Any kind of travel, whether it is a short weekend getaway or a big move to a new place because of a new career opportunity, requires proper planning to make the trip enjoyable and relaxing. And, if you are taking your pet also, then the whole process becomes much more complicated. Unlike yourself, you need to take care of dozens of other things to assure your pet’s safe and comfortable journey.
It is not an easy task indeed to keep every single thing in mind while planning for traveling. Some things might leave behind and create inconvenience later on. Therefore, it is a smart move to appoint a professional pet shipping service to help you in this situation. In this article we will discuss pet shippers’ part of duties when you appoint one to transport your pet.
There are several pet transportation companies in the USA. But it is your duty to find out the right service provider for yourself by doing ample research on them. Before booking any pet shipper, make sure that the certain company is an active member of the International Pet and Animal Transportation Association (IPATA) and also registered by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Possession of these characteristics of the pet shipping company will ensure your pet’s security during the transportation process.
A leading pet shipping service provider must fulfill the below mentioned requirements:
- Reputation
- Affordability
- Professionality
- Special featured services
- Taking care of the health related issues of the pet and more additional services
It is mandatory to book a professional pet shipping service in advance as most of the shipping agencies need to be notified at least three to six weeks before traveling. Because the shipper requires time to arrange transport service as per the nature and the duration of your destination. Generally, pets are collected by the shippers from their owners on the day before traveling as they want to make the pet familiar with their pet attendants that would be accompanied to the pet. Moreover, necessary health check up and related paperworks should be done in ease.
Here are some pet shipping requirements listed below:
- Documentation
If you are willing to transport your pet, then must have to fulfill some paperwork formalities. Arrange a road permit or endorsements for international shipping as well as interstate shipping.
Also, you will need proper health certification and vaccination records of your pet. For that, take an appointment with a licensed vet and make all the required health checkups done for your pet. Ask an accredited veterinarian to give a registered prescription and vaccination update that might be needed while boarding. Sometimes your pet shipper can help you to do these tasks with additional charges.
- Travel Crates
Choose a suitable and sturdy travel carrier for your pet. Whether it is a road trip or a flight one, the crate must be comfortable to transport a long distance. Your pet’s crate should be well ventilated and spacious enough, so that the pet can easily move and turn inside it. The crate’s rrif should not touch your pet’s head when the animal stands up inside it. Make sure your pet should not be longer and higher than the crate. Look for a crate whose bottom can be removed for cleaning.
- Microchip technology
Along with the affixed tag of your pet’s collar, it would be great if you can arrange a customized microchipped ID for your pet. Microchips with special codes are easily available in the pet travel stores. These are really simple to access. Just take the microchip to your vet and ask to inject the microchip to your pet. Don’t worry! These are pet-safe. This technique will help you to trace your pet in case it gets lost or stolen.
- Climate Restrictions
There are some weather embargos for pets to ship. As the tolerance of animals is not like humans, you need to be more careful about weather extremes while transporting pets. Try to accommodate your pet in a climate controlled vehicle or flight. Many cities and countries have weather restrictions for shipping pets. As the weather reports change on a daily basis, there is a possibility of delayed or earlier travel as per weather concerns.
- Tranquilizers
Avoid tranquilizing your pet without an authorized prescription from a vet. USA airlines never encourage giving sedatives to any animal while transporting to the cargo holds. Sedatives may affect differently and can be fatal.
American Airlines pet transportation policies
U.S airlines have strict pet shipping policies and those can be changed according to situations. It is mandatory to follow the instructions of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) while shipping pets.
