Urgent Advice on travelling long distances!!!

[punkie]

I'm travelling with Milo for the first time. We're going to Turkey from Toronto, Ontario.

I got him a Sherpa bag and he'll be allowed to go in the cabin with me. But I'm worried about the duration of the flight. I'll be at the airport 3 hours prior to flying, then it's an 8 hour flight to Amsterdam. Then we have a 5 hour wait there and another 3.5 hour flight to Istanbul. Then we have another 2 hour wait in Istanbul and another hour of flying to another city. So we'll be travelling for almost 24 hours. The vet wanted to sedate him or medicate him with motion sickness medicine, but I don't think it's a good idea, so I passed on it.

He's never travelled before and I'm worried about him getting sick. He's going to have to eat, drink and go to the bathroom at some point. I don't know if the airports allow dogs to come out of their travel bags and go outside or not. Any advice or suggestions?

[RONLYNN]

Wow...that's a long flight and to not go in the cabin??? Why can't your dog go in the cabin? Is it too big? I would only do the inside cabin thing - unless you are moving and have to get the dog somewhere and that is the only option.

[punkie]

Originally Posted by RONLYNN

Wow...that's a long flight and to not go in the cabin??? Why can't your dog go in the cabin? Is it too big? I would only do the inside cabin thing - unless you are moving and have to get the dog somewhere and that is the only option.

Oh no, he is allowed to go in the cabin with me. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

[scoobiedooiscoo]

i think in between flights they should let you take him out to go to the bathroom if you have time. or at least take him out in the bathroom to go on a peepee pad in between flights.

[jennzy]

i've never travelled with a dog. but plan on doing so next year so i've done a lot of readings. from my understanding, take your baby into the bathroom (in the carrier) when its time to pee & eat.

about medicating or sedating or what not, definately look into the airline. i know korean air does not allow any in cabin dogs to be medicated in any way shape of form (fear of reacting badly and puking)

i would pack like those bone gum or gum sticks to keep the puppy occupied for a long period of time. and buy some bottled water b4 boarding the plane. cuz i personally got really thirsty so your puppy will too! and asking for more water from the flight attendants can get reallly annoying since they only give you water in a little cup.

good luck and let me know how it goes because my future puppy will need to do 14 hour flight next year

[punkie]

Originally Posted by jennzy

i've never travelled with a dog. but plan on doing so next year so i've done a lot of readings. from my understanding, take your baby into the bathroom (in the carrier) when its time to pee & eat.

about medicating or sedating or what not, definately look into the airline. i know korean air does not allow any in cabin dogs to be medicated in any way shape of form (fear of reacting badly and puking)

i would pack like those bone gum or gum sticks to keep the puppy occupied for a long period of time. and buy some bottled water b4 boarding the plane. cuz i personally got really thirsty so your puppy will too! and asking for more water from the flight attendants can get reallly annoying since they only give you water in a little cup.

good luck and let me know how it goes because my future puppy will need to do 14 hour flight next year

I don't really want to medicate him either because it might freak him out even more I think. Thanks for the advice on the bone gum things, I will definitely bring those along in his carrier.

Unfortunately airlines don't allow you to bring any liquids (not even gels, creams or toothpaste) anymore because of the threat of liquid explosives. So, I guess I'll have to make do with the little cups of water from the flight attendants. Hopefully that will be enough.

I called the airport in Amsterdam yesterday and they told me that I'll be allowed to take him outside for a walk while I'm there. That's good news because it's a 5 hour wait at that airport.

I will keep you updated on how the flight goes. We're leaving this Sunday

[linz06]

Originally Posted by punkie

I don't really want to medicate him either because it might freak him out even more I think. Thanks for the advice on the bone gum things, I will definitely bring those along in his carrier.

Unfortunately airlines don't allow you to bring any liquids (not even gels, creams or toothpaste) anymore because of the threat of liquid explosives. So, I guess I'll have to make do with the little cups of water from the flight attendants. Hopefully that will be enough.

I called the airport in Amsterdam yesterday and they told me that I'll be allowed to take him outside for a walk while I'm there. That's good news because it's a 5 hour wait at that airport.

I will keep you updated on how the flight goes. We're leaving this Sunday

Just a suggestion If you buy a drink in the airport after going through security, it should be allowed on the plane. You know where all the little duty-free shops and stuff are after you get through security and before boarding the plane? Usually there's places you can get some bottled drinks, and you should be able to take that with you.

[punkie]

Originally Posted by linz06

Just a suggestion If you buy a drink in the airport after going through security, it should be allowed on the plane. You know where all the little duty-free shops and stuff are after you get through security and before boarding the plane? Usually there's places you can get some bottled drinks, and you should be able to take that with you.

OK, I will try that. Thank you. I hope they'll let me, because last time they took my toothpaste away as I was boarding the plane

[roxybc]

Hey Punkie,

What Airline are you flying? I'm glad to hear that you are able to bring your pup with you in the cabin. My fiance and I are moving to London in a few months and already have our Yorkie all lined up with the breeder there. Anyways, we were worried about what we would do with her if we wanted to travel back to Canada for X-mas. I had always thought that on linger flights all animals had to be in the cargo area in their crates, but I guess not.

Can anyone tell me what airlines allow small pets in the cabins?

[alisonJ]

You'll definitely want to do pee-pee breaks during your layovers. It sounds like you'll have plenty of time. In the US, I just go outside through baggage claim (there are usually landscaped areas) and then re-enter though security (so you'll have to bring your ID and ticket with you).

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES should your dog go through the Xray machine. Believe it or not, one YTer did this.

