What vets want you to know about traveling with your dog this summer

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What vets want you to know about traveling with your dog this summer

Summer is when most Americans actually travel with their dogs. Road trips, beach weeks, weddings in other states, lake houses, the cross-country move you've been putting off. And more dog owners are doing it than ever before. The American Pet Products Association found that 37% of pet owners now travel with their pets, almost double the rate from a decade ago. Of those, 87% travel by car and 74% travel by plane.

Whatever this trend is, it doesn’t appear to be slowing down.

The catch is that traveling with a dog isn't as intuitive as people think it should be. Dogs aren't small humans. They don't understand why they're suddenly in a crate at 30,000 feet or why the car ride has been going on for six hours. The owners who travel with their dogs successfully are usually the ones who put in the work weeks before the trip starts, not the ones who throw a leash in the car and hope it goes well.

Two veterinarian advisors for Spot & Tango who deal with this constantly, Dr. Stephanie Liff and Dr. Jordyn Zoul, have seen pretty much every version of dog travel go right and wrong. Below is what they wish more owners knew before the next road trip, plane ride, or weekend away.

Start Weeks Before You Leave, Not Days

The single most common mistake vets see is owners showing up the week before a trip, expecting everything to get handled in one appointment.

It rarely works that way. Depending on where you're going and how you're getting there, the paperwork and vaccine timing can be surprisingly strict. Some states require a health certificate issued within a specific window before travel. International trips can require months of lead time, with rabies vaccines, dewormers, and exams that have to happen in a specific order and on a specific timeline. Miss one detail and your dog can get denied at the gate.

"Too often, clients wait until the week before travel to come see the vet, and this is often too late," says Dr. Zoul. Her recommended starting point is the Department of Agriculture’s Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service pet travel website, which lays out the country-by-country and state-by-state requirements that most owners don't know exist.

Dr. Liff makes a similar point about anxiety medication. If your dog needs a sedative or anti-nausea med to handle travel, that's a conversation you want to have well in advance, not the night before a flight. Most travel-related prescriptions need a trial run at home first to make sure the dog tolerates the dose. Trying a new medication for the first time in an airport is, predictably, a bad time.

The general rule of thumb: Book a vet appointment for travel prep at least three to four weeks before any domestic trip and several months out for anything international. If your dog has never traveled before, build in even more time. There's almost always something you didn't think of.

The Car Travel Stat That Should Stop You In Your Tracks

If you're driving with your dog this summer, here's a number worth sitting with: Only 16% of dog owners use any kind of restraint when their dog is in the car. That's from a survey conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety and explained by the American Humane Society. The same survey found that more than 80% of those owners know that an unrestrained dog in a moving vehicle is dangerous. They just don't do anything about it.

The physics is worse than most people realize. According to AAA, an unrestrained 10-pound dog in a 50-mph crash exerts roughly 500 pounds of force. An 80-pound dog in a 30-mph crash exerts about 2,400 pounds. A friendly golden retriever in your back seat becomes a projectile the moment something goes wrong.

Dr. Liff is direct about this one: "I believe seat belt devices enhance safety for pets, so fit your pet for one and make sure you use it." There's no shortage of options on the market. Harness-and-seatbelt clip combos, crash-tested crates, back seat barriers, hard-sided travel carriers. The brand matters less than the fact that you're actually using one.

A few other things worth knowing before a long drive:

• The back seat is safer than the front. Front-seat airbags can kill or seriously injure a dog, even one that's restrained. Dr. Liff and most veterinary safety guidance recommend keeping dogs in the back at all times.
• Feed them lighter before you go. Dr. Liff recommends feeding about 25% to 50% of a normal meal before travel. Full stomachs and motion don't mix well, especially for dogs prone to car sickness.
• Plan bathroom breaks every four to six hours. Longer than that and you're asking for accidents or stress.
• Don't skip the ID layer. Make sure your dog is microchipped, wearing a collar that actually fits, and that the tags have current contact info. "Travel opens up a new opportunity for pets to get loose or lost," Dr. Liff notes. It's the most preventable kind of trip disaster.

