We may have missed National Pet Travel Safety Day by a week (it was January 2nd), but it’s never too late to discuss travel safety tips for dogs and cats. Whether you’re planning on traveling by plane, train, or automobile, The Meowing Vet is here to guide you through travel preparations for your pets by discussing what to consider before making travel arrangements, what to pack, and how to keep your pets as safe as possible during transport.
Learn more below… 🐶🐱🚗✈️
Disclaimer: The following guidelines are based on travel safety tips for pets within the United States. Travel guidelines for dogs and cats may differ depending on your country. Before traveling with your pet, always consult with your local veterinarian to ensure that your pet is healthy enough to travel and that proper travel protocols are met.
What to Consider before Traveling with Your Pet
Before setting out on an adventure with your dog or cat, which may take you miles and miles from home, ask yourself if traveling with your pet is absolutely essential. Having to transport a pet because of a move may be out of necessity, but taking a pet along for a family vacation is typically optional. Weigh the potential risks which can befall your pet versus the reward of having your fur-baby by your side. Pets become lost, injured, or even killed each year during automobile or air travel. Therefore, consider all alternatives to travel, such as leaving your pet at home with a pet sitter or booking a pet “vacay” at a boarding facility. Even if your pet suffers from separation anxiety when left alone at home, keep in mind that an anxiety disorder can follow your pet during travels, causing him to be even more frightened even if you’re by his side. Consult with your veterinarian to assess whether or not your dog or cat’s health status and temperament makes your pet a good candidate for travel. Very young or very old pets, pregnant or nursing animals, brachycephalic (flat-faced) breeds, and pets with certain health or behavioral problems tend to fare better when left safely at home.
If your vet gives the a-okay that your dog or cat is healthy enough and behaviorally sound to travel and if you have no other alternatives but to travel with your pet (or if you have the rare pet that actually loves an adventure!), then make sure to plan ahead. Some transport options for pets (like air travel) may take several weeks or even months to schedule, especially if you will be traveling internationally with your pet. Therefore, allow yourself plenty of time to make necessary arrangements and refer to the checklist below to lessen your and your pet’s stress level before and during travel.
Checklist Prior to Traveling with Pets
Consult with your local vet to determine if your pet’s health status and temperament will allow for safe travel (as discussed above). Planning on traveling by airplane, overseas, or even across certain U.S. interstate lines? Your pet will require a health certificate from your vet within 10 days prior to travel. (Learn more below under “Schedule a Veterinary Visit”.)- Is your pet up-to-date on vaccines and specialized disease testing (heartworm test, fecal exam, etc.)? Does your destination locale require any special immunizations that your pet may not already have? Now is a good time to inquire. (Learn more about canine vaccines and feline vaccines.)
- Be sure to refill any prescription medications as well as flea, tick, and/or heartworm prevention that your pet may need for the full duration of travel away from home.
- Does your pet’s identification tag and microchip reflect your most up-to-date contact information? Update your pet’s info accordingly, and be sure to also include your contact number or the address of your final destination. If your pet doesn’t already have a microchip, schedule an appointment with your vet. Want to take extra precautions in case your dog or cat becomes lost? Consider a GPS locator app for your smartphone.
- Make a list of local veterinary clinics and emergency animal hospitals along your route and at your arrival destination should your pet require veterinary attention during your travels.
- At least 1 month prior to travel, ask your vet or certified pet trainer to assist you with acclimatizing your dog or cat to a carrier or crate (i.e. confinement training) as well as training your pet to feel more comfortable with car rides (if planning to travel by automobile). If your feline companion will be accompanying you on your journey, consider training your cat to walk on a harness and leash.
- The day before and morning of travel, be sure to exercise your pet to expend excess energy, which will help calm your dog or cat during transport.
Packing List for Dogs & Cats
It’s time to pack your suitcase! If you’re like me, you may also tend to over-pack. However, when traveling with a pet, it’s always better to pack too much and be prepared than to risk finding yourself without an essential pet product. Be sure to pack the following:
- Bedding, including a soft yet supportive pet bed, blankets, or towels (ideal if the bedding smells like your home to put your pet more at ease when traveling)
- Crate (with crate pad) or carrier, portable kennel, etc.
- If traveling by airplane, ensure that your shipping crate or carrier is USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) and airline-approved. If your pet will be traveling in the cargo hold of a plane, attach a “LIVE ANIMAL” sign with a colored photo of your pet to its shipping crate, which should be made of sturdy, hard material and be well-ventilated and large enough for your pet to stand up and turn around.
