Tips on Moving Pets

By Bill Chen

Moving can be pretty hard for all of us, but it can be especially stressful for our pets. They are used to being in one place for quite a long time, so you would do well to make sure they can adapt to the move slowly and carefully. The following tips will give you a few ideas you can use for your trip. If you travel ahead in different countries, you may often face a quarantine period for your pets, so consider that before you move on.

• Pet regulations
Moving pets overseas will mean your pets will face a great number of laws that may be specific to a certain culture and country, so you would do well to do a good bit of research before you move on. Some countries have a quarantine period that cannot be avoided when it comes to pets, so you may even face a period of six months of your favourite pets being apart from you.

There are some other details you will need to consider, so do your best to learn about things and look at the differences. The US requires you to have a pet harness for dogs, while other countries have an explicit ban of some animals due to fear of introducing foreign species into local ecosystems.

• Moving your pet
Once you finish your moving preparation work, you should pay close attention to your pets themselves. Moving companies or man and van will not deal with the actual moving, so you will need to do your best to address their needs. You will need to focus your work on keeping them happy and by your side during the move if possible.

This will help keep them more at peace during the entire experience, but you should keep in mind that loud noises and movement in the confined spaces of cargo areas on flights will be stressful to them. You can sometimes counteract this by talking to your veterinarian for a mild sedative, assuming they agree this is a good idea.

• Airline moves
Air transport means you have to face an entirely different set of laws and rules that limit the freedom you can have on the ground. First you will need to make sure you have each of your pets in a different carrier. Keep in mind that they will be stuck in the cargo hold of the plane where temperatures get pretty cold, so make sure they are comfortable during the trip and that they will have what they need.

If the pets are small, you may even be allowed to keep them under the seat or near you, but that’s also not a perfect option. Keep in mind that there are quite a few other details you will also need to deal with, such as immunizations, identification and more.