First airplane flight with puppy

[Guest Jay]

Sorry for all the questions but have another one.

I am taking my 6 month puppy on his first airplane ride. The flight is 6 hours and he will fl in-cabin with me, in a soft case under the seat. Any suggestions for making this flight as pleasant as possible for him and for me?

Thanks for any advice.

[HappyCairn]

I flew with my Cairn when he was 4 months old. I was expecting problems, but all went smoothly. My vet suggested Benadryl to help him sleep and to also play around with the dosage before hand to get it just right, and I'm glad I did as it took a little more for mine to get sleepy - but consult with your vet about safe dosage.

I also put a stuffed Kong in his carrier with him. No squeaky toys that may irritate other passengers Get him used to his carrier well before time and make it a relaxing, comfortable place to be. Mine slept the whole time, I thought it was the Benadryl, but once we got to our final destination I found he'd spit it out of the peanut butter I'd hidden it in. Our second flight was on a small plane with very few passengers. The flight attendant on this flight was very dog friendly and told me I could take him out if he'd sit quietly in my lap. I decided against it though, as he was sleeping.

Good luck!

[wags]

The day before the flight our doggy had diarrhea so we couldn't give him any food (just in case)

Maybe we should've tried a smaller dosage of benadryl. The amount the vet suggested made him hyper. (we tried it a couple of weeks before.)

Happy, how much benadryl was good for your dog, and how much did he weigh at the time?

The only trouble we had during the flight was boarding and leaving he was barking loud. I was the one who was a nervous wreck. So in the future the dog sits under my husband's seat.

You can ask the attendants for ice cubes for the dog during the flight.

[HappyCairn]

Sally, I PM'ed you.

Another tip, try not to book a flight during peak hours. Less noise, fewer people and less of a wait. Night flights are best, I think, normal sleeping time for your dog and he should be tired.