And one more, because it bears repeating: never leave your dog in a parked car in summer, even with the windows cracked. Interior temperatures can climb above 100 degrees within 10 minutes on a 70-degree day. A "quick stop" can become a tragedy faster than most owners expect.

Flying With Your Dog Is More Complicated Than Most Owners Think

Roughly 2 million pets travel on commercial flights in the U.S. every year. That number sounds bigger than it feels until you've actually tried to fly with a dog, at which point it sounds about right.

Flying is the travel mode where the most things can go wrong, mostly because there are multiple authorities involved with separate, sometimes contradictory rules. Dr. Zoul breaks it into three layers worth checking before you book anything:

1. The airline: Every airline has its own pet policy, including whether your dog can fly in the cabin or has to go in cargo, what kind of carrier qualifies, what the weight limit is, and how far in advance you need to book the pet slot. Some flights only allow a handful of pets per cabin.
2. The destination: Different states and countries have different entry requirements. International destinations are where this gets brutal. Some require rabies titers, deworming on a specific schedule, and exams within a narrow window before departure.
3. The return trip: This is the one most owners forget. Coming back into the U.S. or another country can have its own paperwork requirements, especially for international travel.

Miss one detail and the trip falls apart. "I was once turned away at the gate for a paperwork issue, and I can assure you, it's not fun," Dr. Liff says. If a veterinarian who travels constantly with her service dog can get caught out, the rest of us can too.

The sedation question comes up almost every time someone flies with a dog. The short answer from both vets: it depends, and it's more complicated than people assume.

If your dog is flying in cargo, sedation is off the table entirely. The airlines require pets to have full faculties at all times in cargo, and sedated animals are at higher risk for blood pressure problems and dehydration during the flight. Dogs flying in the cabin with their owner can sometimes be sedated, because the owner is there to monitor them, but Dr. Liff still leans toward drug-free travel when possible.

Liff’s honest take, which doesn't always go over well, is that some dogs genuinely shouldn't fly. "It is not a popular opinion, but humans have the right to make the choice that air travel doesn't suit them, so I think some pets have the same aversions that can be insurmountable," she says. If your dog has a history of severe anxiety, breathing issues, or panic responses, the question worth asking isn't how to medicate them through a flight. It's whether there's another way to get where you're going.

For dogs that do fly well with a little pharmaceutical help, common prescriptions include trazodone, gabapentin, and Cerenia for motion sickness. None of these should be tested for the first time at the airport. Run the dose at home well in advance to see how your dog actually responds.

Buses, Trains, And Boats: The Edge Cases Worth Knowing

Most public transportation in the U.S. is more restrictive about pets than people assume. Amtrak allows small dogs under 20 pounds on most routes, but only with a reservation and only on trips under seven hours. Most intercity buses (Greyhound, Megabus) don't allow pets at all, with service animals being the only exception. Local transit varies wildly by city.

The rule of thumb: confirm in writing before you show up. Dr. Liff's advice is simple: Make sure your dog is welcome before you make the plan, not after.

If you're traveling by public transit and your dog isn't in a carrier, bring a pad or a blanket for them to sit on. Partly for your dog's comfort, partly out of consideration for the next passenger who'd rather not sit in a pile of golden retriever fur. It's a small thing that makes the whole experience smoother.

Boats and ferries are their own category. Personal boats need life jackets that actually fit. Motion sickness, while not common in dogs, is real for some, and worth a vet conversation if your dog tends to get queasy in the car. Commercial ferries usually have specific pet policies, often involving a designated area on the boat. Larger ocean crossings have stricter requirements, including vaccine documentation and sometimes cargo-only travel for the dog. Plan that one well in advance.

What To Actually Pack For A Trip With Your Dog

The packing list for a dog is shorter than most owners think. The trick is being intentional about a handful of things rather than overpacking everything.

Here's what both vets agree should make the trip.

Vaccine records and a health certificate

Even for domestic travel, having your dog's vaccination history accessible is nonnegotiable. For air travel, hotels, dog-friendly venues, and some state borders, a current health certificate from your vet is often required.

A first aid kit

Basic supplies (gauze, antiseptic wipes, tweezers, a pet-safe wound cleaner, etc.) cover most minor scrapes. If your dog takes medication, bring more than you think you'll need. Dr. Liff specifically recommends packing enough medication to cover the entire trip plus any delays. A flight cancellation that strands you for two days shouldn't also mean your dog goes without their heart medication.

