Anxious dog planning to fly in August from Chicago to London

Hello all:

We are planning to bring our dog over from the US to the UK, from Chicago to London. We have started the PETS process and did the microchipping, vaccine and blood test. The end of the 6 months will be August. He already has his airline cage. He's an anxious dog to begin with and since I'm a super anxious dog owner, I'm feeling pretty nervous about flying him over to the UK. I'm finding all of the topics here really helpful.

Can anyone give us a recommendation on airlines? We found that the two options that we have are British Air and Virgin. We are leaning towards Virgin right now because of being in personal contact with the Operations Manager of Virgin and the cost.

If you also have any experience with an anxious dog, do you have any advice -- would you give them any sedative? Our vet says yes, many others, including the airline say no. Our friends who flew their anxious dog to Europe said that the sedative didn't seem to make a difference. If you've flown your dog this distance, any help would be appreciated, especially that which calms my nerves!!!

Its not recommended to give your dog a sedative (there's been other threads regarding this so you may want to search) and the majority of airlines will not fly an animal that is sedated - for good reasons.

I flew from Chicago to Manchester with BMI and really liked them, but I don't know if they fly into London. 

I suggest you start acclimating your dog to his cage by putting a blanket, treats and toys so he starts realising its not a bad place, but a "safe" place.  I did this with my dog and it really seemed to help.  He did really well with the flight and was suprisingly adjusted the same day (we not only flew, but took a train from Manchester to Glasgow!!).

Also try to remember that animals can sense your anxiety so try to calm yourself a bit! 

I don't have a dog, but I do have two cats that flew from Atlanta to London with me in October 2006 - and one of them, Toby, is a very anxious kitty - with a very dodgy tummy.    We flew BA and they were treated fantastically - the people at Gatwick said that Toby only puked once!    I've also heard great things about Virgin - we went with BA because they were the only approved airline from Atlanta.

I cannot stress strongly enough how important it is that you DO NOT give your doggie a sedative before they fly.  Most airline/cargo employees worth their salt will refuse to accept a pet that is obviously sedated for an overseas flight, and it can actually be very dangerous for your dog - more so that whatever scenarios his little anxious brain might come up with during the trip.  Some folks have found that spraying a bit of Rescue Remedy inside the crate helped calm their pet; since my kitties tend to run and hide under the covers of the bed when they're freaked out, I decided to give each of them a pillowcase that I'd slept on for a week so they'd have something that smelled familiar and comforting in their crates during the trip.

I can relate to your anxiety - from the very beginning, I was more nervous about how the boys would cope than any other aspect of my move, and the feeling only got worse the closer we got to the departure date!  All I can really say is - try not to stress!  My boys did just fine - and they were back to their normal, happy selves within literally minutes of our reunion.   And THEN we had to drive six hours to northern England!

If I can help with anything, feel free to ask.  Good luck!

Our dog was anxious when he had to fly over to the UK and also on the trip back to the US. The only thing that I can suggest is that you try to keep him with you as long as possible in the airport and at the very last minute put him in his crate. We were able to do this because we were to fly out of Heathrow at 8:30am but the pressurization (for the cargo hold) wasn't working properly so they bumped us to the next flight which was 4 hours later. We were able to keep our dog with us until it was time for him to be taken to the plane. One thing to remember is that you are very new to this whole experience but the airlines do a very good job handling the animals. Also, we made sure we had his favorite treats to give him once we got him back after landing. He was so happy to see us and seemed to weather the experience better then we did. About sedatives....I would think that might put stress on the animal more than anything. I don't think your friends could use a dose that would make the dog sleep so they probably had a dose that made him loopy. Probably freaked the dog out more. Good Luck.

There is a homeopathic anti-stress treatment called "Rescue Remedy". It's available stateside, but don't know about the UK. Anyway, it is non-narcotic, and it is not a sedative. My mother (a dog breeder) uses it frequently when she's traveling with her dogs.

If it's not available in the UK, you might go to your local pharmacy and inquire about homeopathics for stress. I would suggest running it by your vet, too, just to be sure.

We're planning on using this on our whippet when we bring her in May. She's flown a lot in her life and she's not fond of flying.

I flew Virgin from Chicago to London on the 20th of March and watched them immediately take a kennel out of cargo onto a truck. The kennel was the first to go before anything else. Looked like good, prompt service to me.

We are flying BA from Dallas to London and hoping that we will have the same level of service.

I just had a thought...will you be able to fly a dog out of Chicago in August?  It may be too hot.

I have it from Sandy at VIP Pet Transport that Continental Airlines do not impose a heat embargo. The reason being, they really do make sure that animals are the very last cargo to be loaded, and the very first to be unloaded. Also, they drive the animals out to the tarmac in a fully climate-controlled vehicle, having also kept the pets in a fully climate controlled holding area in the terminal.

Other airlines don't take these measures, hence not being willing to deal with animals during hot months in hot places. You may want to look into flying Continental instead, if climate is going to be a problem.

You may want to look into flying Continental instead, if climate is going to be a problem.

Continental is not an approved carrier from Chicago.  Please check the DEFRA list of approved carriers before recommending an alternate option.

I offer my apologies about recommending Continental without first checking if it is an approved carrier from Chigaco.

However, speaking of the DEFRA site, Sandy also tells me they are virtually useless -- as I myself have found. The site rarely updates even important information such as no-longer approved routes/carriers and newly-approved routes/carriers.

