Our dog is older and gets anxious even with normal car trips, so I'm dreading the actual travel day for our move more than almost anything else in this whole process. Anyone brought an anxious or elderly pet through a long-haul move and have tips that genuinely helped?
Did the vet-prescribed option Priya mentioned earlier have any noticeable grogginess afterward, or a smooth recovery once you landed?
I realised I never came back to say how it went. We did the practice trips in the carrier, several short car trips first, and I think they helped more than anything. We took the earliest direct flight we could find, and our vet gave us advice for the day itself. She was quiet and a bit grumpy on arrival, but she ate that evening and was back to her old self within two days. Thank you all, this thread made the day much less frightening than I'd imagined.
Ours flew to Sweden, not old but very anxious. What helped most was the crate living in our living room for a month before, with the door open, her blanket inside, and treats appearing in it at random. By flight day it was her safe place rather than a box she was being shut into. And on the day itself we avoided feeding her a big meal, on the vet's advice.
Glad it went well, Helga, and thanks for coming back to tell us. To Emma's question from earlier in the thread: anything to calm a pet for travel should only come from your own vet, who knows the animal. Some airlines have their own rules about sedated animals too, so check both before the day. The Pets section of each guide covers the entry rules, for example the Pets section for Spain.
So happy it went well, Helga. The first meal after arrival is always the moment I relax too, because until the animal eats, I don't believe anything is really fine.
Crate in the living room for weeks beforehand is exactly what worked for our dog as well. By the end she was choosing to nap in it, which is when we knew we were ready to fly.
Saving this for our next trip home with the dog. The practice car trips are something I'd never have thought of, and our dog hates the car, so we'll start next month and see whether it helps before we try anything bigger.
Back to her old self within two days is the best possible outcome, Helga. Our dog took a week, and I worried the whole time. That's all that matters in the end.