I realized I never got around to writing about our experience relocating with pets overseas and I know how valuable this information can be for people who are searching for success stories with their own pets. It was by far one the most stress inducing factors of our move, but I’m here to say it can be done and you will survive. For reference we moved with one 12 lb cat and our 24 lb French Bulldog. So here is my “how to”.

The Preparation

Start with your Trusted Veterinarian

We moved from the United States to South Korea which luckily does not have strict animal import/quarantine laws for those coming from the US. I started by making sure I understood the official requirements for animal import to Korea.  It did require multiple vet visits starting 6 months in advance to secure the rabies vaccine and then tither test and to get all the correct exams and paperwork going. I can’t stress this enough, finding a vet who has had experience with either shipping or helping owners to get pets abroad is a very valuable resource. We were able to make a plan with sedatives for a long flight and have plenty of time to test them and find the right balance. To be totally honest, my frenchie never responded to any of the medications and was very alert for the entire 15 hour travel day. 

The cat was really pretty easy, she responded well to the medications and was pretty zoned out for most of the travel day. I did get her a carrier that had expanding sides, so I was able to unzip them to give her more room on our 3 hour layover and in the plane as well. 

My Frenchie was more difficult, many airlines had weight restrictions for dogs over 15 lbs, which meant she was not allowed to fly in cabin. However, snub nosed dogs come with their own restrictions as well and many cannot fly in cargo, so you are basically off limits for many if not most airlines. I did find that Delta did not have weight restrictions, just carrier size limits. So we were able to have her in that carrier under the seat in front of us for both of flights. 

Knowing All Your Options

For reference, I did look into quite a few pet shipping companies, all of which seemed like bad options for us for a variety of reasons. First, they are really expensive, upwards of 5,000-8,000 dollars per pet, which was a huge shock to me. Most will handle transport to and from the airport and all necessary paperwork, however, that is really the least of what you are paying for. The animals ride in cargo, unsupervised for long flights, and in our case, our Frenchie would have flown the opposite direction to Europe and beyond. It all has to do with certain airlines allowing dogs in cargo and the routes they currently fly. However, if you are moving during the summer months, there are weather restrictions for pets in cargo, so many cannot fly until September or later. 

Day of Travel

Pre-flight

Needless to say, we made it to travel day. Here is how it went and why I think we were successful. We didn’t restrict food or water the night before, but we had an early flight and made sure to feed small amounts before they went into their carriers.  Our cat was pretty out of it from the sedatives, but our Frenchie was very alert and interested in what was going on. We showed up at the check in counter with our dog on the leash (holding her carrier to show the gate agents what we planned to put her in when boarding). We let her walk around the airport for as long as possible to get energy out. Security did make me take my cat out of the carrier and hold her through the metal detectors so they could scan her carrier. Thank goodness, she’s a good girl. We visited the pet relief areas and walked our dog around as much as possible before boarding. 

During the Flight

I will say that Delta did not let us purchase any upgraded seat options for this long haul interenational flight, so the leg room was very tight. Once we were up and flying, I unzipped our cats extra spaces and unzipped the top of our dog’s carrier so she could sit up and see us and we could pet her. I did at one point let her sit on my lap but I was asked to put her back into the carrier fairly quickly. I gave our Frenchie little sips of water and a few treats every so often, but not so much she would need to go to the bathroom.  All in all, they both did great, much better than I expected and even hoped for. 

One thing that helped was packing a small pets carry on bag with treats, favorite chewing bones, pet wipes, extra meds and some of their food. I knew that if anything started going wrong, I had a few tricks up my sleeve. Besides not being able to go to the bathroom for 13 hours (15 for the cat), they both arrived in great shape and have adjusted really well. Despite the stress of it, I felt so much better having them both with me on the flight, so I could check on them and make sure they were comfortable. It was around $200 per pet for the one way flight and that felt pretty reasonable. It is not easy relocating with pets overseas, but always worth it to have them with you.