The A, B, C’s of Snub Nosed (Brachycephalic) Pet Flight Safety
With emotion, we at DryFur.com have been, sometimes with tears in our eyes, viewing the Pet Airline Incident reports since they were first released in May of 2005.
With purpose, we had to not avert our eyes to the realities, and we have been studying them to help bring information and resolutions to our readers so that the traveling pets can be safer, avoiding injury and sometimes, death.
Incidents, according to the airlines is death, injury or loss.
What was concluded was that the main categories of incident were from the following two issues.
1. Faulty unsecured kennels
2. Breathing and overheating issues for dogs with snub noses
Although the airlines do try to limit these incidents by requiring kennels to be secured with metal hardware and cable tying the doors closed, with the additional consideration being that snub-nosed pets can travel [usually] only when the forecast calls for temperatures to stay below 70-75 degrees.
Helpful, but not enough; as still over 50% of all reported pet deaths on airplanes are dogs and puppies who have snub noses, and according to the Department of Transportation, these animals are more at risk when flying in cargo than any other pets.
Snub – Short nosed pets include but are not limited to:
Boxers
Bulldogs
Pekinese
Pugs
Japanese Chins
Also of note are cats such as Persians and Burmese, as well as other exotic short-hair breeds.
Dogs more commonly use panting to cool off yet snub nosed dogs still suffer more breathing and overheating issues than snub nosed cats, but both are at risk.
Here is what you can do to help pet airline travel to be safer for these special pets. Please pass this information along to anyone you know with a short nosed pet, even if they are not traveling anytime in the near future, so that they at least are aware of these concerns and resolutions.
A, B, C’s of Flying with a Snub Nosed Pet
A. What to do
- Purchase an airline kennel that is at least 1-2 sizes larger than required for your size pet to help provide plenty of air space around the pet.
- Make sure your kennel has ventilation on all four sides for Domestic and International flights, even though rules specify only required for International flights for Snub nosed pets more is always better. Modify by drilling additional ventilation holes in the back wall of kennel if they are lacking. Might even be good idea to add a few extra holes in bottom walls. This is the level your pets head (nose) will be at when in a lying down position, but just a few do not over do it or you could compromise the integrity of the kennel. See diagram below.
B. When to Fly & Preventative
- Only fly in cool temperatures, during the cooler weather seasons or late night-early morning. Do not assume your flights will all leave on time, if the temperature is expected to get hot on either end or at your connections during the day of your flight, RESCHEDULE. So in the event there is a delay for several hours or your pet misses a connecting flight, your pet does not end up flying in the heat of the day!
- Refrain from feeding snub nosed pets for 6-8 hours before flying or even longer. Autopsies results listed in the Airline Incident Reports have indicated that in some of these deaths, vomiting may have been a contributing factor. It is similar to preparing your pet for surgery where a full stomach can cause vomiting which can lead to a risk of breathing obstruction. Don’t feed many hours before shipping you can still mark the Shipper’s Declaration stating you offered food in the time required (you are not required to feed only required to “offer” food). Digesting food will raise body temperature and possibly result in air-sickness vomiting and snub nosed pets can not breath easily from their tiny sinuses if they are vomiting and panting simultaneously.
C. Day Of Flight
- Provide plenty of cool fresh water. Use a Stainless Steel Water Bucket (hook-on type) or you can cable tie to the door either will work. You should fill the bucket with water and freeze solid then attach to the kennel door this will help cool the air in an around your pet and also provide cool water when melted.
- Dampen or mist their bed, mat or cushion or look into the many dog cooling mats and pads available these will help keep your pet cool with evaporation.
- Do not tranquilize any pet before flying especially Snub Nosed.
After studying these Incident Reports and looking for possible solutions, we still believe it is a risk for Snub Nosed pets to travel in the cargo area of the Plane. So please research and look into other traveling options and only when you have no other option should you fly your snub nosed dogs in cargo.
