Dogs are great travel companions. They don’t keep asking how much longer it is until you get there and they’re always ready for at ail-wagging good time.
But unless you’re driving to your destination, transporting your dog can be a problem. Unless he can fly in first-class style with us on Pet Airways or ride in the cabin with you, his trip in the cargo bay can be nasty, brutish and long.
Dogs traveling in cargo face many dangers, including shifting baggage, loss or mishandling by airline personnel, and temperature extremes. Anxiety, discomfort or failure of temperature control systems can result in stomach upset—the kind with vomiting or diarrhea—or other ills. Bulldogs, Pugs, Pekingese and other short-faced dogs can suffer breathing difficulties and even die. For these reasons, many airlines won’t carry dogs incargo during summer, when cargo areas can overheat. That’s not so pet-friendly.
You might think that a doggie tranquilizer will help your dog zone out during the flight, but whether he’s traveling in the cabin or in cargo, that’s not a good idea. For one thing, altitude affects a dog’s equilibrium, even in a pressurized area. That can cause respiratory and cardiovascular problems, especially in those cute short-faced dogs and cats.
Tranquilizers have another problem as well.
“The temperatures in the cargo compartment are much more extreme than in the cabin, and tranquilizers can blunt the dog’s ability to pant or deal with being overheated or being cold, so I don’t recommend them if they’re going to be in cargo,” says Scott Shaw, DVM, assistant professor at Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine in Grafton, Massachusetts.
Instead, check out our dog-friendly travel option. (We’re cat-friendly, too!) If you and your pet like to travel together, Pet Airways is your best friend.
Kim Campbell Thornton
Pet Airways Writer
