How to survive a 13hr flight?

[shanni and kingsley]

Hi,

 

there is a very high possibility that i will be relocating to netherlands within the year, if everything goes well. Needless to say, Kingsley will be moving with me. I'm very concerned on having him comfortable during the flight, which should be a 13 hr non-stop via KLM.

 

Can anyone tell me how i can prep him for it?

 

He is now undergoing crate training.. i'm slowly extending the hours that he is kept in the crate.

 

any advice or pointers that i should take note of for the flight?

 

Thank goodness that's no need for quarantine in netherlands.

 

edit - any dutch on this board too?

[Alaska]

My BCs have survived 13 hours of flying. Nobody wants to leave their dog in a crate for that long at a stretch, but if he can tolerate crating that long at home it shouldn't be much different on the plane. Quieter actually, more conductive to sleeping the whole way.

 

The main difference, for them as for us, is how dehydrated you get on the plane, since the humidity is so low. You could try freezing a smallish amount of water in his dish so he has something to lick during the flight.

 

My dogs have no problem "holding it" for that long (not so true for small dogs or dogs who are less than healthy), but I do try to avoid letting them tank up excessively before getting on the plane.

 

Nonstop is good. Just make absolutely sure the dog gets on and off the plane when you do and you should be okay. (I assume you know all about the regs for bringing a dog to Europe.)

[PDing]

Before you hand the dog over to the staff at the airport, give your dog water with honey, it'll help them retain water a little better.

[Alaska]

I thought of soemthing else. European airlines can be more strict about what they accept for a kennel than US airlines, mainly in that they often require the kennel to be larger and/or better ventilated. I have definitely heard stories of European airlines refusing to allow a dog to be shipped if they felt the kennel was not large enough. Luckily, KLM is very clear about their requirements here. This has got to be the best airline pet travel page I have ever read. Definitely study it.

 

Make sure you are up to speed on the Netherlands version of the PETS passport program. Do NOT wait until the last minute to get your dog properly microchipped or vaccinated. The KLM page has a link to the official NL PETS site where you can read the latest requirements.

 

And hey, I found some good news for you. In this article appears the following quote:

 

The [European] country most agreeable and willing to make pet accommodations is the Netherlands. I was surprised to see well behaved dogs in bars and restaurants. However, dogs are not welcome in most grocery stores, but even here I have observed them in shopping carts. The majority of rest stops along the autobahn (freeways) throughout Europe offer dry food and water with dishes placed at the door for animals. Dogs are welcome in shopping malls and amusement parks.

[shanni and kingsley]

thanks so much..

 

I'm actually looking into the requirements to bringing him in. Documentation should be straightforward - i hope-

 

just want kings to be comfortable during the flight...

 

[dinah_kay]

Somewhere on the internet there is a site of a frisbee trainer who has bcs. She goes in to a lot of detail about how to fly with your dog. Sorry I don't remember the address, but keep en eye out for it on google searches.