If your pet requires medication for travel, you need to discuss this with our team as we may not be able to ship the medication along with your pet.
Does your pet require medication that will be compulsory for their travels? If this is the case, then this is something you need to discuss in detail with our team well in advance. We do not recommend sending medication with your pet unless it is absolutely mandatory for their safety (i.e. insulin or heart medication). If they can skip a few doses and be okay, then we suggest taking the medication with you on your own flight or shipping it to your new home separately.
In most cases, airlines will not ship any medication with pets unless there has been prior approval by the airline. We will require a letter from your veterinarian detailing the medication name, dosage/frequency, administration instructions, and the reason for this medication. In addition, the original RX bottle containing the medication must be clearly labeled with your pet's details (name, microchip number, breed, age) and the administration instructions.
If your pet's medication has been approved to travel with them, please be aware that it can only be administered at a boarding facility if your pet is boarding before or after their flight(s), at the onsite pet hotel if they are transiting or by the quarantine facility if quarantine is required. Starwood drivers and the airline staff cannot and will not administer medication to pets.
Please be aware that even if the airline has previously approved the medication, there is still a chance it can be rejected at the airport when checking in your pet. It is always recommended that you have spare medication with you on your own flight or shipped ahead of time to your new home in case it cannot travel with your pet.
If your pet is diabetic and requires insulin we know it is important to stay on a schedule but it is more important to understand that giving it after feeding the animal is more critical than giving it every 12 hours. If the animal is not fed, it does not need, and should not be given insulin. If the animal is stressed and doesn’t eat its full meal, it should not be given a full dose of insulin. Insulin also has to be refrigerated. Since giving it incorrectly could be life-threatening (too much, too little, given before food, given at improper temp), we don’t suggest attempting to ship insulin. If this is the case for your pet, we would need to make the appropriate arrangements for insulin to be administered by a veterinary professional during a transit stop or at quarantine (if required).
IMPORTANT NOTE: Starwood will NEVER ship any pet who has been sedated or tranquilized. Not only will the airline reject your pet for travel, but you would be putting your pet at risk since sedatives or tranquilizers can cause cardiac or respiratory issues when pets are in the air at high altitudes. If you attempt to administer a sedative/tranquilizer in front of our drivers when your pet is picked up, then we will refuse them for travel that day.