- Extra collar and leash or harness (with ID tags)
- Extra food and treats (remember that an abrupt change in your pet’s food brand can lead to GI upset)
- Food and water bowls (a portable water bowl/water bottle combo is a must when traveling with pets!)
- Bottled water
- Your pet’s medications as well as flea, tick, and/or heartworm preventive if your pet will be due for them during your trip
- Your pet’s medical/vaccine records
- First-aid kit for pets
- Grooming products
- Pet-safe cleaning products and absorbent pads for smelly “accidents”
- Toys
- Waste bags or a cat litterbox with extra kitty litter and a waste scoop
- For cats: Feliway® pheromone spray to reduce stress
- Pack an up-to-date colored photograph of your pet in case he or she becomes lost
- Flashlight (for late-night pee and poop breaks)
Schedule a Veterinary Visit
If you intend to travel by air within the United States, you will be required to obtain a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (or health certificate) from a veterinarian within 10 days of your departure. Additionally, travel to particular states (such as Hawaii) have strict USDA State Regulations which must be followed if you are traveling across state borders with an animal. If you plan to travel internationally with your pet, certain countries require special documentation by a USDA-accredited veterinarian.
During your health certificate appointment, your vet will perform a physical exam, sign off that your dog or cat is up-to-date on required vaccines, and may also perform certain tests to ensure that your pet is not harboring any transmissible diseases (such as canine kennel cough, feline upper respiratory infection, live fleas and ticks, heartworm disease or tickborne diseases, or intestinal parasites). If your pet’s health status or vaccination records do not meet the standards required by the Certificate of Veterinary Inspection, your vet is not permitted to sign off of your pet’s ability to travel overseas or via airline.
Furthermore, an Acclimation Certificate is also required by certain airlines if your pet will be traveling via airplane; this certificate ensures that your pet is healthy enough to withstand certain temperature extremes (i.e. below 45°F or up to but not exceeding 85°F for 4 consecutive hours in cargo or 45 minutes during transfer from the airport terminal to the airplane). If your pet is not deemed healthy enough to withstand such temperatures (such as for a brachycephalic dog or cat or a pet with respiratory problems), your veterinarian has a professional and legal right to deny signing an Acclimation Certificate. Without a health certificate and Acclimation Certificate, certain airlines may deny transporting your pet. Such decisions are within your pet’s best interests.
Regardless of your travel destination, it’s always a good idea to schedule a vet appointment prior to embarking on your road trip or plane ride for a veterinary physical exam and any necessary vaccine boosters. Take this opportunity to refill your pet’s medications and parasite preventives and to discuss the topics of motion sickness and tranquilizers if you think your pet may benefit from them during transport (read more below). A veterinary check-up once you return home is also recommended to ensure that your pet did not sustain any injuries during travel or acquire any diseases at your destination locale.
Choosing Pet-Friendly Lodging & Destinations
Before setting out on your journey, double check that your excursion destination (be it a beach, campground, marina, hotel, or restaurant) is pet-friendly. Visit www.pettravel.com to assist you in your search for pet-friendly lodging and other resources for international dog and cat transport. If you and your pet will be staying in a pet-friendly hotel, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) advises that you minimize the amount of time that your dog or cat is left alone in your hotel room. If you must leave your pet for a short amount of time, place a “Do Not Disturb” sign on your door and notify the hotel staff that your pet will be remaining in the room during your absence. Camping? Be cautious around wild animals, which can cause injury or transmit certain diseases to your dogs and cats.
Transporting Pets
by Automobile
Some dogs (and even a few cats) love road trips with their owners. Other pets are absolutely terrified of riding in a car. Sometimes, automobile travel is a necessity – when moving houses or simply to transport your pet to the vet’s office. Regardless of whether your dog or cat is traveling in your vehicle out of a need or to join you in an enjoyable adventure, certain safety measures should be followed to protect both you and your pets:
- Many automobile accidents occur each year secondary to a pet distracting its owner who is driving. A pet should always be confined when a vehicle is in motion, particularly curious cats, which should be in a carrier. If you are the driver, never travel with your pet on your lap. Ideally, pets should be properly restrained in the back seat (not the passenger seat) with a seat belt, car seat, or in a crate or carrier. Such restraint is not only to minimize distractions to you while driving but to also help reduce the potential that your pet is injured in the chance of an auto accident.
- To reduce the chance of your pet jumping or falling out of a moving truck, never travel with your pet in the bed of a pick-up truck.
- As much as your dog may love to stick his head out of the window to feel the wind whipping through his ears while your car is in motion, we recommend that you prevent your dog from doing so since debris (such as sand and dirt) can enter your pet’s eyes and cause irritation. (Sorry, pup!)