Their normal food

This one's bigger than it sounds. Switching foods abruptly while traveling is one of the most common causes of dog stomach issues on the road. Bring what they normally eat, in the amounts they normally eat.

Updated ID

Bring a microchipped collar that actually fits and has tags with a current phone number. Dr. Liff calls this one of the most overlooked travel essentials: "Travel opens up a new opportunity for pets to get loose or lost." A dog who slips out of an unfamiliar Airbnb yard is a lot easier to recover when the tag has a working phone number on it.

The emergency vet plan

Look up the nearest 24-hour veterinary emergency clinic at your destination before you leave. Save the address and number in your phone. You almost certainly won't need it, but if you do, you'll need it fast.

A familiar item from home

A favorite blanket, a chewed-up toy, the bed they sleep in. Dogs orient through smell more than anything else, and the scent of home in an unfamiliar place reduces stress significantly. This is also why so many boarding facilities ask owners to bring something that smells like them when leaving a dog behind.

The thing most owners overpack is toys and treats. The thing most owners underpack is documentation, medication, and anything related to ID. Adjust accordingly.

A Few Things Vets Wish More Owners Knew About Traveling With A Dog

Some of the most useful travel advice doesn't fit neatly into a category. Here's the assorted stuff worth knowing before the next trip.

Never walk your dog onto an escalator

This one comes straight from Dr. Liff, who practices in New York City and sees enough escalator accidents to make it her top safety message. Paws get caught in the moving treads. Injuries can be severe. Carry small dogs or take the stairs. Worth knowing in any city with subway escalators or busy airports.

Avoid the head-out-the-window thing

It looks adorable, and it's genuinely risky. Debris, bugs, and rocks kicked up by other cars can cause real eye injuries, and the high-speed wind can damage the soft tissue inside a dog's ears. Cracking the back window a few inches for airflow is fine. Letting them lean their whole head out is not.

Heat is the silent killer of summer travel

Hot pavement burns paw pads, hot car interiors climb to lethal temperatures within minutes, and dogs with short muzzles (bulldogs, pugs, boxers) have a much harder time regulating their body temperature in heat. If you can't comfortably hold your hand on the asphalt for seven seconds, it's too hot for your dog to walk on. Plan walks for early morning or evening during a heat wave.

Motion sickness is more common in puppies and young dogs

Most dogs grow out of it, but if your dog tends to drool excessively, yawn repeatedly, or get sick in the car, that's worth a vet conversation. Dr. Liff and Dr. Zoul both reference Cerenia as the prescription anti-nausea option of choice, with over-the-counter options like Dramamine or Benadryl in lighter cases. Don't do anything without checking with your vet first.

Some dogs really don't enjoy traveling, and that's okay

This is Dr. Liff's most honest take, and it's worth taking seriously. If your dog gets visibly panicked at the airport, shakes uncontrollably in the car, or refuses to eat for days after a flight, the answer isn't a stronger sedative. It's reconsidering whether the trip is worth what it costs them. A trusted pet sitter or boarding facility is sometimes the more loving option.

A Better Summer With Your Dog

The relationship between Americans and their dogs has gotten more travel integrated over the last decade. More road trips with the dog in the back seat. More plane rides. More dog-friendly hotels may be filling up months in advance. Travel used to be the thing you did after you found someone to watch the dog. Now the dog is part of the trip.

That shift is worth honoring with a little preparation. The vets quoted throughout see the same patterns over and over: owners who do the prep work weeks in advance have smoother trips. Owners who restrain their dogs in the car avoid the worst outcomes. Owners who plan around their dog's actual personality, rather than the dog they wish they had, end up with a better summer for everyone involved.

One small piece of that prep is keeping your dog's diet consistent on the road. Whatever you feed, the principle is the same: The fewer things you change about your dog's routine on a trip, the more energy they have left for actually enjoying it.

So pack the harness, double-check the paperwork, and don't forget the leash. Your dog probably won't remember whether the road trip itself was perfect. But they'll remember they got to come.

This story was produced by Spot & Tango and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.