6 hours flight

[mikead]

Hi guys, it's always great learning from you.
i am working in africa and i have my annual leave coming up next month and i want to take my 5 months old rottie with me. The thing is i'm so worried about the 6 hours flight home, he still throws up from a 20 min car ride.
Do you advice me on giving him some pills to get him to sleep the entire flight?
I know for sure if he is going to be awake he is really going to get sick.
Appreciate your advices.

[observer]

Airlines have LOTS of regulations about flying dogs in the cargo hold in summer. Check into all that first.

I don't think there is any way to safely medicate him to sleep the whole time.

How long will you be on vacation? I would opt to leave him with someone or have someone stay with him in your house before I would subject him to two long flights.

This was a somewhat different situation, but check out this thread:

http://www.rottweiler.net/forums/vet...-1st-time.html

[Mavides]

Hi there!

Where in Africa are you working? I lived in Eritrea for 6.5 months and took my Rottie from the U.S. with me. We left Arizona in May and returned in November -- we flew on Lufthansa and I had a completely positive experience. I would make sure you're flying with an airline that is VERY used to flying dogs (as Lufthansa was).

Carsickness is often more of a mental thing than a physical one in dogs...but if you can't get it under control, I agree with Layna in that perhaps he should stay home this trip. In the meantime, you can certainly try to get him comfortable in his crate. First, make sure it's truly a physical condition for him. Put him in his crate in the car, but don't go anywhere. Just hang out in the driveway...turn on the vehicle and read a magazine for 20 minutes. If he still gets ill, you KNOW it's not a "motion sickness" problem. Is he comfortable in his crate in the house? If he's fine there, I'd start with short car visits (not rides yet) until he's comfy in there with no vomiting. Then, you'd graduate to SHORT (2-3 minute) car rides and so on.

If it honestly is a motion sickness problem, speak with your vet about the proper Dramamine dose to give your dog -- I wouldn't tranquilize him, but some Dramamine should help him out. And, be sure to withhold food for a while (check with your vet for the proper amount of time) before his flight.

Best of luck with whatever you decide. It was a bit of extra work, but I am SO glad I took Maverick with me...however, he was 6 years old at the time and a seasoned car/hotel traveler...I might have made a different decision if it was only for a short period of time and with a younger dog. Keep us posted on what you decide!

[Sharon Marples]

I would advise against giving him anything to make him sleep. You don't want him to be sleep, get sick and aspirate any of the fluids into his lungs.

What I would suggest is that you put lots of paper in the bottom of his crate (shredded would be good to make it soft) so that if he does get sick, it absorbs all the fluids. Feed him at least 6 hours ahead of the trip and only provide water after that time. Make sure he has a chance to eliminate before he is loaded on the plane and he should make the trip just fine.