- Never leave a pet left unattended in a parked car, especially in hot weather or very cold weather. The temperature inside a parked car is not reflective of the outside weather; a pet can quickly overheat or freeze to death inside a parked car due to temperature extremes. You should also consider what you’re going to do if you need to stop at a rest area or restaurant when you’re traveling with a pet, particularly in the summer or winter months. If your pet cannot escort you inside the facility, how are you going to manage your pet when you need to make a pit stop? If you feel comfortable doing so and if you have a spare set of keys to your vehicle, you may wish to leave one set of keys in your ignition to leave your car running with proper climate-controlled air settings, and lock your vehicle with the other set, which you can take with you while you quickly use a public restroom or grab a bite to eat.
by Boat or Cruise
Water travel, be it a fun boat ride or a cruise ship, requires special safety precautions for pets. For starters, invest in a life jacket for pets in case of emergency. Keep your pets on a leash or in a carrier or crate at all times to prevent them from falling or jumping in the water. Also, plan ahead to make sure you have an area where your pet can do his business. If your pupper is going to be on deck with you in the hot sun, protect his or her paw pads with a towel, non-slip mat, or booties. And don’t forget some pet-safe sunscreen. And if you’re planning on taking your pet along on a cruise, note that only a few cruise lines allow pets, some of which may be allowed in your cabin while others may restrict pets to a kennel. As with air travel, you will be required to submit proper documentation prior to boarding certain ships. Because your pet may not get much exercise on board, spend some time exercising your pet before embarking on your boating adventure and at each stopover on land.
by Air Travel
Before booking a flight for yourself, be aware that not all airlines permit pet travel. Therefore, call or book online well in advance to ensure that your dog or cat will be allowed on board. In addition to your own ticket, you will also need to make additional financial arrangements for your pet’s transport. The morning of your departure, exercise your pet and provide water throughout the journey, but you may wish to forego your pet’s meal prior to flying as traveling on an empty stomach may reduce the likelihood of motion sickness and GI upset. Allow yourself plenty of time to check in the airport in order to minimize your own stress as well as your pet’s. Keep in mind that though your pet is traveling with you, this may not necessarily mean that your pooch or kitty will be able to fly inside the cabin with you; some airlines only allow pets to travel in the cargo hold (i.e. underneath the plane near the luggage storage).
If your pet will be traveling in cargo, his or her weight and size of crate will determine how much you will be charged. (Read more about cargo crates for pets in the “Packing List” above.) As a reminder, your pet will be left on the tarmac for a period of time between transporting your pet from the airport terminal to the aircraft. Therefore, your pet may be subject to uncomfortable temperatures and very loud noises and may experience sudden shifting as the airplane moves. Injuries and deaths can and do happen. Very nervous animals as well as brachycephalic (flat-faced) breeds (which are more susceptible to overheating) may not fare well in the cargo hold. As discussed previously, an Acclimation Certificate attempts to reduce your pet’s risk of experiencing prolonged temperature extremes. Nevertheless, some animals may not cope well with such a stressful means of travel. Ideally, make alternative travel plans for such pets or make preparations to leave them safely at home. If your pet must travel by plane, try to schedule a non-stop flight to reduce total travel time and to minimize the opportunity for your pet to become injured or lost when moved from plane to plane for connecting flights. Furthermore, try to book an early morning or late evening flight if you will be traveling during hot weather months, and book a mid-day flight during the winter in an attempt to avoid temperature extremes. If your flight is delayed, chances are that your pet is sitting in his or her crate on the tarmac or already stored in the cargo hold of your delayed plane, so ask an airline attendant to check on your pet regularly. Once you are reunited with your dog or cat following a flight, inspect him or her thoroughly to ensure that no injuries were sustained and that your pet appears alert and stable. In case of an emergency, notify an airline staff member immediately.
For a dog or cat to be allowed to fly beside you in the cabin of the aircraft, that pet must be well-behaved. You will be charged for a special pet ticket or an entire extra seat if your pet will be sitting next to you. If possible, book a window seat or else place your pet in a privacy carrier in the seat adjacent to yours. If your pet is small enough, you may place his or her carrier underneath the seat in front of you. Never place your pet in the overhead compartment!
Other
If, for some reason, you will not be accompanying your pet on his or her travels, and he or she will be venturing solo, you may wish to contact a pet transport service (such as www.petrelocation.com) to assist in scheduling your pet’s transportation and to help your pet reach his or her destination as safely as possible.
Please note that in the United States, most public buses and trains only allow service dogs on board and not other pets. More travel options may be available in Europe and elsewhere.