For more information: http://www.dot.gov/affairs/2010/dot13810.html
Check with your Airline for Restrictions
I’m planning on flying my dog (via cargo) back from China to Canada in August, I’m not really sure if he’s snub nosed or not because he’s a mutt, but has a nose similar to a pit bull (which I know is considered a snub nosed breed). I wanted to take the precaution and treat him as a snub nosed dog, which made me wonder… if I plan on getting a cooling mat/pad to put in the crate for his 12+ hour flight, would I be able to put DryFur travel pad on top of it (since I would like to prevent him from being uncomfortable if he soils himself accidentally) and have it still be effective? What I’m afraid of is that the effects of the cooling mat/pad will be neutralized by the travel pad and my dog won’t be able to feel the cooling effect if I cover it. Would you have any other suggestions? Thanks for your time.
Hi Jennifer,
Boy, August can be sooo Hot! I think I would concentrate on a cooling mat, and possibly forget the DryFur….maybe if you are convinced he will have an accident you might think about making a cover (like a pillow case) for the Cooling Mat with our Breathable Absorbent pads. You can stitch them like cloth. They are thinner and have no plastic so they would work pretty good and still let the Cooling Mat work? But main objective is keeping your Pup cool with lots of ventilation. Hope you both have a safe trip and Thanks for visiting DryFur.com
Using the breathable absorbent pads like a pillow case around the cooling mat sounds like an amazing idea, thanks for the suggestion and for the quick reply! : )
I’m shipping my persian/himalayan mix cat from DC to Alaska. We’ll be driving and plan on shipping him ahead of us due to the temperature, lack of cat friendly hotels along the route, the fact that we will have to camp a couple of nights due to a lack of suitable lodging along some areas in Canada, and that we will also be traveling with a dog. We really believe that this will be the best option for the cat. We were going to have a friend watch him until we got settled and them fly him out but that would be in mid-July and way hotter than it is now. I want to make sure he’s comfortable and was looking at the fans that are available for the kennel doors. Are they a good idea to use? I was thinking of using a water bottle just so there was less mess but would that be in the way of the fan or would he hurt himself if his face got too close? Also I plan on getting a crate a little bigger than needed and the dimensions are 28×20. I saw on a different site that they had a DryFur pad that would fit that but i didn’t see it on this site. Was the other site wrong?
Hi Casey,
The fans are great but they will not allow them to be operating on airlines. Many airlines will suggest you removed it before they accept the crate. They won’t allow anything in the cargo area that is battery operated and powered on or might accidentally start running during flight.
As far as water bottles I have never been a big fan of those most pets especially cats do not take to them very easily and they have a tendency to leak with the constant vibration of the airline. Most of the bottles are empty at the end of flight but not because of drinking mostly because they leaked on the floor. So if you get one be sure it is leak proof.
Not sure about the other site but if you tell me the floor measurement of the crate I can tell you what would fit best. I am sure we have one big enough for any cat crate. The sizes listed on the marketing materials are always a little off as they includes the outer rims and the door frames etc. not the floor measurement which is usually quite a bit smaller than the entire crate.
So if you get the crate brand and size to me I can let you know, we carry all the DryFur sizes available as we are the manufacturer.
Thanks for visiting DryFur.com
I was looking at the Petmate Sky Kennel Dog Crate in Medium: 28″L x 20″W x 21.5″H. I figured that it would be large enough for him to be comfortable, move around, and have a lot of air space. Also, I found a pretty good deal on it. I’m still comparing it to other crates but this is the one that I am leaning towards. Main thing, I want to make sure he is safe and comfortable. My best measurement on him is that he is 20 x 9 x 14.
Ok that’s a 200 and our Medium Yellow DryFur will fit the floor of this crate. You could even fit a Large Green DryFur in as well and it will fit a little snugger but both will fit this just fine.
