Flying With Your Dog

[FalconRange]

Is there anyone that knows much about traveling on planes with a dog? I'm considering taking mine up to Sydney for a long weekend holiday, but am wondering about approximate costs and procedures.

How expensive is it to put a dog on the same flight as you? In this case, we'd be going from Adelaide to Sydney and back.

Is sedation necessary/highly recommended?

Are there any permits (council, DPI etc.) needed? (Clearly I haven't done this before!)

Any additional medications needed to be administered? I know going to Tassie, a dog needs to be treated for Hydatid tapeworms etc.

How stressful is it on the dog to travel like this?

Just wondering whether it's feasible and safe to take him. Otherwise, it'll be off to the kennels for him! If you have any advice or information, I'd greatly appreciate hearing it!

Thanks. :)

[Issy]

I'm not sure about interstate travel but I can you tell you that sedation is certainly not neccessary. My little guy came all the way from the USA to Sydney and he was fine. I'm guessing sedation may work for some dogs who have health issues and the like? which I'm guessing yours wouldn't since you are planning on taking him for a holiday.

[Missymoo]

Easy pesy, just crate them and meet them at the other end with big cuddles!! They stress a lot less then we think they do :)

[Allerzeit]

No sedation, not recommended at all.

Apart from treating dogs for Hydatids before entering Tasmania, there are no other quarantine issues involved with flying between other states, to the best of my knowledge.

Make sure you use an airline that takes dogs - Jetstar doesn't, for example.

Cost depends on weight. For a large dog you are potentially looking at paying more for the dog than for the person, for a small dog you may find that there is minimal cost.

You will need an airline approved crate, if you don't have one then you will need to hire one.

The dogs normally cope very well, as Missymoo said we stress a lot more than what the dogs do! :)

[Sandra777]

If you're on the same flight they can usually go excess baggage which is cheaper but doesn't mean anything else really. You will need to check with the airline about availability and as Allerzeit said - some airlines don't take dogs at all.

Sedation is a big NO NO. A sedated dog can't balance properly so if the plane hits turbulence it can be very seriously injured. A sedated dog also can't regulate it's own temperature very well and although the area of the hold where the animals are is the same temperature and pressure as the passenger cabin, it can still be a little warm or a little cold for the dog (same as for us) and the transfer from the plane to the freight terminal may take 5 or 10 minutes, which is a long time if it's a hot-ish day.

The only reason a dog would find it very stressful would be if they are not used to be crated. Dogs don't appear to understand they're flying so aren't "afraid of flying" like some people are, but there are strange noises, they're in a strange place and surrounded by strange people - but for a normally socialised dog this is usually just a bit worrying not really freak-out material, but if they are in a crate and have never been confined before then it can be very frightening for them.

Edited April 27, 2012 by Sandra777

[Tralee]

Is there anyone that knows much about traveling on planes with a dog?

I'm considering taking mine up to Sydney for a long weekend holiday, but am wondering about approximate costs and procedures.

How expensive is it to put a dog on the same flight as you?

In this case, we'd be going from Adelaide to Sydney and back.

Is sedation necessary/highly recommended?

Are there any permits (council, DPI etc.) needed?

(Clearly I haven't done this before!)

Any additional medications needed to be administered?

I know going to Tassie, a dog needs to be treated for Hydatid tapeworms etc.

How stressful is it on the dog to travel like this?

Just wondering whether it's feasible and safe to take him.

Otherwise, it'll be off to the kennels for him!

If you have any advice or information, I'd greatly appreciate hearing it!

Thanks. :)

It is feasible and safe.

But it depends on how well your dog travels.

I've had to medicate a pup sent to Hawaii.

My big girl does not travel on planes well, at all.

She doesn't like engine noises and the dogs are usually stowed at the rear cargo area beside the engines.

I've received her drenched in a cold sweat on several occassions.

Larger planes don't have the same problem.

Px

[Sandra777]

I've received her drenched in a cold sweat on several occassions.

Really - your dog sweats?

:laugh: :laugh:

[Allerzeit]

I've received her drenched in a cold sweat on several occassions.

Really - your dog sweats?

:laugh: :laugh:

Not only sweats, but gets drenched in sweat! :laugh:

[Tralee]

I've received her drenched in a cold sweat on several occassions.

Really - your dog sweats?

:laugh: :laugh:

Not only sweats, but gets drenched in sweat! :laugh:

No but she salivates and urinates.

