First off, I want to thank everyone on here for their links and general information about the process. I worked in a veterinary hospital in the US so I had a fair bit of help with the paperwork end of things, but there were some minor clarifications needed with regard to the DEFRA paperwork, which is why I want to advise everyone to go to their vet armed with as many questions as possible. For instance, in New York at least (where I hail from), the only version of paperwork accepted is the Annex II; short form is not acceptable at this point in time. In addition, the USDA vet who signed off on my dog's papers was able to post-date the tick and tapeworm treatment, meaning that I was able to send and have the papers returned to me/my vet BEFORE the treatment had been given. This may be helpful to some people in the planning process as the papers have to be prepared within a certain time frame and the tick and tapeworm treatment must take place no more than 5 days prior to the flight. Mainly what I wanted to stress here was that every state probably has different regulations and even some vets may have a different approach to tackling the paperwork, so be mindful that there is no one answer or experience. Which leads to my key reason for posting: the flight itself.
As my Chocolate Lab was 33 kilos (74 pounds) I ended up having to purchase the "giant" size crate approved for airline travel. I purchased the Petmate Traditional Vari Kennel (
http://www.petco.com/product/6227/Petmate-Traditional-Vari-Kennel-Giant-Portable-Kennel.aspx?CoreCat=MM_DogSupplies_CratesKennelsCarriers) because it was the only one that provided him with at least 2 inches of space from the top of his head to the top of the kennel, when standing. I would not have gotten away with the next size down, and though I can't speak for each individual airline, James Cargo and British Airways World Cargo made this clear when we were situating him in the kennel. The one mistake I made in purchasing this kennel was that it had no ventilation in the back, as the regulations state there must be ventilation on all four sides. This was rectified by driving to a gas station within JFK Airport and having a mechanic drill around 20 holes in the back. The staff at the cargo warehouse suggested and accepted this solution. I remained in the warehouse for several hours prior to my dog being zip-tied into the kennel and while I signed the papers for his trip I asked a number of staff members different questions about the regulations and every single one of them had a different answer. The important bits:
- You should COME PREPARED WITH SEVERAL OPTIONS FOR THE FOOD, BEDDING AND WATER SUPPLIES for your pet, as I imagine there are even more answers from other airlines. I had looked online and found a "pet travel kit" from DryFur (
http://www.dryfur.tv/deluxe-pet-airline-travel-kit/) which is labeled as being "airline approved," but the truth is you don't need a number of the items they provide you with and some of their items are too small.
- The ONE ITEM they provide you with that is ESSENTIAL is METAL BOLTS AND SCREWS for the assembly of the kennel. You can purchase these elsewhere, but the plastic ones that come with most kennels are NOT ACCEPTABLE.
- According to the staff, my dog could have had a LARGE hanging water bowl (286 ounce pail is what I used at the animal hospital, they said this was acceptable) in the cage with him.
- He could also have a memory foam bed that fit the entire bottom of the kennel.
- I was told they DO NOT feed the dogs on the flight and they normally do not feed them BEFORE even if you leave food with the cargo staff.
- I was told by phone that for his 7:15 PM flight if he did not arrive at the warehouse by 3:00 PM he WOULD NOT make the flight. I said goodbye to him at 5:45 PM after feeding him and taking him for several walks while conversing with the staff. I did arrive shortly after 3 due to traffic, and I'm not suggesting that anyone ignore the time specified by the airline, but my point here is that I did not hand him over and immediately leave; having the papers checked over, signing them and paying took over an hour.
- The travel kit I had purchased includes two very small plastic trays that are to be used for food and water, but for a dog his size even both of these are a very small amount of water, so one of the staff added a third hanging bowl she happened to have in her office and explained that they refill his water several times throughout the flight using a nozzle that can be poured through the door from the outside of the kennel.
- The kit also contains various sizes of zip-ties and "LIVE ANIMAL" stickers and labels to fill out and a pouch to place all your documents and the pet's collar and tags in. The cargo staff did not use any of my zip-ties nor did they take any of my stickers or ID labels, and his tags and collar remained on him in the kennel for the entire flight. There was no need to separate his rabies or microchip tags from his collar either. If any paperwork was attached to the kennel it was done after I left.
I am not posting this to criticize any particular company or source of information, I simply want to point out to pet lovers that it is imperative that you come prepared with SEVERAL OPTIONS that you feel would be appropriate for your pet as well as every question you can think of to ask the people handling your pet when you actually meet them, face to face. I spoke to several representatives on the phone and 95% of the information they gave me was inaccurate. If I had followed every rule I had read or been told without asking questions, he would have had a horrifically uncomfortable flight (he is 9 years old and has advanced arthritis, some sources say no bedding is allowed, some say only certain materials can be used), he would not have been given a reasonable amount of water, and I would have stressed even more about organizing things that the airline probably would have thrown out or rearranged in some way.
Chocolate Dog (yes, that is his name) is now very happy in the UK and arrived unsoiled with no issues. I hope everyone else has a positive experience.
