Preparing Your Pet | Global Paws

preparing your pet
for
travel

We specialise in transporting dogs, cats, and birds, but we're also equipped to assist with transporting other beloved family pets.
Your furry or feathered companions will be booked as manifest cargo, ensuring they travel comfortably in the livestock hold beneath the passenger cabin. This area is carefully maintained, with dim lighting, heating, and pressure control, maintaining a monitored temperature between 18°C and 25°C, adjusted according to the temperature at the departure point.
Before their flight, our Animal Handlers will ensure that all criteria required at the collection and check-in points are adhered to, ensuring your pet’s comfort throughout their journey. It's important to note that all pets must be booked onto their flights several hours before departure.

We provide three types of services tailored to meet your pet transportation needs:

Door to Door
We collect your pets from your residence and transport them to your airline of choice to connect with their flight. Once your pets arrive at your new destination, we facilitate all the necessary clearance and customs requirements, whereafter, we deliver them directly to your new home.
Door to Airport
Beginning at your doorstep, we collect your pets and fly them to your chosen city airport. Upon arrival at the destination airport, you can collect your pets and complete any necessary customs and airline procedures.
Airport to Airport
If you prefer, you can deliver your pets directly to the airport, whether to our office or kennels. From there, we take care of flying your pets to the designated airport. Upon their arrival, you can collect your pets and finalize any remaining customs and airline procedures.

Before your pet's air travel, consider the following tips:

A Familiar Smell

Help your pet feel more comfortable during travel by placing a t-shirt that you've worn into the travel box. Avoid clothing items with buckles, zips, or buttons that could pose a choking hazard. Similarly, avoid toys with small parts that could be chewed off. You can also include their doggy or kitty blanket in their travel crate.

Feeding Before Travel or Collection

Avoid feeding your pets a large meal on the day of departure or on the day of collection for kennelling. A small snack or treat is more suitable, as they will be in their travel crate for an extended period. Feeding a large meal can lead to messy accidents or discomfort. Instead, ensure they are fed well the night before collection and give your dog a long walk for a toilet break before our scheduled collection time.

Securing Your Cat

Cats can be unpredictable, especially on the day of collection. To avoid last-minute surprises, keep your cats securely confined in a room from the evening before the scheduled collection.

Sedation

Sedating pets during air travel is strongly discouraged by veterinary professionals and airline regulations. Adverse reactions and breathing difficulties may arise due to the change in air pressure. Airlines may refuse to carry sedated pets, as they cannot assess their health status. Instead of tranquilizers, consider using herbal calming products. We provide calming collars for dogs and calming gel for cats as part of our Traveller Comfort Pack.

Animal Products Restriction

Avoid sending hooves, rawhide chews, or bones with your pet. Instead, include a favourite nibble to keep them occupied during travel.

Travel Accessories

Your pets cannot travel with their accessories, feeding/water bowls, pet beds, or boxes of treats in their travel crate. However, you can attach a small quantity of their favourite dry food to the top of the crate. We can also take their leads and collars, attaching them to the crate door with cable ties. We recommend carrying your pet's leads and collars in your hand luggage to prevent loss.

Grooming Tips

Brush your pet's coat before travel to remove dead undercoat, keeping them cooler and more comfortable, especially in summer. Ensure their nails are clipped and avoid washing your pet at least 3 days before departure.

Original Documentation

Pets must travel with their original documentation. We will secure the documents to the top of their travel crate.

Puppy Travel Guidelines

For puppies, consider using a calming collar to ease anxiety. Puppies must be at least 8 weeks old before travel, with fully developed eardrums to withstand the pressurized aircraft environment. Vaccination requirements vary based on destination, so please contact us for updated country requirements.

Elderly Pets

Elderly pets may require additional precautions for travel. We recommend a thorough health exam for pets older than 10 years. Ensure proper hydration levels and acclimate your pet to the travel crate environment beforehand to reduce stress levels.

High-Risk Breeds

Certain breeds may face restrictions or bans for import or flights. Check with our office for up-to-date information on banned breeds and airline regulations.
Local pet travel within South Africa varies significantly from international pet travel. Please select your type of relocation, and we will provide tailored guidance based on your specific requirements.