International Travel with Dogs & Cats
Traveling with your pet internationally requires careful planning – sometimes months ahead of time. Firstly, keep in mind that not every culture may be pet-friendly, so your holiday abroad may not be the best time for your pet to accompany you. It’s always a good idea to contact the foreign consulate, embassy, or regulatory agency of the country of arrival (or any other country through which you may travel en route) well in advance to determine any specific guidelines that you must follow. For instance, certain countries may require that your dog or cat have a special pet passport to gain entry. Other countries may stipulate a mandatory quarantine for any pet entering that country. Countries (as well as the U.S. state of Hawaii) which are Rabies-free have strict quarantine protocols and require that your pet have a Rabies titer blood test performed before entry (even if your pet is up-to-date on his or Rabies vaccine). Such territories do not want to take any chances of foreign diseases or Rabies (a zoonotic disease – i.e. transmitted between animals and humans – with nearly 100% case fatality) entering that location; therefore, strict animal import and travel laws must be adamantly followed. If your pet appears ill once you return back home, schedule a veterinary visit promptly.
A Word on Emotional Support Animals
In addition to many individuals who require the assistance of a trained and certified service dog (such as a guide dog), others may have a legitimate need to be accompanied by an Emotional Support Animal (ESA). Emotional Support Animals offer just that – emotional support to owners suffering from anxiety, depression, or phobias. They are not necessarily specially trained to assist their owners in particular tasks. Therefore, Emotional Support Animals are not service dogs and although their rights are protected under the U.S. Fair Housing Act, they may not always be awarded the same privileges granted to service animals.
To qualify for an Emotional Support Animal, you must obtain a prescription from your physician or mental healthcare provider (therapist, etc.). Your pet (who should be well-mannered and appropriately trained) must then be registered with a legitimate agency (watch out for scams!), and documentation must be provided to airlines or other transport services or businesses in which you wish to gain entry with your Emotional Support Animal.
Keep in mind that an increasing number of facilities are prohibiting entry to Emotional Service Animals – not out of discrimination for those owners with an emotional or mental health concern, but because of a growing tally of instances in which an unruly pet labeled as an Emotional Support Animal (sometimes with falsified documentation) poses a public safety risk or becomes a nuisance. Such occurrences can in turn make traveling with a true and well-trained service dog more difficult for those who legitimately require specialized animal assistance. Therefore, if you do not have a valid need for an Emotional Support Animal but wish to certify your pet as an ESA simply for convenience when traveling, you are doing others who have a genuine need a disservice. Unless your doctor or therapist’s professional opinion is to prescribe you with an Emotional Support Animal, leave Fido or Fluffy at home when traveling or make other transportation preparations.
Should I Give My Pet a Sedative or Tranquilizer for Travel?
Depending on which veterinary professional you ask, you may receive mixed opinions on the use of sedatives or tranquilizers for pet travel. For car rides, sedation (when necessary for an extremely fearful or anxious pet) is typically safe; this depends, of course, if the medication used is prescribed by a veterinarian and used exactly as recommended. However, sedatives and tranquilizers are not without inherent risks. For example, several drugs can depress respiration, slowing down your pet’s breathing and making breathing more shallow. For pets that already have certain respiratory disorders (such as brachycephalic – or smoosh-faced – pet breeds such as English and French bulldogs, pugs, and Persian cats), further impairing breathing can be dangerous. Decreasing breathing action can also impair your dog’s ability to cool herself in hot temperatures by minimizing panting; this can cause some pets to overheat and suffer from heat stroke or even death. Furthermore, when a pet is sedated, she cannot brace against jolts and sudden movements within her cargo crate, potentially increasing her risk of sustaining injury. Many airlines will not allow transport of a pet that is sedated, so always double check with your airline and vet prior to administering any sedative or tranquilizer to your dog or cat. Alternative means of calming your pets may include an anxiety wrap for dogs (such as a Thundershirt®) or Feliway® pheromone spray to reduce stress in cats.
My Pet Experiences Motion Sickness. What Can I Do?
As someone who experiences motion sickness myself, I empathize with other people and pets who become nauseous during car rides, boat rides, and turbulent flights. If your pet “turns green” when traveling in a moving vehicle (on land, air, or sea), only feed a light meal(*) 3-4 hours prior to travel to minimize GI upset. (*If traveling by plane, you may be advised to avoid feeding a meal altogether prior to departure.) Moreover, ask your personal veterinarian about natural ginger root or a prescription for oral Cerenia® (maropitant) to further alleviate motion sickness.
– Maranda Elswick, DVM
The Meowing Vet wishes you and your pet safe travels as you set out on your journey.
