Flying With Fido? Get Travel Tips

Debbye Turner Explains Everything You Need To Know

(CBS) 
Health Requirements - Some airlines require a health certificate issued by a licensed veterinarian within 10 days prior to travel to ensure that your pet is fit to travel.

Sometimes, sedatives are used on the animal. They are usually discouraged because their effects at high altitudes are unpredictable. However, if your veterinarian decides that tranquilizers are medically necessary, the name of the drug, the dosage, and how the drug was administered must be indicated on the kennel.

USDA regulations require that your animal be at least eight weeks old and fully weaned before traveling. All states require proof of rabies vaccination for dogs over 12 weeks old and some require proof of rabies vaccination for cats.

If an animal is acting violently, looks ill, or physically distressed, the airline has the right to not allow the animal to travel on the plane.

Turner notes not all pets can or should travel by plane. Air travel is stressful for pets, so you should consider a number of factors before deciding to transport your pet on an airplane, including your pet's disposition, age, breed and health.

Heat or pregnancy - Animals who are in heat or who are pregnant should not travel by plane.

Age - Federal law requires that animals be at least eight weeks old and fully weaned (meaning weaned for at least five days) before they travel in the cargo hold of a plane. Although the law does not say so, veterinarians generally recommend against putting elderly pets through the discomfort of air travel.

Breed - Pug-nosed animals should never travel in the cargo hold of a plane. This is because of the structure of their faces, which may inhibit their breathing during air travel. If your dog is of one of the breeds listed below, be sure to discuss the issue with your veterinarian and with the airline. Many airlines will not accept pug-nosed animals for air travel. The following dogs are considered to be pug-nosed:

• American Staffordshire
  
• English Toy Spaniel
  
• Dutch Pug
  
• Shih Tzu
  
• Staffordshire Bull Terrier
  
• Brussels Griffin
  
• Pekinese
  
• Boston Terrier
  
• English Bulldog
  
• Japanese Pug, and
  
• Japanese Spaniel.