Car Travel with Pets
Dog car travel is not usually too stressful for dogs that are familiar with travelling short journeys by car. Cats must be contained in a carrier, despite their protests, and carriers or cages should be secured on the rear seat with a seat belt. Make sure your pet is fit and healthy, and feed them a light meal a couple of hours before they travel. Take them for a walk before putting them into the car or pet carrier and make them as comfortable as possible. If you are using a pet carrying container, line it with a familiar rug or cushion and let your pet try it out at home for several days before your journey. It is impractical to carry a dish of water in a car, so make frequent comfort stops when you travel with a dog, and carry a bowl and a bottle of water to offer a drink and a walk at these stops.
Air Travel with Pets
If you are travelling by air, contact the airline and see if you can take your small dog or cat onboard with you. This is by far the easiest and most stress-free option for pet travel. There will be a fee and the carrier will have to fit under the seat. Even if you are not flying overseas, the airline may insist on immunizations and on a specific type of carrier. If you are flying overseas you need to comply with the Pet Travel Scheme to ensure your pet does not have to be quarantined. This requires a microchip being embedded in your pet and vaccinations and paperwork all being in order.
Larger pets will have to travel in the hold when travelling by air and the airline may have restrictions, so a phone call is an essential part of preparing for the trip. Try to book a direct flight to avoid delays and the possible separation from your pet. Always fly on the same flight and once onboard, notify the captain via the flight attendant to let them know you have a pet in the hold. The captain can take special precautions if he knows he has live cargo.
Try to fly when temperatures are moderate. In the hot summer months, fly early or late in the day, and during the winter fly when it is warmest. Feed your pet a meal 4-6 hours before the flight and put ice cubes in the water tray which will slowly melt and provide water without spilling.
Make sure your pet has a tag showing your name, contact telephone numbers, permanent address and also the temporary address of your destination. Put the same information on the pet carrier too and carry a photograph of your pet so they can instantly be recognized if lost.
