will be somewhat large. If you are transporting the pet to the airport yourself, then having a crate that can be assembled at the airport after carriage in a car is an advantage.

Pet Remedy (see here for a discount code) can be wiped or sprayed inside the crate onto the inner surface, and you can do this before the flight as well. It has a calming effect. Adaptil can also be used, which is a pheromone that should help promote a sense of safety. Additionally, if the crate is big enough, the owner could sit inside it for a bit, preferably when they’re happy and content, and so leave their smell inside. Socks (worn) can be hung from the metal grills before, but not during, a flight, as only the dog is allowed inside during the actual flight. If you can’t sit inside your dog crate another idea would be to use it as a laundry basket.

My understanding is that dogs should not be drugged at all. I’ve seen some threads suggesting owners ask their vet to prescribe an anxiolytic or sedative. This is not a good idea because these drugs can affect the cardiovascular and respiratory systems.

Swimming, and Using a Lift/Elevator can Introduce the Experience of Weight Changing

The feeling of one’s weight changing can be approximated to with sensations encountered in swimming, and by doing some travelling up and down in lifts. Floors in the lift can make a difference. Metal ones seem to be the most challenging. To start with, just find a lift you can walk in and out of without moving. Even before that, you can get your dog to sit and watch people going in and out of a lift to spark their curiosity. Ample treating is a great idea as you do this. Lifts are often found at carparks. The dog will possibly feel a bit strange, and even frightened the first time the lift moves, but if you keep calm and act non-perturbed, the dog should take its cue from you. My own dog bounces into lifts at the station. Ample treating and familiarisation will help, and of course if you have a puppy, this is one of the things you can get them used to when they are small enough to carry around. You can even do it before they are old enough to go out walking on the ground.

If a dog has to quarantine, then use of a specific smell, for example the Pet Remedy product, could be a good safety cue, providing your dog already has a positive association to that smell. The Mini Spray is a handy pocket sized version of Pet Remedy. You might also like to leave something with your own smell on, perhaps as bedding if that is allowed.

Adaptil works in a different manner utilising pheromones to help your dog feel safe and settled so can be used either on its own or alongside Pet Remedy.

Food and Water

Water bottles can be used with crates, but a dog needs to be trained to use them. I got one from a UK shop ‘The Range’, which is basically a big rabbit water bottle designed for puppies. Lixit is a make that I’ve had recommended to me too, though I have no personal experience of using that one. It’s worth looking for local products where within-country air travel is part of the normal behaviour, such as Australia or America. Current guidelines stipulate a water bowl and a food bowl must be securely attached to the crate, with an open top to give access, and it should be accessible from the outside. This would seem to suggest that currently water bottles cannot be a substitute for the water bowl. They can be used as an additional source of water.

If using a water bowl, you can freeze the water first, so getting your dog used to frozen water could be another thing to think about proactively doing beforehand.

Whatever container you use for water, it should be securely attached to the crate, and easily fillable from the outside.

The Flight Itself

When choosing a flight, you may have had to consider the time of day the flight departs. It’s also important to consider what would happen should there be a delay, e.g. would your pet potentially be prevented from flying if a delay meant that ambient temperatures became too high?

If travelling with your dog on a flight where it goes as excess baggage, remember to ask the flight attendant to check your animal is safely on-board, before take-off. This is important to make sure everyone knows that there is an animal in the hold. It is also worth asking before you get off where you can go to pick your dog up. A friend of ours took a few hours to find his dog after he landed, and it had been left with some other lost property in a random corner of an airport. When animals travel as cargo this is taken care of by the animal handling agents.

There are some things that your dog may encounter in an airport that you could think about desensitising your dog to well in advance of any travel, and these include suitcases on wheels. Getting the dog exposed to hearing languages other than your own being spoken, and the nonverbal communication styles of other cultures and their dress styles are additional things that might cause discomfort to a very alert, highly sensitive dog. Language and accents are something that can easily be introduced into the home environment, while, other than sitting outside a local airport, it will be harder to find ways to accommodate the other things.

