Travel with your dog by plane.

Travel with your dog by plane. In another post I talked about everything you need to know about having a dog in Vancouver, but what do you need for traveling in terms of documents, vaccinations or transportation so your trip goes as smoothly as possible to any country you decide to travel to and don’t have any problems.

Book your flight here.

Here are some important steps that you can’t skip for your pet’s trip:

 

Vaccination Booklet

 

The main step is for your pet to have all its vaccinations in order and to carry the original vaccination card.

Most of the time the vaccines last up to 6 months or a year depending each case. Always ask your veterinarian.

Travel Certificate

 

Before you travel with your dog it is very important that you ask your veterinarian to write a letter for your trip, specifying which country you are going to, saying that your pet is in good condition, that it has all its vaccines and that it is translated into the language you are traveling to.

 

This letter must certify the name of the owner, the name of the pet, its breed, age, species, if it has a microchip number or not (it is not necessary to have one), address and destination, attaching the vaccination card and the professional certificate of your veterinarian.

Here’s the information of the vet of my dogs that is very professional and I recommend it very much in case you are in Mexico City.

 

Cesar Venegas

Avenida San Jerónimo 55 Local 1. Mexico City, Mexico.

Phone: 56 81 3664

 

Animals as emotional support or service.

 

If you are traveling with your service dog or emotional support pet, you need a letter from your mental health professional. This letter will help you to take your pet with you on the plane at no cost, no matter the size of the dog.

Some airlines do charge even if it’s emotional support pet, so always check that out.

If you don’t have a letter of emotional support, you will only have to pay to take your pet with you, and if it is a small dog or cat, you can take it in the cabin with you without any problem, but if it is a bigger dog it has to go in the lower compartment.

 

Cage or kennel

 

There are size specifications you should consider for your dog if you are going to travel with it on the plane. Each airline has its own rules so always check their website. But here are some basic rules:

 

Small dogs

 

For a dog to be accepted in the cabin, it has to be small enough to fit in its cage under the seat.

In this case it is allowed to use a rigid cage or a soft cage of maximum 48x30x25 cm.

 

Maximum weight is 9 kilos.

 

Only one dog or cat can be carried per person.

 

The dog must be at least 12 weeks old.

 

And it must go in its cage at all times, unless it is an emotional support dog, in which case you can take it out of its cage and put it on your lap.

 

 

Medium or big dogs

 

If your pet does not fit in the seat below, it has to go in the special dog compartment and in this case it is important to choose a good cage in which our furry friend is comfortable and adapted.

The cage should be hard and of good size, where the dog can move and turn around easily and weigh a maximum of 45 kilos/ 100 pounds

 

The dog must be more than 8 weeks old.

Flat-nosed Pets

If you have a brachiocephalic or flat-nosed dog or cat, almost no airline will allow them to fly, since they run the risk of having breathing problems, so it is very important to ask them directly, one of the airlines that do allow it is Aeroméxico.

 

Here are the links to some airlines and their regulations:

Aeroméxico

Air Canada

Volaris

Vivaaerobus

I hope this post helps you with all the information, do you have any other tips, leave them in the comments below..

Your dog’s first trip?