long distance travel with pets

[susiewaits]

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So hopefully this post does not cross the advice line set by the website.. if so feel free to report and block it!

I am going to CA for a externship, coming from OH/MA.

I am wondering what everyones opinions are on long distance travel with pets. I wish my personal dog was small enough for travel on board the plane however he is not..by far.

Traveling cross country, for a trip of 2 month long duration. Question... Drive 3-5 days straight (a high energy, neurotic dog) or 6 hour direct flight in cargo. Leaving with family is not an option unfortunately. Opinions?

 

[marinemammal]

Fly him. It's 6 hours, but look into different flight lines. There are certain airlines that have separate areas for pets instead of cargo. They are temperature and pressure controlled. I would book one of those.

Good luck. I'll be in your shoes in about 2 years...fun, fun.🙄

 

[StartingoverVet]

I thought there was a thread discussing this last spring/summer but couldn't find the exact one, maybe TT will have better luck.

Personally I am not a big fan of cargo considering the stress involved for the dog, especially a "neurotic" one. Not to mention the problems that occur with the airlines. There is a dog-only airline for shipping that you might consider but it is expensive and doesn't have many routes (from what I hear).

Still, I drove x-country last summer, and it was not an "easy" trip (2 dogs, a cat, my wife and I). The hot weather at the time didn't help, but never being able to leave the pets alone was really a stress. We did the trip in 5 days (pretty much 8 hours of driving a day). Our cat couldn't really tolerate any longer than that.

I worry about how your "neurotic" dog will be in the car though. If car rides are difficult then maybe 6 hours is better than 40 hours ((or whatever)) of stress.

Good luck.

ps - our trip was L.A to Philly.

 

[StartingoverVet]

There are certain airlines that have separate areas for pets instead of cargo. They are temperature and pressure controlled. I would book one of those.

An airliners hull is completely pressurized, there is no other way. Advertising pressurized areas for pets is a gimmick. No living animal could survive in a non-pressurized or non temperature controlled environment at 40k feet.

 

[Marsala]

I drove from Phoenix to Chicago with 3 dogs in the car. Everyone settled down after about half an hour. It wasn't bad at all. I would never put my dogs in cargo (just my opinion). Good luck!

 

[Trilt]

I don't have any great words of wisdom simply because my dog is the chillest animal in the world and views car rides as extended nap periods... however...

This thread cannot come to an end without this comic.

 

[bunnity]

I would drive, because you at least can be monitoring your dog the whole time.

I drove from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia (not nearly as far) with my rabbit and it was nerve wracking because they stress so easily. He did great though!

My advice:
-make sure your air conditioner works
-talk to your vet about meds
-freeze water bowls so that the water melts slowly and doesn't spill
-get a long line or long leash so your dog can get some exercise at stopping places that don't have fences
-make sure your dog is safely restrained with a car harness or a crate to keep him safe
-make sure he is wearing collar and tags, and that the tags have your cell (since you're moving) in case he gets lost
-make sure you have a copy of vet records with you in the car, and that he is up to date on rabies (last thing you want is an issue with crossing state lines). I am pretty sure you are supposed to get a health certificate for crossing state lines - ask your vet.
-if your dog is a breed banned in areas with BSL, plan your trip around that because you can get in a lot of trouble for even driving through places like Denver with some breeds.

 

[twelvetigers]

Sorry I'm late.

This thread links a few others in the middle bit.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=619383

 

[Whyevernot55]

I don't have any great words of wisdom simply because my dog is the chillest animal in the world and views car rides as extended nap periods... however...

This thread cannot come to an end without this comic.

I came over here JUST to post this link...and you already did. This comic makes me snort tea out my nose.

 

[that redhead]

I don't have any great words of wisdom simply because my dog is the chillest animal in the world and views car rides as extended nap periods... however...

This thread cannot come to an end without this comic.

My dog is also super chill and just sits there/lies down when we're driving. The only long distance trip she's been on (a couple of hours from MD to PA, so not terribly long) wasn't a problem.

I like the option of flying because its quick and over with. It's expensive, though. I like the option of driving because you can monitor your dog (and keep her sedated, if need be) and it isn't as expensive. In the end, its up to you.

 

[lareinesoleil]

I came over here JUST to post this link...and you already did. This comic makes me snort tea out my nose.

Wow, this is the funniest thing EVER!

My dog is also a pro-traveler, but one thing I'd suggest if you're driving is try to crate-train now - then in the car or in the hotel rooms, your dog will have a safe place that smells like "home". My dog really reacts well to that DAP spray in her crate - but some dogs seem not to notice it at all. Worth a try, maybe, it's not going to make things worse.

 

[susiewaits]

Thanks everyone. Haha i completely forgot about that blog post! I saw it a few weeks ago.

He has seperation anxiety, so I think I agree with you all that we should drive. He does the 12 hour car ride to and from ohio very well. so I will keep my fingers crossed!