Is it safe for my Maltese with vertigo to fly on an airplane?

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. As long as Bella is up to date on all of her vaccines, it is safe for her to travel outside of the country! I recommend contacting your veterinarian to make sure any paperwork that needs to be done is complete but otherwise she should be fine. I hope this is helpful!

It really depends on where you are taking her and how you are getting there. If she is used to traveling than it shouldn't be a problem. If not, you may need to get a sedative from your vet, especially if the distance is far.

Several different drugs are available for this purpose. The drugs I use the most often for this sort of situation include trazodone, alprazolam (Xanax), and acepromazine. The last of these drugs will not provide any relief for anxiety for Muttley, instead it will simply tranquilize him. The other two will have both sedative and anti-anxiety activity. Discuss the situation with your veterinarian and determine which option you believe will be best. Hope this works out. If your pup is going to be travelling in the cabin, for the sake of the other passengers the use of the tranquilizer may be the best option.

Benadryl will not likely work but you can try Dramamine (NOT the non-drowsy kind). Be sure to give it at least one hour prior to travel and give it when she is not excited or stressed. The dose for a 17# dog would be 1.5 of the 50mg tablets. If you have the chance give it to her a few days before to see how she reacts to it. If she is not quite drowsy enough your can go up to 2 full tablets. Here is an information sheet on the drug with side effects listed. Please read it. ( https://www.petplace.com/article/drug-library/drug-library/library/dimenhydrinate-dramamine-for-dogs-and-cats/ ) Hope this helps. If you have more questions you can always opt for a private consultation where we can chat back and forth. That way you can ask as many questions as you'd like. Best wishes.

Flying can be very stressful, especially when flying with pets. Since Eva is so small she should be able to go in the cabin with you, under the seat. The cabin is pressurized and she will be with you. I always recommend putting a few of her favorite treats in a take off to help with the ear popping. Most of the time the animals fall asleep. More often then not we worry about this and they usually do fine. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and enjoy your trip!

Usually the short nose will affect the pet in extreme temperatures. Flying in the cabin with you is the safest route as the temperatures are generally well regulated. You are correct that giving certain tranquilizers that affect the blood pressure is not recommended. I recommend to have Troy visit his veterinarian for a general exam prior to the flight. The doctor will give him an overall exam and check for any problems that should be addressed prior to the flight. At that time, you can also discuss any sedatives or other concerns. Some airlines also require a health certificate and proof of vaccination so make sure you understand your airline requirements. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions!

I would think it would be safe for Cindy as long as she doesn't have any blood pressure issues. There are sedatives that would be safe. Talk to her veterinarian about Alprazolam which most cats tolerate very well. I recommend a trial run before the plane ride to make sure Cindy does well with it. Best of luck!