10 Lessons I’ve Learned From 5 Years of International Travel With My Dog
+ 6 years of writing international health certificates and treating animals in transport
Prepping for international travel with your dog can be stressful. 🤯
There are so many variables to consider. What paperwork do you need? How can you be sure that you have everything completed, and that it’s completed at the right time?
What do you do if your dog needs to go to the bathroom? Or if they get sick mid-flight? How do you prepare your dog for travel and ensure they adjust well on the other side?
As a vet, I’ve been preparing my patients for international travel for years. I’ve also been the Emergency Veterinarian responsible for treating the dogs that get rushed from the airport to the hospital when things go wrong. After years of practice on different continents, I’ve seen it all.
And after 5 years of traveling internationally with my own dog, I know full-well how it feels to be on the other end.
Mistakes were made, tears were shed, sleep was lost, and airline attendants were verbally accosted.
✈️ Here are 10 lessons I’ve learned over the years that will help you avoid the above and ensure smooth flying no matter your destination:
Get your paperwork done in advance.
Triple check with all parties regarding necessary forms and timelines. This includes the airline(s), your local vet, the regulatory or state vet in your country of origin, as well as the regulatory authority abroad.
Even if some of the paperwork is completed digitally (as is the case with most airlines) print everything out and make copies. For some reason the airlines always ask me for the paper forms even if my dog has already been cleared and the paperwork is visible in their system.
Always keep them up to date on vaccines.
If you let a vaccine lapse, you’ll need to revaccinate and potentially booster, which will set you back a few weeks
If you need rabies titers, contact your vet immediately to schedule an appointment and try to get this done well in advance (as early as is permitted by your destination country). If the rabies titer is low, you’re going to need to repeat the vaccine and wait three weeks to retest their blood, which will in turn take a few weeks to come back. If you’re in a time crunch and your pet has no history of vaccine reactions, there’s no harm in boostering them prematurely.
Always keep them up to date on flea, tick, and heartworm prevention.
Parasite prevalence varies by region, so it’s wise to make sure your dog is fully covered wherever they go.
If your dog’s monthly dose is due while you’re away, make sure to pack it with you. I missed a single dose of tick prevention while traveling once and my dog got Lyme disease. Don’t be like me!
If your destination country requires treatment against certain parasites like Echinococcus, your monthly parasite prevention may not be accepted, or you may need to give another dose in the days leading up to travel. Double check this with your vet.
Bring their meds, vitamins, and food in your carry on.
All pet essentials go in your carry-on bag. This includes their diet and medication for the entire duration of the trip. If your checked luggage gets lost:
You might not be able to get their exact food at your destination, and abruptly changing your dog’s diet can make them sick.
Chances of getting a new prescription from a foreign vet before your dog’s next dose is due are slim, and you might have to run through a series of expensive tests to confirm diagnosis before they write you a new script.
Bring a travel bowl in your carry on as well. The flight will only have plastic cups for humans, which may work well for small dogs but will be difficult for large dogs.
If there’s a time difference, calculate your drug dosing interval in advance.
If you’re on a long-haul flight east or westbound and try to stay on the same dosing schedule, your dog is either going to get their medications way too early or way too late.
For some medications, this isn’t a big deal, but for others, the dosing schedule is very important. Before you travel and get scrambled by jet lag, map out when you’re going to give your dog’s meds and set/change the alarm in your phone. You can also incrementally move the time you dose the meds up or down in the days preceding the flight.
For example: if your dog is receiving an antibiotic every 12 hours and your destination country is 6 hours behind, you can administer the medications 2 hours earlier each day in the two days leading up to your flight so you’re aligned with the clock time of your destination country on the day of travel. Do the same thing on your way back.
Make sure you schedule in time for a long walk before heading to the airport.
Have everything prepared the night before so you have plenty of time for a long walk before you travel. Not all airports will have pet relief areas, and you should budget at least 2 hours on either end of the flight when calculating the amount of time they’ll have to hold their bladder. If the airports you’re traveling through do have pet relief areas, map out where those are.
If you have a small dog and you’re going on a long-haul flight, you can try to bring some wee pads for them to void in-flight. In my experience though, adult dogs who are off the pad and well potty-trained won’t use the pads on the plane.
Get reccs on a local vet and the nearest animal ER at your destination.
Save these numbers on speed dial.
Check that all your accommodation is dog-friendly and have a plan for transport at your destination.
Will you use the metro to get around? Call Uber Pet? Rent a car?
Whatever form of transport you choose, make sure dogs are allowed and ALWAYS have a backup plan. Societal perception of animals differs widely by culture. And Uber Pet drivers will sometimes give you shit — especially if you have a big dog.
Ask your vet for any prophylactic or supportive meds you may need.
Sedating your dog pre-flight typically isn’t recommended, but if your dog gets motion sickness or happens to be an anxious dog that vomits when stressed, an anti-nausea medication like Cerenia might be good to administer before your flight. This will prevent an unfortunate mess, an ill pet, and any serious consequences of continued vomiting like aspiration pneumonia. Speak with your vet about your pet’s specific situation and if Cerenia or other supportive medications might be helpful.
And lastly, if you have a brachycephalic (snub-nose) breed or a large deep-chested dog that hasn’t had a gastropexy, think twice before flying with them.
Most airlines ban at-risk breeds from flying, but if you’re somehow able to get them through, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s safe for them to fly. Last time I checked, airlines don’t make emergency landings for sick pets (and if you’re over the ocean, you’re SOL). If you ask me, it’s just not worth the risk.
Safe travels,
Dr. Sami
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Samantha, thank you for this (and for subscribing to my newsletter). My wife and I are thinking of getting a dog here in Mexico and in the next 4-5 years we may move to the USA. It's nice to know what we need to do in case we wanted to bring our dog with us. :)