A bit of thinking out loud-would you take a head tilt bunny on a plane?

As I probably have only two months left here in Alaska, the dreaded exodus I have feared is looming. Provided they are all still with me on Moving Day, I will have to find a way to take my three rabbits on an airplane. And two cats, and two dogs.

The cats and one dog will be going in cargo. I am a little worried about my Griff kitty, he has a heart murmur and I will be taking that into consideration when I take them all for their checkups in about a month and have them certified as healthy.

Jenna is my ESA, so she needs to ride in cabin with me.

The bunnies must also go in cabin. Now as long as the airline is okay with us transporting four animals in cabin with only three people carrying them, I have to ask myself one question.

It's Mimzy. He is close to ten years old. He is a former head tilt bunny. He has residual tilt and probably is deaf and mostly blind. He still has balance issues and doesn't respond well to too much movement. He has been such a trooper over the years and I am fairly sure he would survive going the almost 3,000 miles, but I am getting pressure from my son and OH that he is too old to go with us and instead maybe it's about time to let him go.

I think he could still have quality time of life left however and am not convinced that he needs PTS. In fact I'm guessing it is more of a convenience factor in their opinions, rather than actual fact.

However, he is an old bunny. He is creaky and gimpy. The regulation carriers that I need for them aren't going to give them much room to move about. Once we land there is also at least 1.5 hours of road travel to our final destination. Am I being selfish in wanting him to make the journey? Is this something that any of you would do if he were your rabbit?

If not, could you see letting him go? There is no way I can rehome him.

Also, and this is one that's out of left field, but have any of you ever had to take pet cremains on an airplane and, with today's security issues, did you have any trouble getting them past TSA? I don't know how I'm going to take Tooey's ashes with me (and hopefully not Mimzy's as well) without someone confiscating them thinking they must be plastique! :shock:

Many thanks in advance for any and all replies. I will of course be speaking to my vet about the final decision, but I just wanted to bounce some of this off of you folks here, because it keeps going round in my head and it's making me miserable.

MimzMum said:

There is no way I can rehome him.

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Why is there no way you could rehome him, rather than having him PTS?

I would give it a go. There is always the option of PTS later if the journey has been too much and set him back.

I took a bunny on holiday with me to Ireland because he needed a lot of care and syringe feeding (back legs not working, probably EC). It was a similar option - PTS before we went, cancel the holiday with friends (I was driving everyone plus a dog), or take him with us. There was a long drive (5 hours?) to the ferry, the ferry journey and then a shorter drive at the other end, then repeat to return a week later. He was fine. He was in a standard cat carrier with lots of hay to stop him rolling around, and fresh greens for food / moisture. He was fed and watered at regular intervals when we stopped for breaks anyway. I would do it again if needed.

Would the rabbits need to be in separate carriers on the plane if they are in the cabin? If they are bonded, you could argue to keep some together to reduce the stress on the bunnies and also the number of carriers.

As for the ashes - can they go in the main luggage in the hold? I don't know what the regulations are on planes, but it does seem odd that you can't post ashes in the UK, although you can post all sorts of other powders. They don't pose any health or security risks.

I took Gran's ashes from Australia, via a four day stop over to Singapore, to London. Since I had her ashes in hand luggage it was scanned often and I was never questioned once. Security would know it isnt drugs etc.

No idea what to suggest about Mimzy, but don't feel pressed by your son or OH. What does your daughter say ?

JessBun said:

Why is there no way you could rehome him, rather than having him PTS?

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There is no one in my area who keeps house bunnies. Most people here just see them as food.
Perhaps I did not word that correctly...it is my son and OH who are pushing to PTS. I would not do so unless my vet tells me Mimzy's QOL is failing. I would do my best to take him with me, rather than PTS. I was just wondering what other people would choose.

Shimmer said:

I would give it a go. There is always the option of PTS later if the journey has been too much and set him back.

