My Dog Is Over the Weight Limit — 3 Tips I Use Before Every Flight

Sami weighs 7.7 kg on a good day. On a bad day — after a weekend of too many treats and not enough self-control from his owners — he’s closer to 8. The airline weight limit for pets in the cabin is 8 kg. And that includes the carrier bag.

So yeah. We’re always cutting it close.

If you’re in the same situation — your dog is right at the limit, or maybe slightly over — I get it. It’s stressful. You’re constantly doing mental math, wondering if today’s the day someone at the check-in counter decides your dog is too heavy to fly. I’ve written about what actually happens if your dog gets rejected, and trust me, you don’t want to experience that.

But here’s the thing. We’ve been flying with Sami for years — over 20 flights and counting — and he’s always been at the limit. We’ve never been denied boarding because of weight. Not once. And that’s not luck. It’s preparation.

Here are the three things we do before every single flight.

Tip 1: The Two-Week Diet

I know. Putting your dog on a diet sounds dramatic. But we’re not talking about anything extreme here.

About two weeks before a flight, I start gradually giving Sami smaller meals and cutting back on treats. By the last few days before the flight, there are no treats at all. He gives us those eyes — you know the ones — and it’s heartbreaking. But it’s necessary.

The result: Sami goes from about 8 kg to around 7.5, sometimes 7.7. That’s a difference of 200-300 grams. It doesn’t affect his health (we always check with our vet first, and you should too, especially if your dog is older or has health issues), but it gives us that crucial buffer for the carrier bag weight.

Because remember: the airline weight limit includes the bag. If your dog weighs 7.5 kg and your bag weighs 1.5 kg, you’re at 9 kg. That’s over the 8 kg limit. So every gram your dog loses is a gram you gain for the carrier. Which is why choosing the lightest carrier bag possible is just as important as managing your dog’s weight.

Tip 2: Skip a Meal Before the Flight

This one sounds harsh, but hear me out.

About 8-12 hours before the flight, we skip one of Sami’s meals. If it’s a morning flight, he skips dinner the night before. If it’s an afternoon flight, he skips breakfast.

This does two things. First, he’s a little lighter at check-in. We’re talking maybe 100-200 grams, but when you’re right at the limit, that matters. Second — and this is honestly the bigger benefit — he’s less likely to need a bathroom break during the flight. Because there is no good solution for a dog that needs to pee at 35,000 feet. You just want to avoid that situation entirely.

I always pack his food in a ziplock bag and feed him small amounts right after we clear check-in and before we board. Same with water — we limit it in the hours before check-in (not dramatically, we’re not trying to dehydrate him), and then give him a little once we’re past the counter. The goal is simple: at the moment they put him on the scale, he’s as light as possible.

After that, we make sure he’s comfortable and fed before the flight.

Tip 3: Check In Without the Dog in the Bag (If You Can)

This is the tip that most people don’t know about, and it’s made a big difference for us.

In Europe, we always check in with Sami outside his carrier bag. He’s on a leash, standing next to us, and nobody has ever asked us to put him inside the bag for weighing. They just weigh him separately — dog on the scale, that’s it. No bag. Which means the bag’s weight doesn’t count against the limit at check-in.

In the US, it’s a different story. From our experience flying to New York, they want to see the dog inside the carrier. They’re less concerned about the actual weight number and more focused on whether your dog fits comfortably. So the approach changes depending on where you’re flying from.

And here’s one more trick we keep in our back pocket: if they DO want to weigh the dog inside the bag, you can remove the bottom insert beforehand. Just take it out and put it in your backpack. The bottom of most carrier bags accounts for about a third of the bag’s total weight. Nobody has ever asked us to do this, but it’s good to know it’s an option.

The Bigger Picture

Look, if your dog is 10 or 11 kg, these tips aren’t going to help. At that point, your dog is probably too heavy for most airlines’ cabin limits and you’ll need to look into airlines with higher weight allowances or, unfortunately, consider cargo.

But if your dog is in that 7-9 kg range — close to the limit but not dramatically over it — this stuff works. We’ve been doing it with Sami for years. The diet, the meal skip, the check-in strategy. It’s become routine for us, just another part of the pre-flight checklist.

The key is preparation. If you start thinking about this two weeks before your flight instead of two days, you’ll be in much better shape. And so will your dog.

We actually go through our complete pre-flight routine — weight management, carrier selection, airport preparation, and more — in our free email course, if you want the full breakdown.

And if you’ve got your own tips for flying with a dog who’s close to the weight limit, I’d love to hear them. Drop a comment — the more we share, the easier this gets for everyone.