Great Air Travel Tips For Dogs

This article has some great information on how to make that plane trip as comfortable and safe for your canine pal as possible. Here are some especially useful tips:

• If you are flying during the summer and your pet is traveling in cargo, try and schedule the flight in the early morning or evening, when temperatures are lowest. If you're heading out in the winter, aim for a midday flight. Because the temperature in the cargo areas can be extreme, most carriers only allow pets on board if the air temperature is greater than 45 degrees or less than 85. That excludes a lot of the peak summer and winter travel season, so it's best to keep an eye on the forecast before going to the airport.


• Don't feed your pet two hours before departure to ensure it will be comfortable with the lack of potty breaks ahead. Try freezing water in a dish to fit in the carrier, so it will melt gradually during flight and avoid spillage.


• Exercise with your pet a couple hours before flight to tire them out and help them relax. Adam Goldfarb, Director of Pets at Risk program at the Humane Society, recommends against the use of sedatives because the pet won't be able to protect itself if the carrier shifts during flight. Pets can also have reactions to the sedatives that may not be caught during flight. Sedation can be especially dangerous for those breeds already prone to breathing problems.

Check out the article for more great tips. The article also provides some of the latest rates that airlines are charging for in cabin traveling and cargo traveling.

Source: http://www.mercurynews.com/travel/ci_12309700

Tags: travel with dogs, air travel for dogs, fly with pets, travel tips for dogs.