Flying or Moving With a Senior Pet: A Canadian Guide

Age on its own is not what decides whether a pet can travel. What changes with age is how much planning the trip needs: a fuller vet visit, a medication plan that works without anyone giving a dose on the way, a crate that is kind to stiff joints, and sometimes a different way of travelling altogether. The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association counts a journey with an aged animal among those that call for more planning, monitoring and management.

Older dog with a grey muzzle resting in a travel crate on a soft blanket

Here is what to sort out, and when.

Is my pet too old to fly?

The pet pages of Air Canada and WestJet, read 28 October 2026, set no upper age limit. Both set a minimum age (10 weeks for Air Canada Cargo, 8 weeks for WestJet) and stop there. So the question is never the number of birthdays. It is whether this pet, on this route, in this season, is fit for the trip. Three things matter more than age:

  • Health. Heart, breathing and kidney conditions, and recent surgery, matter far more than years. WestJet Cargo asks for a vet’s health certificate for a pet that has recently had surgery.
  • Breed. Snub-nosed dogs and cats, such as pugs, bulldogs and Persians, breathe less easily, and Air Canada and WestJet both set extra conditions for them. Our guide to breed restrictions on pet shipping lists them.
  • Season. Older pets cope less well with heat and cold. Air Canada Cargo rebooks a pet when it is 29.5 °C or more at the departure city, the destination or a connecting point, and from 1 November to 31 March some of its narrowbody aircraft carry no cargo pets because their holds are not heated. Read more on fall and winter travel embargoes.

The vet visit, 4 to 8 weeks before

Book it well ahead, not in the last days before the flight. The CVMA encourages owners to have a veterinarian assess a pet’s fitness before a long or potentially stressful journey. For an older pet, ask your vet:

  • Is my pet fit to travel this way, for this long?
  • Do you want bloodwork or other tests first?
  • How should the medication schedule work on travel day and for the first days after?
  • What paperwork does the airline or the destination need?

Air Canada Cargo asks for a health certificate for every cargo pet, and says it “is required no later than 30 days prior to the animal’s scheduled travel.” Some destinations set requirements of their own, so ask your vet at this visit when the certificate should be signed. Our guide to the pet health certificate for travel explains the timing.

Senior cat in a travel carrier at a vet check-up

Sedation: ask early, and expect “not recommended”

Air Canada and WestJet both discourage it. Air Canada’s guidance reads: “Tranquilizers and other medications are not recommended. Consult your veterinarian.” WestJet Cargo also does not recommend it, and if a vet decides it is necessary, WestJet asks for a notice from the vet who gave it and a sedation record when the pet is handed over.

The CVMA recommends a test run of a prescribed dose before the flight, which is one more reason this is your vet’s decision, made weeks ahead and never on the morning of the flight. Our guide to sedating a pet for a flight explains what each airline asks for.

Medication on the move

This is the part that catches owners out. Once your pet is handed to the airline, assume nobody will give them medication until they are collected at the other end. WestJet’s shipper certificate says it plainly: “Warehouse or airline staff are not able to administer medication of any type.” So plan the doses around the journey, with your vet:

  • Write down when each dose is due on travel day and the first few days after, and how it fits around handover and pickup. If you cross time zones, ask your vet how to shift the schedule.
  • If a medication is given with food, plan it with the airline’s feeding window. Air Canada Cargo suggests a light meal two hours before travel. WestJet Cargo recommends no food for adult dogs and cats within 6 hours of departure.
  • Keep a record of anything given before the flight. Air Canada Cargo asks for the drug, dose, time and how it was given, kept with the travel documents.
  • Bring enough for the whole trip and the first weeks after arrival, plus extra for delays. A prescription can be hard to refill in another province and harder abroad. A pet pharmacy such as The Pet Pharmacist can fill your pet’s prescriptions for the whole trip before you leave.
  • Keep it in the labelled pharmacy containers, with a copy of the prescription, in your carry-on rather than checked luggage.
  • Ask your vet for a copy of your pet’s full records for the new vet at your destination.

A crate that is kind to older joints

  • Size it properly. Air Canada Cargo asks for room for your pet to stand and turn about normally, sit up and lie down in a natural position, with its ears clear of the roof when it stands. A pet that gets up and lies down slowly needs that room more, not less. Our crate size guide shows how to measure.
  • Soft bedding the airline accepts. Air Canada Cargo allows a light blanket or cushion, and does not accept wood chips or shavings. A blanket that smells of home helps.
  • Water they can reach. Air Canada Cargo asks for a water dish fixed inside the crate and fillable from outside. It suggests filling it halfway and freezing it the night before, so it melts slowly.
  • Get them used to it. Leave the crate open at home for a few weeks with treats and the blanket inside, so it is a familiar place by travel day.

Sometimes the road is gentler

For some older pets, a drive with regular stops is easier than a flight with a connection: no cargo warehouse, no wait on the tarmac and no change of aircraft. Within North America, we look at each pet’s age and health before deciding how they travel. Our guide to ground pet transport in Canada explains how it works.

Travel day and the first week

  • A walk and a toilet break before handover.
  • A label on the crate with feeding instructions and the time of the last meal and water. Air Canada Cargo asks for this.
  • Expect your pet to be tired or off their food for a day or two after arrival. Keep meals and medication times as close to home as you can.
  • Find a vet at your destination before you arrive, so you know who to call.

More in our guide to preparing your pet for travel day.

Quick checklist

  • Vet visit 4 to 8 weeks before the flight, and tests if your vet wants them
  • Health certificate timed for the airline and the destination
  • Sedation decided with your vet weeks ahead, not on the day
  • Dose plan for travel day written down
  • Medication for the trip plus extra, in labelled containers, in your carry-on
  • Crate sized and familiar, with soft bedding and a water dish fixed inside
  • A vet found at your destination

The full list is in our pet travel checklist for Canadians.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a maximum age for pets on Air Canada or WestJet?

Their pet pages, read 28 October 2026, set a minimum age and no maximum. Health, breed and season decide whether an older pet should fly.

Can my pet get their medication during the flight?

Assume not. WestJet’s shipper certificate says warehouse and airline staff are not able to give medication of any type, so plan the doses around handover and pickup with your vet.

Should I sedate my older pet for the flight?

Only if your vet recommends it, decided weeks ahead. Air Canada and WestJet both discourage it, and WestJet asks for a record from the vet who gave it.

Can Pet Travel Advisors move an older pet?

Yes. Tell us their age, health and medication when you request a quote, and we plan the move around them.

Where these rules come from

All of these were read on 28 October 2026. Airlines change their rules, so we confirm them again for every move.

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