Do you really think dogs in stress are funny Sandra777 and Allerzeit?

That could have been handles much more considerately.

[WreckitWhippet]

I've received her drenched in a cold sweat on several occassions.

Really - your dog sweats?

:laugh: :laugh:

Not only sweats, but gets drenched in sweat! :laugh:

No but she salivates and urinates.

Do you really think dogs in stress are funny Sandra777 and Allerzeit?

That could have been handles much more considerately.

Could have been handled better on the owners part too, by realising that the bitch was stressed by the expereince and not subjecting the bitch to such stresses several times.

[Allerzeit]

Do you really think dogs in stress are funny Sandra777 and Allerzeit?

NO, but I think you're a riot!

You said your dog was drenched in sweat - it was NOT drenched in sweat. I was laughing at your suggestion that a dog could be drenched in sweat, not at the dog being stressed, as you well know. But, go ahead and be a drama queen about it, I would expect nothing less from you.

What's more, sedating a dog during flying is not something to take lightly and certainly not something that should be suggested to others as something to use offhand! It can cause serious problems and should only be used under veterinary advice.

Frankly if a dog gets so stressed about flying that it needs sedation, then don't fly the dog!

Edited April 27, 2012 by Allerzeit

[Rainy]

NO, but I think you're a riot!

You said your dog was drenched in sweat - it was NOT drenched in sweat. I was laughing at your suggestion that a dog could be drenched in sweat, not at the dog being stressed, as you well know. But, go ahead and be a drama queen about it, I would expect nothing less from you.

Like!

[Ptolomy]

Drop off time is usually 90 minutes beforehand. As others have said - no sedation and you feel worse than the dog who usually gets off the other end with a waggy tail and happy to see you. For 30kg weight (dog and crate) costs per sector is usually $100.

[pepe001]

A friend recently flew her largish dog from Darwin to Brisbane - $165 each way plus hire of crate. That was on the same plane as her. She was sedated - which I was horrified about - but seemed to do ok.

[Dogsfevr]

If it covers a weekend then Qantas (AAE) have flight restrictions,Virgin have a limit on the number of dogs per flight (i think 2) but no flight restrictions for weekends.

You have crate restrictions for both airlines that also must meet the size of the plane if a large/giant breed .

Certain flat faced breed also face restrictions on flying .

My dogs are frequent flyers & never ever would i sedate unless the reason was worth the risk.

Due to the time of sedation pre flight i have witnessed dogs where the sedation has worn off & they have totally panicked over the effects of it wearing off & not knowing where they are .This panic alone increases the risk & the body temp to become irregular .

[Greytmate]

Get your dog used to being in a crate before you fly, and your dog will be less stressed.

In summer you would try to book flights in the coolest part of the day because the dog may have to wait around in a big shed for a while, and will be exposed to the sun while loading.

Sedation is dangerous. If a dog gets that stressed that it becomes a health concern, in my opinion it shouldn't be flown at all. An airline can refuse to load a dog onto a flight if the dog seems not to be coping.

[Obi246]

Correct me if im wrong.. but i think you still have to go through a pet transport company even if you are flying on the same flight?

My lab puppy went from tasmania through melbourne to adelaide with Jet Pets and it cost me $200 inc crate hire.

If you look at some pet transport websites they usually have lots of information as well as do's and dont's

[Dogsfevr]

Correct me if im wrong.. but i think you still have to go through a pet transport company even if you are flying on the same flight?

My lab puppy went from tasmania through melbourne to adelaide with Jet Pets and it cost me $200 inc crate hire.

If you look at some pet transport websites they usually have lots of information as well as do's and dont's

Adelaide does have different rules apparently,haven't flown there since the changes

[Allerzeit]

I flew with Feonix from Hobart to Melbourne and return last year - I arranged it directly through Virgin, the only contact I had with a pet transport company was to organise crate hire. If I had my own crate I wouldn't have needed to involve pet transport company at all.

[mantis]

Easy pesy, just crate them and meet them at the other end with big cuddles!! They stress a lot less then we think they do :)

So true, when I moved back to Vic from WA in 2007, I was worried sick about how Kenny would cope with the long flight, especially as he was 9.

I was a basket case the whole flight, wondering what I'd find when I picked him up from the freight depot. What I was greeted with was Kenny sitting in the crate on the back of freight trolley, thoroughly enjoying the experience, bloody dog.