Pet Party Line is a column written by Beth Byrd and is featured weekly in The Citizen News, one of our local newspapers.

Pets and the Perils of Airline Travel

Year around travel and summer vacations emphasize the need for pet owners to understand the perils of airline travel when necessary. Many airlines ban pets from flying in extremely hot or cold weather because they might suffer while waiting on the tarmac. Airplane cargo holds throughout the industry are temperature-controlled and pressurized to the same degree as the cabin. However, an aircraft cargo hold is unfamiliar and isolated and can be downright scary for your pet. Two Texas airlines estimate shipping 200,000 animals annually and cite fewer (only 56) incidents. The Human Society of the US disagrees with those numbers but asserts that airlines have done more to make travel safer for pets.

Here are some helpful tips I have learned from many years of airline travel with my pet from Washington, DC. to and from SC. Check with your airline to determine their specific requirements for pet travel. Smaller pets can travel in a carrier under the seat in the cabin if space is available. Otherwise, they travel by cargo. Health papers (rabies, etc.) from your vet will be required as well as an airline shipping fee when you purchase your ticket. If you are traveling abroad, be sure to check the arrival country’s quarantine time. Make sure your pet has his ID tags and that the collar is not too loose so it might catch on the carrier. Your fingers should be able to slip under the collar. For a nervous pet, some vets recommend pet valium. Make sure your pet carrier is large enough for your pet to be able to stand full height and turn around. It also helps to put his small blanket or toy inside to relax him. It’s probably better to go light on the food and water before flight time. I labeled my carrier at each end with my pet’s name, my name, address of destination, and all phone numbers. It also helps to put wide red or orange racing stripes on the side of the carrier to distinguish your pet from others and for you to see him loaded and unloaded during travel. When I boarded a plane, I’d always check with the flight attendants and have them let me know when my pet had been loaded. It you have a layover, the airline will keep you posted on your pet’s welfare- you just have to ask. Do take a recent photo of your pet with you just in case there is a mix-up.

I always found it interesting that the Augusta, Ga. airport required that pets be in carriers at all times within the airport; while, the much larger DC National airport would let you walk around with your pet and only put him in the kennel at the last minute! Leave for the airport in plenty of time. Happy trails!