I took a bunny on holiday with me to Ireland because he needed a lot of care and syringe feeding (back legs not working, probably EC). It was a similar option - PTS before we went, cancel the holiday with friends (I was driving everyone plus a dog), or take him with us. There was a long drive (5 hours?) to the ferry, the ferry journey and then a shorter drive at the other end, then repeat to return a week later. He was fine. He was in a standard cat carrier with lots of hay to stop him rolling around, and fresh greens for food / moisture. He was fed and watered at regular intervals when we stopped for breaks anyway. I would do it again if needed.

Would the rabbits need to be in separate carriers on the plane if they are in the cabin? If they are bonded, you could argue to keep some together to reduce the stress on the bunnies and also the number of carriers.

As for the ashes - can they go in the main luggage in the hold? I don't know what the regulations are on planes, but it does seem odd that you can't post ashes in the UK, although you can post all sorts of other powders. They don't pose any health or security risks.

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Sadly, the regulations for transporting animals in my country require that they go in separate carriers. My three are not bonded at any rate, unfortunately. I wish they were.
They would be stowed, basically, under the seats in front of us. No guarantee we are all seated together either.
If they tell me the rabbits must go in cargo, I will revolt. We'll rent a vehicle and drive to the ferry if I have to.

The ashes are in a very small box and I would be very nervous about sending them through check in baggage. I would really rather they just ride down in my carry on. But this is just something else I need to ask the airline.

Thank you both so much for your responses. I am cheered, Shimmer, that you managed to travel with your special needs bunny. I hope my boy will be able to deal well with the journey too.
I do wonder though, with his inner ear issues...is it possible the air pressure changes will affect him negatively? I have nightmares that he'll start screaming at lift off or some other horrible unforeseen issue.

Barn Yard Bunnies said:

I took Gran's ashes from Australia, via a four day stop over to Singapore, to London. Since I had her ashes in hand luggage it was scanned often and I was never questioned once. Security would know it isnt drugs etc.

No idea what to suggest about Mimzy, but don't feel pressed by your son or OH. What does your daughter say ?

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Oh that is reassuring, Amanda, thank you. Of course I'll be letting TSA know I am carrying cremains, but I admit with the heightened security lately, I've been more nervous about what I can and can't declare these days.

My daughter basically feels that both her dad and brother can do one. :lol: She doesn't much care for either of their opinions. However, she has expressed concern that Mimzy is up for the trip before I make travel arrangements. She doesn't want him to suffer any discomfort any more than I do.

I dont think any of us can say for certain what we would do if Mimzy was our Rabbit, only you have enough knowledge about him to be able to judge if embarking on such a journey would be doable for him. One thing I will say is that flying with any type of ear problems (in humans or animals) is a risk. Even though a cabin is pressurised there can still be changes in cabin pressure which could have an adverse effect on a human/animal with ear problems. Ear pain being one of the adverse effects. With that in mind I personally would have to think long and hard about taking a 10 year old unsteady/headtilty Rabbit with a known history of ear disease on an aeroplane. My concern would be for the pain any cabin pressure changes may cause the Rabbit and the subsequent potential for pain induced/stress induced gut stasis.

I realise that with everything else you are going through at the moment what I have just posted may seem to be adding to your stress. That really is not my intention at all. I hope that you know that as your friend I am just trying to give you an honest answer to your question, but I am not saying that what I think/would do is what you should think/do. As I said, only you know Mimzy well enough to be able to judge if he could cope. You will know in your heart what will be right for him.

I really hope that the forthcoming move goes as smoothly as possible. But obviously given everything else going on it is certainly not going to be an easy time for you.

I do not have any advice re taking Ashes onto aircraft, but I see BYB has been able to do so xx

MimzMum said:

Oh that is reassuring, Amanda, thank you. Of course I'll be letting TSA know I am carrying cremains, but I admit with the heightened security lately, I've been more nervous about what I can and can't declare these days.

