Flying with your dog: anti-stress products remain underused, a study finds
Published by Planète Pets · managing editor: Clément Lacaille · how our guides are written
Most dogs cope well with a commercial flight, but a minority come out of it with serious, sometimes fatal, consequences. A recent survey looked at what sets the two groups apart — and at the tools owners are not making use of. Our travel guidance is gathered in the dog travel and safety section.
Contents · 4 sections
635 owners surveyed after a flight
Jahn, Ley, DePorter and Seksel published in 2023, in the journal Animals, an online survey distributed internationally to owners whose dog had flown within the previous twelve months (see the study). Across 635 usable questionnaires, the authors conclude that most dogs travel and recover well, but that a subgroup experiences serious physical, mental or emotional consequences during or after the flight, including death in rare cases.
The most actionable finding for an owner concerns stress-management tools: prescribed anxiolytics, calming supplements, synthetic pheromones. The study notes that these remain underused, and that some owners even reported being actively discouraged from using them, despite being among the options available to prepare an anxious dog.
What the study cannot establish
This is a retrospective, owner-reported questionnaire with no control group and no systematic veterinary follow-up: the authors cannot draw a precise causal link between a given product and a given outcome. What the survey does establish is a gap between the solutions on offer and how often they are actually used.
Before booking a flight with your dog
- Talk to the vet with plenty of lead time, not the day before departure, to assess whether medication or a synthetic pheromone makes sense for this particular dog.
- Do not rule these options out on principle: the study suggests they are underused out of unfamiliarity rather than any demonstrated lack of effectiveness.
- Plan the full logistics, covered in our guide to traveling by train or plane with your dog, and line up the rest of the trip with our checklist for going on holiday with your dog.
Frequently asked questions
Does this risk apply to every dog?
No: the study describes a majority who travel with no notable issue and a subgroup who accumulate difficulties. The survey does not precisely isolate that subgroup's profile.
Should every dog be sedated before a flight?
That is not what the study shows: it points to underuse of available tools, not a blanket recommendation for sedation, which remains a case-by-case veterinary decision.
Is the cabin safer than the hold?
The survey does not compare the two directly. It covers owners' overall account of the flight as they reported it. Find all our guides on the dog hub.
In our shop, for this use: USB-C rechargeable LED light-up dog collar (€22.90) · the whole shop
In our shop, for this use: Folding wire dog crate 24 in (61 cm), single door, with tray ($62.90, ships from the US) · the US shop
This guide is part of Planète Pets’s Dogs universe. Our advice is general in nature: for any health concern, your veterinarian remains the only reference.