Advice Please - Travelling

[Cathrine]

Hello!

We are going on a holiday to Spain and we have decided to bring Mac. I don't think he would cope to well staying in a kennel for two weeks and he will probably appreciate the warmer weather (it was -14 here this morning...)

I have a prescription for Stesolid (same as Valium) to give him for the flight because he gets stressed when he is separated from us. Mac is a bully whippet and he suffers occasionally from muscle cramps. The idea was that the Stesolid will keep him calmer so he don't cramp when flying.

Anyway, I spoke to my mother and she said she had heard that you should not give the dogs anything because it can make the blood pressure fall and that the blood pressure is already lower when they are flying. So now I am in doubt about what to do....

Does anybody have any experience about this? Much appreciated!!!!

 

[FeeFee]

No direct experience, but found this:

"A lot of owners ask that their dogs be sedated thinking that it would make it easier and safer for the pet to just sleep through the whole air travel but it's usually not advisable as high altitudes and sedatives aren't a good mix - it can result in cardiac and respiratory problems. Sedatives in some pets can also leave them disorientated and makes them more injury prone."

On this site: http://www.ask-the-vet.com/pet-air-travel.htm

 

[Cathrine]

Thanks! A lot of useful information on that page.

I was told by the vet that she would not use a normal sedative, but she prefered Stesolid because it has muscle relaxing effects and it takes away anxiety and helps him to learn to not be more frightened. I was wondering if Stesolid have the same side effects on the heart rate/blood pressure as other sedatives.

 

[FifeJillandIan]

Hope you enjoy your holiday - Mac looks lovely