Travel Tips For You And Your Pets
If you are planning to travel with your pets this holiday season, flying can be a big issue.
I have some tips from Karalyn Eckerle, a fellow animal lover and a paralegal with some experience in this area. Her business email is k.eckerle@cardinalpointva.com, and she writes;
"…especially today, many airlines no longer accept animals for transport and if they do, it is generally a very limited number of crated animals per flight. So you must plan ahead. Different countries
have different quarantine regulars and different restrictions. For transport INTO the U.S., check with the Dept. of Agriculture.
Just as an aside, all dogs in transit should be chipped. "Home Again" is the universally accepted chip overseas. Next, Continental was the first airline to set up a special Pet Desk which overseas all pet transport and has a phone managed 24/7 for tracking your pet's travel.
Most pets will require a rabies titre (this is the main blood test to check for immunity to rabies) within a 7-10 days prior to departure/arrival. This measures the current effectiveness of the rabies VAX. Generally runs about $50-75.
All pets must be crate trained --- or comfortable in a crate. Something I learned years ago from a breeder -- fill the crate with numerous rolls of UNROLLED paper towels (not newspaper). I emphasize UNROLLED as someone misunderstood my instructions once and while the result provided a great
deal of entertainment for the dog involved, I don't think the owner or the airlines appreciated the end product.
Why paper towels instead of newspaper (to absorb any problems during flight)? Because paper towels are super absorbent and the newsprint doesn't stain the pet's fur.
If the pet tends to be extremely anxious during transport, talk to your vet in advance about medication. ACE used to be common although some Vets no longer approve of its use in air transport situations. Rely on your vet for advice..."
Look for more tips this week and check her website here.
http://www.pettrustlawblog.com/admin/trackback/173391
