Will international travel re-traumatize my anxious rescue dog?

Great question! Funnily enough, I faced this same problem when I moved from the US to New Zealand. I also had a dog who had a problem with separation anxiety who had to be in quarantine for four weeks. When in quarantine, Tinna will be kept in a large cage and having an enclosed space may help with her separation anxiety. You can also let the people running the quarantine know she has problems with separation anxiety, and you can see if they will let you put a DAP diffuser in her cage. This diffuser helps dogs with anxiety. You can also talk to your vet before you go about putting her on an anti-anxiety medication which the quarantine people can administer to her as needed. My own dog was just fine traveling and being in quarantine, and I hope Tinna will be the same :-)

Wow, what a tough situation you are in at the moment! First off, I'm quite sorry that your marriage didn't work out, and I hope things turn out better for you in the future. As for Sophie, I wonder if there is anyway you can take Sophie with you when you are out of town for work. Find a hotel that accepts pets or an apartment that will let you have her with you. That way, you don't have to leave her with a pet sitter, and she will likely enjoy being with you more. Otherwise, I would find a pet sitter to be in the home with her, as being in her own environment with familiar surroundings will much less stressful for her.

Hi, the majority of dogs suffers with different degrees of anxiety when they are separated from their owner. How much stress is he going to suffer with will also depends on the facility. Some dogs cope well with being kennelled whilst other just find the experience very distressing. In general dogs have to get used to be separated from their owners, because there will be circumstances in life where they will just have to. If it is possible a gradual approach would be better, i.e. getting to know the new place and facilities beforehand for a few hours at time and helping making this experience as positive as possible. I have a very friendly submissive medium size dog and I have taken her into a kennel for 3 days. The place was recommended by a client of mine who funnily enough has a lot of greyhounds. My dog found the experience traumatising, she did not pass feaces for 3 days and I got home to a very frightened and constipated dog. Since then I have stopped using kennels. I had to take to leave her for another couple of days because my mum fell ill in hospital and left her with her dog walker who said had always dogs staying at her house with her own dogs. My dog was walked with these dogs beforehand, and when I left her at her house as I was about to leave, she got bitten on her ear by one of the other dogs. That was also a traumatic experience. I kept searching and finally found a home boarding place where they board only a few dogs at times, and they are all around her size .. they have huge gardens to run and can be kept separated in different parts of the house, so she had lots of pampering when I had to visit a sick member of my family abroad. We take her with us all the time when we travel for holidays but sadly there are occasions when she can’t be taken and I have managed to find a suitable alternative to our family company. Hope my experience helps ! All the best.

I get that worry! When I moved from the US to New Zealand, I took my Boxer, who was also an anxious dog. Very long flight but he made it just fine. Dogs do tend to settle pretty well on there flights. It’s important to get him used to his crate and staying in long periods of time. It will become a safe space for him, and will make the trip easier. I hope this helps Scott!

You will need to check with the airline to see if they will allow Sam to travel in the cabin with you. Given he is 8 pounds, this may be ok but I cannot say for certain. Give the airline a call. Good luck with your move! I moved from the US to New Zealand, and I took my dogs and cats with me when I did this 12 years ago. One of my dogs had separation anxiety, and he did great. I didn't have to sedate him, but that's not recommended when a dog travels cargo because there is no one to monitor him. He was in his crate, which was his safe space and made him relax. I hope this helps!

Great question! You can move Jasmine and she will be fine. I moved from the US to New Zealand with two dogs and two cats, and they made the trip without any problem. It is stressful, but they do adjust and many people do it all the time. Be sure to find a reputable pet transporter, and check out the animal import laws and requirements. New Zealand, for example, had a ton of tests I had to do starting six months before my animals were allowed to travel to New Zealand, and then had to be in quarantine for a month. I highly recommend working with a pet transport company who can guide you through the requirements needed to move Jasmine with you. Good luck, I hope this helps :-)

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Coco. If you have time prior to your vacation, I would recommend placing her in daycare at the boarding facility you plan to use. This will give you an idea to see how she adjusts to it. It will also prove to her that you are coming back for her. If she does well, then I would not worry about boarding her. If not, I would try to arrange for a pet sitter to care for her in your home. I hope this information helps!