Travel Stress Is a Wellness Issue: How to Prepare Pets for a Calm Journey (Part 1)

By PadsPass Veterinarian, Mariam, DVM

PET TRAVEL ISN’T JUST PAPERWORK — IT’S A MEDICAL EVENT

When most people think about “pet travel prep,” they think paperwork: health certificates, vaccines, airline forms. Those matter, but they are only half of the picture.

Travel is a whole-body stressor for dogs, cats, and the people travelling with them. Stress hormones affect digestion, immunity, and behaviour long before you even get to the airport. If we plan only for documents and forget the animal’s nervous system, we set ourselves and our pets up for failure — tummy upsets, behavior changes, and meltdowns often show up on travel day.

Calm trips start weeks before departure — not at the airport.

HOW TRAVEL STRESS AFFECTS DOGS AND CATS PHYSIOLOGICALLY

When a pet’s routine changes, their body flips into “stress mode.” Whether it’s a noisy airport, a long car ride, or a new environment:

• Stress hormones (adrenaline and cortisol) rise

• Heart rate and blood pressure increase

• Blood flow is redirected away from the gut and toward muscles and brain

Over days to weeks, this can look like:

• Digestive changes: softer stools, diarrhoea, constipation, gas, vomiting

• Immune changes: higher risk of infections, especially gastrointestinal and respiratory

• Behavioural changes: clinginess, restlessness, irritability, or shutdown

For pets with existing conditions — IBD, allergies, anxiety, heart disease, joint pain — unmanaged travel stress can flare disease. This is why travel should be treated as a planned medical event, not just a logistics problem.

SIGNS YOUR PET IS STRESSED BEFORE YOU EVEN LEAVE

Many pets start showing stress signals as soon as something changes at home: luggage appearing, routines shifting, furniture moving. Early signs often appear in the weeks leading up to travel.

Subtle body language:

• Yawning when not tired

• Lip licking or tongue flicks

• Turning the head away, avoiding eye contact

• Ears slightly back, tail lower than usual

Behaviour changes:

• Following you constantly or hiding more

• Increased vocalisation: whining, barking, meowing

• Sleeping more during the day, pacing at night

• Sudden restlessness when packing or moving a carrier

Physical changes:

• Mild soft stools or changes in frequency

• Reduced appetite or skipped meals

• Increased shedding when handled

These signs are an early warning system. When tracked over time, they help distinguish whether a pet is adapting or escalating toward a problem — information that’s useful not just for travel, but for any major life change.

WHY LAST-MINUTE PREP CREATES AVOIDABLE STRESS FOR PETS AND PARENTS

Leaving everything until the final week compresses three types of stress into one:

Logistical stress

• Chasing appointments, forms, and rules under time pressure

Animal stress

• A carrier the pet has never used

• Sudden routine changes

• New medications tried for the first time on travel day

Emotional stress for you

• Worry that something has been missed

• Guilt when your pet looks distressed at check-in

Pets read our posture, tone, breathing, and urgency. High-stress owners often unintentionally signal “danger,” reinforcing anxious behaviour.

By contrast, a gradual, planned approach gives pets time to adapt and gives owners space to troubleshoot issues early — before travel day becomes overwhelming.

In Part 2, we’ll look at how to think about international pet travel timelines and organisation without turning preparation into last-minute panic.