Short-snouted Dogs Most Likely To Die On Airline Flights

[Steve]

http://travel.usatoday.com/flights/post/20...deaths/100181/1

DOT: Short-snouted dogs most likely to die on airline flights

Comments 6

By Ben Mutzabaugh, USA TODAY

"Bulldog and pug owners beware: Short-snouted breeds accounted for roughly half the purebred dog deaths on airplanes in the past five years, Transportation Department data released Friday shows." That's from a story just out this afternoon by The Associated Press, which says at least 122 dog deaths have been reported since the DOT required airlines to start making that information public beginning in May 2005.

AP adds English bulldogs "account for the single highest number of deaths among the 108 purebreds on the list," representing 22 of the deaths on the list compiled by the DOT. Pugs (11 deaths), golden retrievers (7), labradors (7), French Bulldogs (6) and American Staffordshire terriers (4) followed English bulldogs on the list.

DOT press release: "Short-faced" dogs more prone to death in flight, according to DOT data (PDF file)

Dan Bandy, chairman of the Bulldog Club of America's health committee, tells AP short-snouted breeds face a particular risk in being transported in the cargo holds of airliners.

"The way all dogs cool themselves is basically through respiration, either just panting or the action of breathing in or out, is a method of heat exchange for them," Bandy tells. "A dog that has a long snout or a long muzzle has more surface area within its nasal cavity for that heat exchange to take place. So breeds like labradors or collies or those types of dogs with the long muzzles have a more efficient cooling system."

Adam Goldfarb, director of the Humane Society's pet risk program, expounds on that to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He says such short-snouted breeds have "problems breathing and with air flow. It's [flying] a stressful experience for a dog. They are in a crate, [in] a small enclosed area. There are new smells. Then the plane takes off and it's an unsettling experience. And [there is] the noise."

As for recent examples, Bloomberg News writes "the one dog death reported to the [DOT] in May, the most recent month for which data are available, was a 6-year-old pug named Pixie, who died during a Continental Airlines flight from Houston to San Jose, Costa Rica. According to the report, the death was likely 'breed-related' and unrelated to Continental Airlines' handling of the dog."

Some airlines go so far as to prevent short-snouted breeds from flying as cargo during hot periods of the year. The Journal-Constitution notes that Delta -- the USA's biggest carrier -- says on its website that it will not transport "snub- or pug-nosed dogs and cats" in temperatures that exceeds 75 degrees. Delta says all other breeds are barred at temperatures above 85F.

The DOT report also covers missing and injured animals. The Journal-Constitution notes there "were 88 pets injured or lost between May 2005 and last May."

"When it comes to traveling with your pets, consider... whether your pet wants to go with you and whether it's worth it," the Humane Society's Goldfarb tells the paper.

[Jaxx'sBuddy]

interestingly given this is in the usa that boston terriers dont seem to be represented in the statistics

[Sheridan]

interestingly given this is in the usa that boston terriers dont seem to be represented in the statistics

Maybe they don't get out much.

[Jaxx'sBuddy]

interestingly given this is in the usa that boston terriers dont seem to be represented in the statistics

Maybe they don't get out much.

mine flew in from NZ but they really are homebodies. i dont think there are many transported here but i would have thought more in the states

Edited July 17, 2010 by Jaxx'sBuddy