My daughter basically feels that both her dad and brother can do one. :lol: She doesn't much care for either of their opinions. However, she has expressed concern that Mimzy is up for the trip before I make travel arrangements. She doesn't want him to suffer any discomfort any more than I do.

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I forgot to say I had her death certificate and letter from the funeral company. I think all you would need is the details the pet cremation service and/or vets. If you are travelling with pets and relocating, it's not unreasonable you would take a loved pets ashes with you.

Anyway, where are you moving to ? Is it California ? Will you miss Alaska ? Bet you can't get away from the extreme weather.

A thought, could your vet give Mimzy special ear drops for the flight.

Jack's-Jane said:

I dont think any of us can say for certain what we would do if Mimzy was our Rabbit, only you have enough knowledge about him to be able to judge if embarking on such a journey would be doable for him. One thing I will say is that flying with any type of ear problems (in humans or animals) is a risk. Even though a cabin is pressurised there can still be changes in cabin pressure which could have an adverse effect on a human/animal with ear problems. Ear pain being one of the adverse effects. With that in mind I personally would have to think long and hard about taking a 10 year old unsteady/headtilty Rabbit with a known history of ear disease on an aeroplane. My concern would be for the pain any cabin pressure changes may cause the Rabbit and the subsequent potential for pain induced/stress induced gut stasis.

I realise that with everything else you are going through at the moment what I have just posted may seem to be adding to your stress. That really is not my intention at all. I hope that you know that as your friend I am just trying to give you an honest answer to your question, but I am not saying that what I think/would do is what you should think/do. As I said, only you know Mimzy well enough to be able to judge if he could cope. You will know in your heart what will be right for him.

I really hope that the forthcoming move goes as smoothly as possible. But obviously given everything else going on it is certainly not going to be an easy time for you.

I do not have any advice re taking Ashes onto aircraft, but I see BYB has been able to do so xx

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Jane, thank you so much. Please don't feel that you are adding to any stress, I do value your opinion very much and I know that if I was talking nonsense and had extraneous worries you would let me know, sharpish.

Yes, this is what I am very concerned about...how his inner ear will adjust to altitude. I don't want him in pain, as it is we need to discuss the possibility of adding some extra analgesic cover for him as the metacam is now at maximum strength allowable and he still seems to have some discomfort. It may be that if we include either tramadol or gabapentin that this might be sufficient to cover anything going on inside his ears, but I'll ask my vet what he thinks is best.

I do consider that even the duration of the flight/road travel might be enough to throw all three rabbits into some kind of stasis episode, but for the most part, their history indicates that this kind of problem comes on mostly as a dietary/seasonal issue. If they have been grooming lots of fur, not getting nice enough hay, or are low on exercise, that is when I see them build up gas or not drink enough water to process their intake. And then of course there is the dreaded cecal bomb...I can only hope nobody drops one while we're in the air, because I think most people would rather fuss with a baby's dirty diaper than get a whiff of rabbit cecotrophes! :shock: :mrgreen: I've actually had to put Mimzy on a hay only diet now because any treat or too much green food will make his into a pasty mess. Poor lad, I think he misses his Oxbow supplements but they were the number one offenders.

I'll take your words to heart, Jane, and make the best possible decision concerning Mimzy that I can. As I said, since his spinal/hip pain is now breaching the measures we are taking to decrease it for him, we may be looking at the time anyway that he may decide he would like to rest. I did promise him four years ago that I would not extend his life past what he could reasonably enjoy. He has held on for me through several dentals and a fatty lump removal since then, but I can see him slowing down a bit. He still gets excited for when I bring him his forage, but he seems tired too. I love him so, I cannot imagine my life without him, but I will not make him go on longer than he can stand, nor will I put him through distress for my sake.

Barn Yard Bunnies said:

I forgot to say I had her death certificate and letter from the funeral company. I think all you would need is the details the pet cremation service and/or vets. If you are travelling with pets and relocating, it's not unreasonable you would take a loved pets ashes with you.

Anyway, where are you moving to ? Is it California ? Will you miss Alaska ? Bet you can't get away from the extreme weather.