Animals that travel should be healthy and fit for travel. Additionally, there is a requirement in the paperwork for animals to be wormed at a specific time before returning to the UK in order to prevent the import of echinococcus. Requirements are mentioned in the government website referred to earlier.

Giving your dog a bit of exercise before the flight, and ensuring they have emptied their bladder and bowels is sensible. They should have access to water before the flight, but though recommendations vary on when to give the last pre-flight food, general consensus is none should be given within the four hours immediately before the flight departs, and even then, only a smaller than normal last meal should be given.

Parasites

Tick control

There are a number of products used for tick control. Scalibor and Seresto collars both give protection against fleas and ticks, though Scalibor possibly has the greatest repellent activity to ticks. Scalibor is unsuitable for cats. If you use these products there are considerations that need to be observed for protection of wildlife, for example if your dog goes swimming. These are mentioned in the data sheet that comes with the product.

Other products require more frequent application. Be aware some products require a tick or flea to bite before they are killed, whereas others kill the insect when it comes into contact with the animal’s coat or skin. I think it is best to choose a product that repels the ticks and fleas, rather than one which only kills them after they have bitten. It is the insect bite that could potentially transmit organisms like Ehrlichia, a blood parasite.

If you are travelling abroad, don’t forget to think about taking flea and tick control with you, so you can be sure you have genuine products, and if you do, to store them appropriately. Check as well about the legality of taking any medicines with you before you go. With regard to all products, and especially Seresto and Scalibor collars, it’s important to get them from sources which are registered with the VMD (Veterinary Medicines Directorate). This is vitally important, as even within the UK, many fake collars are being marketed illegally on outlets such as Amazon and Ebay. Apart from wasting your money and giving money to scammers, you will be risking the health of your dog. Tick borne diseases include such nasties as Ehrlichia, Anaplasma and Borrelia. Even in the UK, if your dog is likely to come up against ticks, it’s best to proactively protect them. There is also a nasty disease called Leishmania which can be transmitted by sand-fly bites. I have linked an article about this in the further reading.

Worming for your pets is also important. UK is lucky to be an island, and by worming your dog thoroughly as it comes home, or as it leaves the country, we can have a positive impact not only on our own dogs’ health but also those of dogs in the countries we travel from or to. It’s a current requirement for dogs that enter UK to be wormed with Praziquantel before they arrive to try to prevent the importation of Echinococcus worm in particular. When choosing an anthelmintic (wormer) make reference to the situation of the country you are travelling to; heartworm protection, for example, may be required.

Consider…

Finally, and last but not least, consider whether it’s really necessary to take your dog with you at all. It might be easier on the animal to stay with a relative or family member if you’re only travelling abroad for a few weeks or months. Additionally, if you are taking your dog to some areas of Europe or abroad where Leishmania is endemic, consider the health risk of your dog contracting this nasty disease. Brucella Canis is another disease that is more of a problem abroad than in the UK. It can be tested for via a blood test, and if your dog is positive then the advice currently is for euthanasia. If you are importing a dog from abroad it’s therefore sensible to test for this before the dog travels. Brucellosis in dogs is a notifiable disease in the UK. It could be done for not much extra at the same time as the rabies titre is carried out.

Further Reading

This study involved flying beagles, and looked at the effects of sedation and tranquilisation, showing that it was of no benefit to the dogs.

A USA site with a good diagram on how to measure your dog, and a list of the dimensions of the Petmate Sky Kennel.

A useful resource that can help you to locate a pet shipping agent. This has a lot of useful information, and is a good place to start if you need to find an animal shipper or transport agent.

This is link to an article about the parasite Leishmania; a blood parasite transmitted by sand-fly bites, and common in many holiday destinations.

The tropical council for companion animal parasites has a lot of useful information. Government information with regard to microchips can be found here.

Make sure to register your microchip with an approved database to avoid getting scammed. It’s also worth checking that the fee is a one-off fee, and whether making changes should you move is included.

This is a link to an report of a scam microchip registry.