Sedatives for the flight?

[PINO]

Posted by PINO on June 24, 2002 at 18:07:44:

We are traveling early sunday overseas. I am getting sedatives for my dog but am affraid of giving them to him. He is only 9 months old and 13 lbs. I think they are necessary because he will want to get out of his bag to be with us. PLEASE HELP with any suggestions.
Everyone seems like they know what to do...HELP

[eeyore]

Posted by eeyore

eeyore on October 28, 2002 at 03:04:41:

In Reply to: Sedatives for the flight? posted by PINO on June 24, 2002 at 18:07:44:

Hi,

I brought my (then) 18-month old Labrador from Manhattan by car to New York JFK to Hong Kong - a total travel time of more than 32 hours. Our vet did not recommend a sedative, in fact, he discouraged us from even considering it for the following reason: the sedative is active for just a couple of hours, and when your pet comes to s/he is very likely to panic, because it will wake up to a very noisy, dark and unfamiliar environment and you will be nowhere in sight, ie. the cargo hold of the airplane. It is much better for the pet to experience all stages of travel, from beginning to end, it is much less likely to suffer anxiety, then.

HTH

eeyore