A thought, could your vet give Mimzy special ear drops for the flight.

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Thank you Amanda, I'll ask the vet if there are drops that might make Mimzy more comfortable, that is a good idea.
I hadn't thought about the receipt from the crem...gosh, I hope I still have it about somewhere. With all the cleaning we've been doing to prepare (you can accumulate a lot of junk in 21 years!) I better not have misplaced it or lost it in the round file.

We had to give up on California. Too expensive and the permits we'd have needed to build on the property we we looking at were legion. They basically priced us out of there and there's probably some big wig real estate baron who's going to scoop it up now. It is what it is. :?

No, now we have a nice little place on the Oregon Coast. It took a lot of wheeling and dealing to score it though and it's really more than we can feasibly afford. If it turns out to be too much for us, we'll have to maybe relocate one more time, but at least it won't be the long haul from our remote state. That being said, I really will miss it here. There are so many memories, so much beauty and things you can only see/experience here...like the aurora...although you are right that I won't miss the -40 F temps much. Our winters have been mercifully milder in recent years, but we have gotten more snow on average and it was having the power cut for days and no phone in the last few storms that really motivated me to leave because when you can't even get services in to help you, you are truly cut off in our remote valley and if there isn't a larder full of food stocked and ways to heat your home, you are in dire straits. At my time of life, something a bit less strenuous is called for! :lol:

I won't say I won't ever return, but it will likely be in a visiting capacity, not to stay. I want to be where my children settle, and they are weary of our isolation here. They have been my focus for many years, and although I have to learn to rely more on myself when they find their own lives, I like having the ability to still see them both and enjoy their company. And of course I do hope that this new place will give me the opportunity to give the furry family a bit more room and clement weather to play in. We've done enough 6 months of darkness and cold and 6 months of either fires or torrential rain. It will be nice to have a more peaceful setting with normal daylight and temperatures.

Lots more stuff going on in the background too, but details are not for the forum currently. I may be able to elaborate at a later time. It's strange though, how you can live most of your life thinking you are fine where you are and then along comes a change that throws everything upside down. My personal life has taken a huge hit this last Christmas and earlier this year and it is taking all I have in me not to start circling the drain. Add to that how I loathe moving house, and this is making me grumpy bigtime. :evil: Once we're all done with it, maybe I can relax for a brief while, but I'll need to find work for the first time in 27 years. After constantly thinking each spring that we were going for the last 3 years, then having delays stop us again and again, it will be nice to have this over with at last. I have apprehensions aplenty and I know the worst of the anxiety won't hit till I see the door locked for the last time and we're headed for the airport.

Part of me though does wish Tooey could have seen our new home. I have no doubt she would've loved it. But it was not to be. She will have pride of place where I can touch her urn and speak to her every morning. I know that from where she is, she'll be watching over us every step of the way.

Personally I wouldn't take Hiro on a plane. He gets stressed out enough in the car and I only have to think about what happens to my ears on a plane to know that it wouldn't be right for him. But that's my tilty Rabbit... yours might be absolutely fine. You probably know best

M, I have no doubt what-so-ever that you will do what is best for Mimzy. You would never put your own needs before his, or before any of your Pets. It is just not in your DNA to do so.

Jack's-Jane said:

M, I have no doubt what-so-ever that you will do what is best for Mimzy. You would never put your own needs before his, or before any of your Pets. It is just not in your DNA to do so.

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I couldn't have said it better myself.

I can't give any advice, but I'm sending hugs xx

Oregon sounds wonderful. The US is a fascinating country and every state so different. I would love to travel there again.

I imagine moving such a distance is incredibly stressful, especially with animals. I thought relocating two hours away was stressful but we put the bunnies in a base in the back and the chinchillas in a pet carrier and the chinchillas happily went to sleep.

The logistics, with furniture etc. Will it be trucked over ? The timing must be hard to organise. I really do wish you all good moving vibes. Xxx