Getting Your Pet Ready For Pet Friendly Travel

The first thing that you need to do in order to prepare your dog for pet friendly travel is to get your dog a proper traveling kennel. The kennel must be in compliance with the airline regulations. Usually, the kennel will have to be large enough so that the dog can stand up and sit down comfortably.

You can find traveling kennels in most pet supply stores, but considering the nature of the journey it may be a good idea to seek advice from your local veterinarian.  You will need a safe, comfortable, and secure travel kennel for the journey.

The next thing you need to consider is how long the flight is going to be. You want to make sure that the dog is properly accommodated so that the dog will not have to go to the bathroom during the flight and it in it. You should keep some food and water in the cage, but ideally the dog should not be fed a couple of hours before the flight.

Certain airlines prefer that there be a towel in the kennel for the pet to use as a bathroom, not a tray of litter.  Check with them to see if this is the case.  It may be a good idea to put in an old shirt or something similar with your scent on it, so that the pet feels comfortable.

Once you have gotten all of the necessary items needed for the pet friendly travel, on the day of the flight you will have to get all the paperwork necessary and have the kennel outfitted with the various stickers such as “Live Animal.” You will need to have the animal at the cargo area of the airliner a few hours before the flight.

Once the flight is in the air, your pet will be carefully looked after by the airline stewards.  If you have any concerns, or want to know how your pet is doing, the stewards will be more than willing to help you, and should be able to update you with the status of your pet if you ask them.

If you need more information about pet friendly travel, check out the web sites of the airlines you are thinking of using.  Most good airlines have a lot of information on how their pet friendly flights operate, and should be willing to answer any questions that you have.