Sedating your pet

Moving your pets in or out of Costa Rica can be very stressful for the owner but the dogs/cats handle it better than we do.  Do NOT every sedate your pet before they fly.  This can lead to very severe and sometimes fatal results.

Airlines will not knowingly accept a pet that has been sedated.  If you do sedate the pet, here is what can happen…the pet begins to feel weird and shaky, unfamiliar with their surroundings they can panic and start panting and pacing in their crate.  This can lead to dehydration and with no water available to them during the flight this can cause major problems for your pet, even death.

At the higher altitude the effect of the sedative intensifies and your pets heart rate will slow down.  This is not a good thing.  They could go to sleep and never wake up again.

Bottom line….do not sedate your pet.  They handle the move better than we do.  They usually sleep off and on throughout the trip.  They don’t stress with the experience and you will have a much happier pet at the end.