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I am getting conflicting information, one place says you need to use a pet shipper and another says the pet can be transported by your airline. Unfortunately our dog is probably too big to go in the cabin so will have to go as cargo. Has anyone actually been through this process?! I have months to plan for this so time is not really an issue right now! Thanks, Pam
Personally, the only airline I would trust to take the best care of my animal in a cargo hold would be Lufthansa. I would never, ever fly my animal in a cargo hold of an American airline company:
Yes! I took both my Rottweilers to Italy about 5 years ago! They were in the cargo hold and did OK. We took a direct flight from New York to Rome through Meridiana (back then was Eurofly). They needed vaccinations, microchips, and a health certificate within the last 10 days. They were on the same flight we were. I asked the flight attendant to make sure the captain knew our dogs were onboard and that the cargo hold was acclimatized. The only hassle I had is that they had a 3 year rabies certificate, when in Italy I think they want dogs vaccinated every year. They let us go, but said that they could have held our dogs in quarantine if they wanted to! Not sure if any of this has changed though as this was 5 years ago.
I am considering using a pet mover service. One in FL costs about the same as a plane ticket. Seems they will help coordinate everything. I am waiting on a couple more estimates. One concern is that we are moving in summer so making sure that it is safe to go in cargo! Thanks for your input!
Pam
Yes! I took both my Rottweilers to Italy about 5 years ago! They were in the cargo hold and did OK. We took a direct flight from New York to Rome through Meridiana (back then was Eurofly). They needed vaccinations, microchips, and a health certificate within the last 10 days. They were on the same flight we were. I asked the flight attendant to make sure the captain knew our dogs were onboard and that the cargo hold was acclimatized. The only hassle I had is that they had a 3 year rabies certificate, when in Italy I think they want dogs vaccinated every year. They let us go, but said that they could have held our dogs in quarantine if they wanted to! Not sure if any of this has changed though as this was 5 years ago.
I think that is excellent advice & why I would prefer to have the pets on the same flight, & not use a pet service, unless they have many good reviews.
I have not but a woman we know at the dog park did this in reverse. She moved with her Doberman from Italy to Florida. She said she paid extra (a lot extra) to have an actual attendant with the dog. If I could afford that I would pursue that. I would be the biggest nervous wreck moving any of my pets in any way other than in my own car.
I also have the same question, in reverse as I live in Italy and am pondering relocating to the US in the next couple of years; I have 6 dogs now, but 3 are elderly and probably won't be around by the time I move, so I imagine i will take 3. From what I have read, you can use a relocation agency but in all honesty it's probably just more un-necessarily spent money. My dogs are my life but I am not sure that using total strangers would really increase the chance of a comfortable flight. For sure I would take a flight that is known to be very pet-conscious (Lufthansa tops the list), and would fly to the closest point of entry in the US (NY) to keep them in cargo for as little time as possible. From there, depending on where I need to go next I would either put them on a pet-airline (they fly within certain US cities, NOT in cargo as the flights are specifically for pets and have attendants on board) or drive...
Whatever you do the most important thing is to make sure that the airline has top quality pet care. Everything will depend on that!
Emmasan when are you planning to move? I was thinking to go back to Italy with my dogs but they are now 10 (which is old for Rotties) and a bit tentative about it. I asked my vet and he said it's best not to at their age, but that if I really have to it should be fine. I don't really have to, but I often think about it because my mom and dad are there and they are getting old too (80, 83) and would love to see them more.
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