So DEFRA may be just as misguiding as my evidently misguiding -- and misguided -- attempt to HELP.

You know, I'd like to say something here.

You people had me crying one night when I came here for help. many of you told me in no uncertain terms that my plan to fly from Houston in July would be impossible because of the heat embargo.

I was deeply distressed that night, because of that actually WRONG information, for multiple reason too personal to go into here.

It was only when I contacted Sandy at VIP Pet Transport that she completely put my mind at rest and told me about Continental, at least as they apply to Houston's approved carrier/route.

You yourself, many of you, also failed to research before replying to me, and caused upset that night with myself and my partner, before we obtained the correct information elsewhere.

So it's pretty much the pot calling the kettle black here.

In the above thread, I was simply trying genuinely to help, even though the help I received here myself was so badly incorrect, misleading, unresearched and distressing. I felt like you were a gang of unkind high school girls circling around the new girl that evening, gleefully telling me the negatives instead of trying to help. It was not a friendly or comforting experience.

I'm sorry you felt uncomfortable or mislead.  I can only speak for myself, but it was not and has not ever been my intention to make anyone on this forum, whether on the Pets board or elsewhere, feel unwelcome.

However, it is also not our responsibility to research the particulars of your individual situation.  I can only offer advice and experience based on my encounters with the USDA, DEFRA, British Airways, and the Animal Reception Centre at Gatwick, as these are the organisations with whom I dealt.  All of these entities, DEFRA included, were absolutely professional - they provided up-to-date information and clarifications on policy and procedures in response to every request I made.  I recognise that others may have had different experiences - again, I can only speak for my own.

If you feel that information you have received here, on an internet forum for American expats in the UK, is wrong, then I encourage you to research the situation for yourself - as you obviously did or else you wouldn't have found Sandy at VIP Pet Transport.  I would encourage any other potential expat to do the same, regardless of when or from where they are planning to fly.  Why would you take the information that ANY of us give at face value, without doing your own research? 

You yourself, many of you, also failed to research before replying to me, and caused upset that night with myself and my partner, before we obtained the correct information elsewhere.

So it's pretty much the pot calling the kettle black here.

Here's my original post on the subject.

I really, really doubt that you're going to be able to fly a pet from Texas in July - but I'd call the airlines and make sure before you start to panic. 

[...]

I understand that you are eager to end the long-distance nature of your relationship; however, if you plan to take your kitty with you, you're going to have to abide by the heat embargo rules.  They're not trying to inconvenience you - they have your pet's best interests at heart.

If you don't want to try the "flying north first" option, and you must leave in July, might a friend or family member be able to look after your kitty until the heat embargo has lifted?  I flew out of Atlanta at the beginning of October with no problems whatsoever, despite the temperatures being around 80 degrees that day. 

Please read it again and tell me where I gave you incorrect information. 

I'm sorry the situation caused you distress; however, I fail to see where I personally am responsible for your distress.

Like you, those of us who post on the board are simply trying to help.  It is ultimately up to you to research and confirm information given in this forum.

I know I flew my dog from Chicago in July a year ago using Continental, but after checking the website they have changed regulations or maybe it was because I had a connecting flight in Newark.  I am happy with the treatment both my dog and I got on that flight.  The stewardess told me when my dog was loaded and that the captain of the flight had a dog himself.  I was able to even glimpse my dog when we were making our connection in Newark. 

You will probably need to take the last possible flight out of Chicago.  I did my research last year about airlines to fly with and found some horror stories regarding Virgin.  I am sure if I dug deep enough I could find some about BA.  My other thought is the fact that Virgin just started their service from Chicago about a year ago, for what that is worth. 

As far as your pooch's anxiety goes, definitely look into putting something for bedding that smells like you.  I was able to put one of my workout shirts in my dog's kennel as part of the absorbent bedding and it put my mind at ease.  The article was not in his kennel when we picked him up at LGW because they had changed out the messed bedding to replace it with clean dry tea towels.  If you want to ask any questions feel free to pm me.  I wish you the best of luck in your transition. 

I know I flew my dog from Chicago in July a year ago using Continental, but after checking the website they have changed regulations or maybe it was because I had a connecting flight in Newark.

The latter, I imagine - it's only the flight into the UK that has to be on an approved carrier from a particular city.  You can fly anywhere within the US with any carrier, as long as you meet the requirements for the particular airline - it's only when leaving the US and travelling into the UK that DEFRA gets involved.

In the above thread, I was simply trying genuinely to help, even though the help I received here myself was so badly incorrect, misleading, unresearched and distressing. I felt like you were a gang of unkind high school girls circling around the new girl that evening, gleefully telling me the negatives instead of trying to help. It was not a friendly or comforting experience.

[MOD NOTE]

I'm sorry if you felt you've been given poor information.  But I'm afraid that UKY has never claimed to be a fail proof question and answer service.  It's a internet forum that is here to be a community first.  We are a good source of information but please remember that forum members are giving answers based on their own experience, opinions and knowledge.  It is by no means fail safe.  It is not the forum member's duty or responsibility to research your questions.  That, I'm afraid is YOUR responsibility.  We have always reccomended going straight to the source for the answers to your questions, whether that is the airline, home office or whatever place will have the information you're looking for.

You yourself, many of you, also failed to research before replying to me, and caused upset that night with myself and my partner, before we obtained the correct information elsewhere.

I'm lost. Replies to you where? In this thread? I thought this thread was started by mty?