Englishmum

A note of warning for expats moving from the US back to the UK and taking their pets by plane - don't fly them with Delta airlines....it has the highest mortality rate than any other airline in the States:

http://shine.yahoo.com/pets/more-pet...211100693.html

cosmicjunkie

I flew with my 12 year old dog from Italy to the US with Delta and had no problems at all! They were great! I encountered kind, friendly personnel who did everything to help me.I was allowed to stay with my dog until an hour before the flight instead of handing her over 3 hours before like it was stated in the itinerary. I was crying like a baby at boarding time because I was so worried for her. They calmed me down and reassured me that everything would be fine. They even let me speak to the pilot and express my concerns directly. I wanted to make sure that my dog had been loaded and everything had been switched on down below in the cargo area of the plane. She was fine when I picked her up in New York. We spent the night there and then went on to San Diego the next day. She had never flown before and wasn't traumatized in the slightest! It's all very well blaming the airlines but I believe that we as dog owners can have a big influence on the outcome.
I think that careful preparation is the key. I spent months trawling the internet finding out what I had to do. You need to prepare your dog for a long haul flight. I bought the kennel 4 months before the flight and got Maya used to it. I would feed her in it twice daily and gradually begin to close the door behind her and make her stay in there for half an hour or so, then let her out. I took her for a medical check up and blood tests before we left just to make sure she was healthy. Speak to everyone involved in handling your dog. Avoid flying in extreme weather conditions. Make sure the the pilot knows that there is a dog on board in the cargo area. I bugged everyone on the plane and ended up getting 3 different confirmations that the pooch had been loaded.
Sometimes, unfortunately, tragedy strikes and you have to know that there is always a slight risk., but Delta flies hundreds of thousands of pets every year, so the number of deaths are relatively small in comparison. A lot of the time the animals died because they already had medical condition.
I have nothing but praise for Delta Airlines and the way they handled my precious little pooch and me the hysterical owner!

Moggiemiss

Good advice Cosmic Junkie.

There is an element of risk in transporting pets, but for most pet owners, it is a risk we are aware of, but take the risk rather than leave our animals behind.

I worried like mad when I brought my cat over to Canada in October 2008 but she arrived looking fresher than I did after the journey and she was absolutely fine.

Now I am going back with three dogs as well as my cat. Yes, I am nervous and anxious but I cannot leave them behind ... there are plenty of animals needing homes without adding three more and how would I know they were alright? I know I am fortunate to be able to pay their airfares so I can make that choice.

Bluegrass Lass

We flew our cats back from the UK to the US in Dec. While I don't think they fed them properly like they were supposed to (since it was an overnight stay in their boarding facility in Atlanta), my cats did arrive at our final destination in good condition.

I knew that Delta had a higher mortality rate before making the decision, but we were left with little choice when Delta was the only airline that could fly the route we needed. If you take every precaution you can, like double-checking the nuts/bolts on your crate are tight, and using zip ties in the corners and zip ties on the door, I think it can help mitigate some problems.

cosmicjunkie

Delta has a higher morality rate simply because more people fly out of the USA with Delta than any other American airline company. They fly around a million pets a year!

Gabgoeshome

Well after the dreadful experience we had with Delta, I wouldn't ship my trash with them!

Siouxie

It's quite strange that the majority of the dog deaths were for either Golden Retrievers or French Bulldogs. Perhaps those breeds don't travel so well?

dollface

Bulldogs and pug like dogs I agree with but Goldens?

luvmeboys

Hi, can I ask you where you bought your pet crates from? we are bringing a cat and a dog with us, hopefully as cargo and I'm finding it very difficult to find correct travel kennels!

Englishmum

Which country are you currently in?

http://www.pettravel.com/passports_c...quirements.cfm

http://pettravelstore.com/categories...es/Pet-Crates/ (Guide on crates and how to measure your pet)

If you are in the USA or Canada, there is free shipping on some of these airline-approved dog and cat pet carriers and crates:


http://www.allpetfurniture.com/Airli...rs-C69144.html (there are quite a lot of pages!)

http://www.1800petmeds.com/Airline+P...prod60179.html

luvmeboys

thanks for that, we're in Devon UK