We are planning on shipping our english bulldog to Hawaii from Seattle next year. We have traveled to Hawaii quite a few times with an african grey bird but not a dog. I see now that english bulldogs are embargoed from all flights. Hawaiian Airlines states that you can sigh a waiver and they will ship the dog. Have you come across anyone shipping to Hawaii lately and what means are they using for transportation? I appreciate any feedback.
Thanks.
I am not sure what other snub nosed pet owners are doing in regard to the embargo. I think Hawaiian Airlines would be an option even with the waiver form. The best thing you can do is keep an eye on the incidents reports for Hawaiian Airline now and in the months prior to you traveling. That will give you a good insight into how this process (waiver) is working for them. So far this year I do not see any deaths on Hawaiian Airlines. You can check them yourself at http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/reports/atcr11.htm and check them for the last few months after the embargo has started and they began to accept with the waiver form and for the upcoming months just to make sure you do not see a spike in snub nose dog deaths on that airline. If you do might want to rethink your plans.
Good luck and please try and travel when things are on the cool side maybe late at night?
I am wondering if putting those cooling paks (that they ship with vaccines, etc) would be an idea to put in cages during summer months. Have you heard anyone using them? Concerns about using them? I thought about freezing water bottles and placing them in the cages with the animals but I when I froze water dishes for a 3 hour trip, I found they turned to water within an hour at an 80 degree temp. Or even the hard plastic pieces they make for coolers? Any other suggestions?
Hi Deby,
Should be fine as long as it does not contain Dry Ice that is very dangerous and not allowed in the cargo area of the plane when any pets or animals are on board. Many incidents have been reported when airline personal loaded pets and forgot or didn’t see the Live Animal Labels then accidentally loaded items (vaccines, seafood, etc.) packed with Dry Ice, not good and can be quite dangerous for the pets. (dry ice replaces the oxygen when it melts)
Hi, I’m flying with my 5yr old boxer cross from England to Turkey 15th August…..the carrier is well ventilated along the top half of the carrier…..I will dampen the bedding she has, I have a cooling fan which i will attach to the cage door and I will be putting iced water in her bowl…..Is this enough for her do you think ?
Hi Babs,
I like to have a few extra holes along the bottom half at least on the back wall so air can circulate in the lower half of the kennel about nose level when she is lying down.
The fans are great but they do not allow them on airplanes here in the US, any mechanical moving item with battery must be left in the off position. I think they are worried about the possibility of causing sparks or fire. And I am pretty sure they do not allow them to be turned on while on the tarmac either tons of fumes there where they are fueling planes to be concerned about.
Be sure your boxer has plenty of cool water available too.
Thanks for visiting DryFur.com
Hi! I’m preparing my relocation to San Francisco from Athens Greece. There s nothing else I can think of since I was considering it except how will I take my two 7 and 8 yrs old boxer dogs with me.
Its gonna be january with Lufthansa on a 16 hour flight including a one hour connection to munich. I considered all other options and this seems safer than cargo them, even with lufthansa – unknown people -long waiting hours in plane cargo before flying etc and 2 day travel….
they are crate trained
My question is, is also cold a factor brachycefalic breeds have to be considered of? Lufthansa charges a lot of money for its heated checked baggage/cargo department. Do I need to freeze the water? I’m not sure it will stay there for the second long flight from germany. I read somewhere about a rabbit drinking method?
Is cold also dangerous?
Hi Selene,
Yes flying with you is always the best option in these types of situations… It’s great they are crate trained that will really lesson their stress and will keep them calmer.
As far as cold being dangerous it can be but from my experience not any more than for any other bread. I think the trouble comes from the disadvantage these short nosed dogs have when trying to cool themselves with panting and breathing… I have still seen a few incidents in cooler weather for with snub nosed dogs reported but could have been stress related etc… I did not see any conclusions in those reports that cool weather was a contributing factor??? So it is best to travel when cooler. As far as the water bottles they are ok but I have found the water usually leaks continually until empty because of the vibration of the plane… So if you buy one you will want to test to be certain it is leak proof with constant movement or vibration…
Thanks for visiting DryFur.com