Airline: Continental
Incident Date: Mar 21, 2006
Report Date: May 2006
Incident Type: Death
Animal: Dog
Brachycephalic: No Definition
Animal Age: Not reported
Flight Number: CO 391
Originating Airport: MIA (Miami Intl)
Destination Airport: IAH (George Bush Intercontinental/Houston)
Reporting Airport: IAH (George Bush Intercontinental/Houston)
Report:
Incident #1: CO flight 391 MIA -IAH Australia Shepherd - Male March 21, 2006 Name: Rowdy
Owner/Guardian
REDACTED
Narrative Description:
Description of the Incident: The animal was in obvious distress upon arrival in Houston. Continental's agent immediately noticed that Rowdy was lethargic and was having difficulty breathing. Rowdy was immediately rushed to a nearby Animal Emergency Clinic for emergency treatment.
Description of the Cause of the Incident: Upon tender in Miami, the customer informed the Continental agent that Rowdy was not feeling well, but that her veterinarian had cleared him for travel (health certificate was presented). Rowdy appeared to be fine and there was no indication that he wasn't fit for travel at the time of acceptance.
Rowdy died at the Animal Emergency clinic in Houston shortly after arrival, and the family veterinarian has since confirmed that Rowdy suffered from an existing chronic bronchitis condition, and three years ago his condition worsened when he developed Left Laryngeal Hemiparalysis. According to the family's vet, "it was very difficult for him on inspiration to get sufficient air, and this condition was worse when he was excited or stressed at all. Rowdy had a good life and made it years longer than I thought he would based on his medical conditions.. Thank you for all your understanding and concern. [Owner] was impressed with the airlines and how they handled a difficult situation."
Page 2 Continental Airlines March 2006 DOT Report
Description of any corrective action taken: Continental will continue to be vigilant about insisting that owners and veterinarians ensure that animals are fit for travel prior to issuing a health certificate and tendering the pet to the airline.
PetFlight Report:
May 2006 Airline Pet Travel Report
Original Report
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