I am not sure what customs issues you will have to face. It might be too hard to go outside. If so, you should have wee-wee pads. Go to a quiet part of the airport and take your little one out of the sherpa bag to use the wee wee pad. If they are pet friendly, I recommend a little walk up and down the concourse.

I have traveled many times with Edie, and we never used sedation. However, on such a long trip, I would consider it.

[katelin]

Take some pee pads in the carrier with you so you can put them on the floor of the bathroom during the flight if necessary.

There is a new motion sickness medicine called Cerenia that doesn't drug them at all but keeps their tummys settled. I've used it in the car and you couldn't even tell that he was medicated except he didn't throw up. Some people also recommend ginger snap cookies as the ginger is good on their tummy. Trouble is, you need to give either one of those before he gets sick, otherwise might not be able to keep it down. I highly recommend the Cerenia.

Be sure to take a little cup or something for him to drink out of. You want him to eat a little on the flight, and he may not want his regular food. Buy a chicken/turkey sandwich after you go through security, and he might be more likely to eat a little of the chicken. Otherwise, buy a jar of baby food, chicken meat only, and use that. Those jars are small and could be put in your quart-sized bag with your liquid things you are bringing on the plane (you can take any liquid under 4 oz. as long as they all fit in a quart sized zip lock bag. Call your airline if you have any questions about this).

Take a warm blanket for him. It gets very cold on the long flights and the floor can be quite drafty.

Best of luck.

[punkie]

Originally Posted by roxybc

Hey Punkie,

What Airline are you flying? I'm glad to hear that you are able to bring your pup with you in the cabin. My fiance and I are moving to London in a few months and already have our Yorkie all lined up with the breeder there. Anyways, we were worried about what we would do with her if we wanted to travel back to Canada for X-mas. I had always thought that on linger flights all animals had to be in the cargo area in their crates, but I guess not.

Can anyone tell me what airlines allow small pets in the cabins?

I'm travelling with KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines). I was originally going to travel with British Airways, but they told me that Milo would have to go in the cargo and they wanted $1000 each way for him (since it's a round trip). I thought that was outrageous! Pay $1000 for my Milo to be treated like a suitcase? No thanks!

So I talked to KLM and they allow pets in the cabin. Plus they're only charging me $150 each way. Huge difference!

I also spoke to Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam and they're fine with me taking Milo out of the carrier and going outside with him during our stop over.

Had I flown with British Airways, I would have had a stop over in London at Heathrow Airport and they told me that there was NO WAY I could take Milo out of his carrier at any point!

Unfortunately England doesn't seem too friendly with animals.

I'd recommend speaking to as many different airlines as possible that travel to your destination, because they all seem to have different policies and prices.

Good luck!

[katelin]

I know United Airlines allows pets in the cabin - a limit of 2 pets per plane I think. they charge around $100 each way (domestic flights). On a quiet flight in first class the stewardess even let a woman take her yorkie out and sit in the seat next to her for the trip back from Japan. It all depends, I'm sure if the flight had been full or was short that wouldn't have happened.

[punkie]

Originally Posted by alisonJ

You'll definitely want to do pee-pee breaks during your layovers. It sounds like you'll have plenty of time. In the US, I just go outside through baggage claim (there are usually landscaped areas) and then re-enter though security (so you'll have to bring your ID and ticket with you).

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES should your dog go through the Xray machine. Believe it or not, one YTer did this.

I am not sure what customs issues you will have to face. It might be too hard to go outside. If so, you should have wee-wee pads. Go to a quiet part of the airport and take your little one out of the sherpa bag to use the wee wee pad. If they are pet friendly, I recommend a little walk up and down the concourse.

I have traveled many times with Edie, and we never used sedation. However, on such a long trip, I would consider it.

I'm going to take him outside in Amsterdam and walk him around for a bit, weather permitting. It's always gloomy and rainy there. If going outside is not an option, I will bring lots of pee pads with me and let him go in the bathroom.

I actually was curious about the x-ray machine. I'm glad you mentioned it. As far as sedation goes, would you recommend Rescue Remedy?

[punkie]

Originally Posted by katelin

Take some pee pads in the carrier with you so you can put them on the floor of the bathroom during the flight if necessary.

There is a new motion sickness medicine called Cerenia that doesn't drug them at all but keeps their tummys settled. I've used it in the car and you couldn't even tell that he was medicated except he didn't throw up. Some people also recommend ginger snap cookies as the ginger is good on their tummy. Trouble is, you need to give either one of those before he gets sick, otherwise might not be able to keep it down. I highly recommend the Cerenia.

Be sure to take a little cup or something for him to drink out of. You want him to eat a little on the flight, and he may not want his regular food. Buy a chicken/turkey sandwich after you go through security, and he might be more likely to eat a little of the chicken. Otherwise, buy a jar of baby food, chicken meat only, and use that. Those jars are small and could be put in your quart-sized bag with your liquid things you are bringing on the plane (you can take any liquid under 4 oz. as long as they all fit in a quart sized zip lock bag. Call your airline if you have any questions about this).

Take a warm blanket for him. It gets very cold on the long flights and the floor can be quite drafty.

Best of luck.

My vet wanted to give him something like that. I'm not sure if it was Cerenia, but it was something to prevent motion sickness that wouldn't sedate him. I said no, but maybe I'll give them a call and see about that. Someone recommended Rescue Remedy. Do a lot of people have experience with that?

Thanks for the suggestions on food. I imagine he will be plenty nervous and when he gets like that he doesn't even see his favourite treats even if I dangle them in his face. So, I'm sure he'll be reluctant to eat.

I was going to make him wear a sweater on the flight, but maybe I will bring a blanket as well. I know from myself. I get pretty cold sometimes on airplanes.
Thanks for all the great advice!