How to Ship a Puppy by Plane

Shipping a puppy by plane can be easy or difficult. Make sure you do your homework first in order to insure the safest and shortest possible flight for your puppy. You might have to ship your puppy if you move. If you show your dog, you might have to ship your dog. If you're a dog breeder, you might have to ship a puppy to a buyer.

Things You'll Need

• crate large enough for puppy to stand up and turn around
• cargo or airline carrier
• puppy health certificate signed by licensed vet
• shredded newspaper
• puppy vaccinations
• water and food dish
• airline phone numbers and/or web addresses

Instructions

1. Make sure your puppy is at least 8 weeks old.

2. Determine which airline to contact to ship your puppy. Most of the major US airlines ship pets.

3. Be sure to purchase an IATA Compliant pet crate several days before shipping the puppy. These plastic crates provide adequate ventilation and external handles or a carrying handle so airline personnel do not have to place their hands inside the crate to move it.

4. Familiarize your puppy with the crate several days before the flight. Use treats and lots of praise to encourage your puppy to enter the crate. Feed him in the crate, but don't close the door. After a couple of days, the puppy will willingly go into the crate for a treat.

5. Take your puppy for a drive in the car. If your puppy has never been inside a moving vehicle, the car ride, while not a plane ride, still will accustom him to the unfamiliar movements and noises of riding in a motorized vehicle.

6. Make sure you puppy has enough room inside the crate to stand up and turn around. Most airlines require at least one inch headroom for pets being shipped domestically and three inches headroom for pets being shipped internationally.

7. Place 'Live Animal' stickers on the outside of the crate. Some cargo carriers provide all the necessary stickers. Be sure to contact the carrier beforehand.

8. Prominently display which side is up.

9. Place absorbent material, like cedar shavings or shredded newspaper in the bottom of the crate.

10. If the crate did not come with a water and food dish, you must provide these. Some cargo counters of the major airlines offer airline approved food and water dishes for your puppy for sale at their cargo counter.

11. Obtain a puppy health certificate from a licensed veterinarian. The certificate of veterinary inspection cannot be more than ten days prior to the flight. The health certificate must provide the puppy's weight, overall condition and list all required vaccinations and the dates on which the puppy vaccines were administered.

12. If the puppy is more than sixteen weeks old, it must have a rabies vaccination.

13. Call the airline to find out their requirements for shipping puppies. Most airlines require the puppy be at the designated area at least one hour before domestic flight departure and two hours prior to international flight departures. In addition, most airlines will not accept the puppy more than four hours prior to the flight.

14. Try to book the shortest possible flight for the puppy.

15. Feed the puppy only a light meal a few hours prior to departure. Make sure you offer the puppy some water prior to the flight. The cargo personnel will require you to fill out documentation stating the last time the puppy was offered food and water.

16. If the flight will be longer than twelve hours, the cargo carrier will require you to provide instructions on when and how much food and water they should offer your puppy before its arrival at its final destination.

17. The airline will provide you will an air waybill tracking number. You can track your puppy's progress on-line on the cargo carrier's website with this number.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't feed the puppy a huge meal before his flight, or he'll become uncomfortable and possibly become sick.

• Feed only a light meal.

• If you have a very tiny/toy breed puppy, check with the airline before shipping. Some suggest giving a small amount of light corn syrup to prevent hypoglycemia in the puppy on longer flights.

• Don't ship a puppy that is ill or infested with parasites. Most likely, the airline will not accept it, but if your puppy 'looks' healthy, but you know it to otherwise be ill, wait until the puppy is feeling 100% before shipping.

Resources

• Continental Cargo PetSafe
• Northwest Airlines Pet Transportation Guidelines