Travelling with a pet

Cabin or hold

In the cabin, the animal travels in a soft carrier under the seat in front of you. The limit is the combined weight of animal and carrier, often around 10 kg, plus the carrier dimensions. In practice that means cats and small dogs.

Beyond that the animal travels in the hold, in a pressurised and heated section built for it. It is more stressful for the animal, and several carriers refuse hold transport during very hot or very cold periods, which directly affects winter departures from here.

Cabin spots are limited per flight, often to a handful of animals. Book the animal at the same time as yourself, by phone if necessary, and reconfirm a few days before departure.

Paperwork and lead times

Every country sets its own requirements, and they are verified with the destination authorities, not the airline. The airline applies transport rules; the country applies entry rules, and it is the second set that turns you away on arrival.

Three things recur almost everywhere: a compliant microchip, a current rabies vaccination given after the chip, and an international veterinary certificate issued in a narrow window before departure, often under ten days.

Some countries additionally require a rabies antibody titre test, whose result takes weeks and which sometimes imposes a three-month wait before entry. That is the step that ruins trips, and it has to be started very early.

Do not forget the return to Canada, which has its own requirements. An animal taken out of the country has to be able to come back in.

Departure day

Get the animal used to the carrier weeks ahead, leaving it open at home. A carrier discovered on the morning of the flight is a bad first experience.

Do not feed heavily before the flight, but leave water available until departure. A pouch of frozen water clipped to the carrier melts slowly and avoids spills during loading.

Sedatives are generally advised against: they interfere with temperature regulation and balance at altitude. Discuss it with your vet rather than deciding alone.

Allow extra time at the airport. Checking in an animal happens at the counter, never online, and it takes longer than you expect.

The honest question

Before any of this, one question deserves asking: is this trip good for the animal? For a move or a stay of several months, the answer is clear. For a week down south, an older, anxious or short-nosed animal will handle the journey badly, and a sitter at home is often the best outcome for everyone.

Brachycephalic breeds, bulldogs and Persians in particular, are in fact refused in the hold by several carriers for documented respiratory reasons.

If you are travelling with the animal, check that your accommodation genuinely accepts it, and at what price. Many pet-friendly policies carry a per-night supplement and a weight limit.