Air travel

We are traveling from Newark to Los Angeles by plane with our 4 month old male. I purchased a Sherpa Bag for travel, size medium. He will fit in the seat in front of us. Our flight is nonstop, so total travel time will be about 7 hours. Our vet said that she cannot prescribe any medication to calm him because it will lower his blood pressure, and therefore his overall resistance, too much. Would anyone suggest giving a 4 month old a very mild sedative for an airplane flight?

• We have flown all of our dogs on airplanes and only one was a complete mess. (she was a rescue dog we were flying home and she screamed during the whole flight and everyone hated us--but we dealt with it) Next time I flew her, our vet recommended giving her a child's dose of dramamine to sort of take the edge off. It doesn't knock her out but makes her sleepy and more relaxed. It worked very well, plus the fact that she had flown before and knew nothing was going to happen. A sherpa bag is a good thing because you can put your foot under your puppy and let the puppy fall asleep on it and feel reassured that you are there. It basically comes down to experience and reassurance. If you're planning to fly her frequently just sacrifice the first embarrassing trip and see if you need to give her dramamine or not. Our other rescue dog flew just fine without it. She was quiet and slept the whole way. It is totally worth it to fly your dog with you instead of leaving the poor thing in a kennel. Good luck!
  Veronica

• I travel with my pets and each one is a different case...if the dog is a nervous one then you might want to give it something...but there are also natural products out there like valerian that calm them down without drugging them.
  Joy

• Hiya Diane~
  Ask your vet about a mild tranq. I have a four pounder who is a frequent flyer. She does quite well on a mild tranq, given one hour prior to leaving for the airport. You and your vet know your dog best. In my opinion, it is far easier on a dog to sleep peacefully during the flight. But, this notion came to me only after much reassurance from our vet and a previous experience with another small dog, who chewed her way out of her carrier and nearly made it to the co-pilot's seat, entertaining my fellow travelers in the process. To lessen the stress, prior to your flight, practice with your dog. Place a treat into your dog carrier, etc. Allow dog to experience being enclosed and moved about and so forth. Place a familar blanket and favorite toy inside the carrier for the flight. Do this practice enough so that it becomes an established routine. Then, you and your dog will both be more comfortable on during the actual "big bye-bye."
  Bon Voyage. LP~

• LP~ is right on the money! You are lucky you can bring your dog on board with you. Travelling in cargo is 100 times more stressful. At least your baby can see you the entire time! Have a great trip!
  Bad Lucy's mom

• My four-month old puppy and I are booked on a flight on Thursday night. I reserved him a space in the cabin instead of cargo. He is going to be in a soft-sided carrier that will fit under the seat. I was concerned, as was you, with giving him a mild sedative. I asked my vet and he gave me Acepromazine 10mg tablets for Peanut. He told me to give him a half tablet one hour prior to travelling. It should last for six hours. The vet assured me that it will not harm him. I am curious to see how this wh ole air travel with Peanut will go. Please pray for me that he doesn't bite the flight attendant's ankles as she/he comes around with the dinner trays!!
  Paula A.

• I would try to refrain from giving sedatives to the little guy. You may not have a problem with him being scared on the plane. Does he get scared in the car? If not, he'll probably be just fine. Let him get used to the kennel though that he'll be travelling in. Let him go in and out of it for a few days or weeks before the flight. Also as someone else mentioned, make sure his favorite toy goes to. Good luck! I hope everything will go fine. :-)
  Jay

• My show Maltese travel with me on the airplanes in a Sherpa bag. They are never tranquilized. The secret to traveling with you Maltese this way is several things -- first you must be calm and not make a big fuss over the dog. Book a window seat -- that way no one will have to climb over the space your dog is in. Get on the plane as sson as possible -- ask for early boarding or board with the "kids, handicapped, etc.". Get on as sson as you can and settle your dog -- then DON'T pay any attention to th em at all. Most of all DO NOT take your dog out during the flight. He/she will be perfectly happy to snooze -- the hum and rocking of the aircraft is enough to put most of them to sleep. I've traveled many times with mine and have people remark as we were getting off -- "Gee, I didn't even know there was a dog on board". They usually do not need a tranquilizer.
  bobbie linden, bhe-jei Maltese