I also recommend weight the pros and cons. I read recently that half of the animals who die on planes die because of sedatives. I couldn't find the first place I read it but Googling it now I came up with this:
Air travel is quite safe for your pets. Thousands of pets travel without incident all over the world each year. However of the very few pets who did die while being transported by airplane, half of them die from the effects of sedation. Why is this so? One reason that sedation can be dangerous is that we really know very little about the effects of sedatives on animals that are under the stress of transportation and are confined in a cage at 8,000 feet or more, the altitude at which cargo holds are pressurized. Additionally, some animals react abnormally to sedatives, actually becoming more excited when sedated. Sedatives reduce an animal's body's ability to cope with changes in the environment. For instance when your pet begins to get hot he starts to pant to rid his body of the excess heat, when he is cold he shivers to warm himself. Sedatives may block or slow these reflexes allowing your pet to become overheated or chilled. Finally it is not uncommon for owners to administer excess sedative. Why would they do that? You give a sedative on the way to the airport and your dog calms down. Now in the terminal your pet gets excited again. You think that the sedative is wearing off and so give him another dose. Actually the sedative is not wearing off, it is all the hustle and bustle of the airport that excites your pet. Once he is placed in the dark, quiet cargo hold of the airplane he goes back to sleep and since you've given him an extra sedative dose he gets dangerously sedated. For all of these reasons the American Veterinary Medical Association has cautioned all veterinarians that except under unusual circumstances tranquilizers or sedatives should not be prescribed or dispensed for animals that are to be transported by air.
It's good to know this stuff so if you do decide to use sedatives, you understand the dangers and know that it may be a common mistake to overdrug pets so that it doesn't happen to you.
