I'll be visiting my family in California for a month this summer and I'd like to take my collie with me to see my nephews. She gets anxious when she travels in a car. Since I remember you suggesting tranquilizers for long car travel and the flight is 7 hours long would you suggest tranquilizers for my dog on this flight? Is air travel dangerous for my pet? Also are there any other things I should know about?

A. This is a good time of the year to ask your question since so many of your neighbors are also going to be vacationing during the next 3 months. Since many of us consider our pets members of the family it is not so unusual that we want to take them with us on vacation.

As you noted, in a previous column I mentioned that tranquilizers were a good idea for dogs who had problems with car rides. Not only do they calm your pet down but they also are antiemetics-they help to prevent your pet from becoming car sick. Unfortunately, tranquilizers are not a good choice for air travel.

Air travel is quite safe for your pets. Thousands of pets travel without incident all over the world each year. However of the very few pets who did die while being transported by airplane, half of them die from the effects of sedation. Why is this so? One reason that sedation can be dangerous is that we really know very little about the effects of sedatives on animals that are under the stress of transportation and are confined in a cage at 8,000 feet or more, the altitude at which cargo holds are pressurized. Additionally, some animals react abnormally to sedatives, actually becoming more excited when sedated. Sedatives reduce an animal's body's ability to cope with changes in the environment. For instance when your pet begins to get hot he starts to pant to rid his body of the excess heat, when he is cold he shivers to warm himself. Sedatives may block or slow these reflexes allowing your pet to become overheated or chilled. Finally it is not uncommon for owners to administer excess sedative. Why would they do that? You give a sedative on the way to the airport and your dog calms down. Now in the terminal your pet gets excited again. You think that the sedative is wearing off and so give him another dose. Actually the sedative is not wearing off, it is all the hustle and bustle of the airport that excites your pet. Once he is placed in the dark, quiet cargo hold of the airplane he goes back to sleep and since you've given him an extra sedative dose he gets dangerously sedated. For all of these reasons the American Veterinary Medical Association has cautioned all veterinarians that except under unusual circumstances tranquilizers or sedatives should not be prescribed or dispensed for animals that are to be transported by air.

Another consideration when flying your pets is the temperature of the airports you depart from and arrive at. Although ground crews usually work pretty quickly, there can be delays causing your pet to sit in an nonairconditioned cargo hold or worse yet on the tarmac in the sun. For these reasons airlines have temperature guidelines above and below which they will not transport a pet. If you are traveling to a warm climate be aware that if the expected temperature at your destination is above the guidelines, your pet may be held in a shelter at your home airport while you travel on to your vacation spot. A few years ago during a heat wave in Texas one of my clients' pets was held at Kennedy airport for 3 weeks because it was too hot to transport her. If you are traveling to a warm destination in the summertime keep in close contact with the airlines. Before you leave for the airport make sure that your pet will be allowed to travel.

Be careful not to overfeed your pet before the flight. It is not fun to have to clean a mess in your pet's kennel at the airport, let alone put up with the smell as you drive to grandma's house. A small meal before you leave for the airport and a little dry food in the carrier are enough. Also make sure that your pet has a water bowl that can't be tipped over available for him.

Finally, the airlines require that all pets they transport must be accompanied by up to date health and vaccination certificates. Foreign governments may have additional requirements which you can obtain from their embassy. Do find out about these requirements early. For instance the rabies vaccine requirement usually states that the vaccine must be given at least one month and not more than one year before the pet arrives in a foreign country. Don't assume that because your pet has a three year rabies vaccine he is exempt-many countries only license the rabies vaccines for one year and will not honor your pet's three year rabies certificate. It would be a shame if you found out about this requirement just two weeks before you were to travel and were forced to leave your pet home.

Armed with this information you should have no trouble traveling with your pet. I hope you and your pet have a great vacation and your nephews don't run you or your collie too ragged!