Getting Your Dog or Cat Ready for a Transpacific Flight

Eight weeks out: the crate becomes home

The single most useful thing you can do is make the travel crate familiar. A pet that already sleeps in its crate treats the flight as a long, noisy nap rather than an ordeal.

• Get the crate early, in the size the airline will accept. Your pet should be able to stand, turn around and lie down naturally. Our crate guidance service measures and checks it against the airline's rules, and our guide to choosing an IATA-compliant crate explains the standard.
• Leave the door open at home, with bedding that smells like the household.
• Feed meals in it. Then close the door for short spells, building up to a few hours.
• Practice short car rides in the crate. The drive to the airport is part of the trip.

Four weeks out: the health conversation

Book a visit with your veterinarian that is separate from the paperwork appointment. Use it to talk about:

• Fitness to fly. Heart or breathing problems, age, weight and anxiety all matter. Snub-nosed breeds (pugs, bulldogs, Persians and others) face higher risks and airline restrictions.
• Sedation. Most veterinary and airline guidance discourages sedating pets for flights, and airlines may refuse sedated animals. Do not give anything without your vet's advice and the airline's agreement.
• Food and medication. If your pet takes medication, plan how doses line up with the flight times and where the medication travels.

This is also when we confirm the airline's rules for your pet: mode (cabin, hold or cargo), breed limits, temperature restrictions and the drop-off time. Airline policies change, so this check is done against the carrier's current pages, not memory.

One week out: the practical kit

• Two water and food bowls that clip inside the crate door, refillable from outside.
• Absorbent bedding; no straw, hay or loose shavings.
• Labels: "Live Animal", arrows showing "this way up", your name and phone numbers at both ends, and the pet's name.
• A small bag of your pet's usual food taped to the crate top if the trip has a long connection.
• A document folder: originals for the airline and the destination, and copies for yourself.
• Cable ties for the crate door if the airline asks for them (many require the door to be secured but openable).

The last 24 hours

• Feeding: a light meal several hours before drop-off, timed with your vet's advice. A full stomach and turbulence are a poor mix.
• Water: keep offering it right up to check-in.
• Exercise: a long walk for dogs before leaving home; a calm, quiet room for cats.
• No new routines. Same food, same bedding, same people. Excitement is not helpful today.
• Check-in: arrive early. Cargo and hold check-ins often have earlier cut-off times than passenger check-in.

Say goodbye calmly and briefly. A long emotional farewell tends to unsettle pets more than it comforts them.

Connections and layovers

A nonstop flight is usually kinder than a connection, but it is not always available. If there is a connection:

• Ask whether the pet stays with the same airline and is transferred airside. Changing airlines or flying in the cabin may mean clearing customs at the connection.
• For dogs heading to the US, clearing customs in a country on the CDC's high-risk list counts as being in that country, and the stricter rules then apply on arrival in the US (CDC layover page).
• Weather at the connecting airport matters too. Heat or cold at the transfer point can trigger an airline's temperature embargo.

Landing and the first evening

After a long flight, most pets are thirsty, a little dazed and very glad to see you. Keep the first evening simple:

• Offer water first, then a small meal.
• Walk dogs on a leash in a quiet area; give cats a single small room with litter, water and a hiding place.
• Expect jet lag. Sleeping at odd hours for a few days is normal; anything that looks like illness (lethargy beyond tiredness, refusing water, breathing trouble) is a reason to call a vet.

If your pet is arriving in the United States, our US airport arrival guide explains the inspection steps before you meet.