January 2006 Airline Pet Travel Report

Detail of the Incidents

Hawaiian Airlines, Injury - Boxer/Bulldog Mix: Prior to loading, the dog chewed through the plastic vent in the kennel and injured its mouth.

SkyWest, Death - Chinese Crested: During a plane transfer, a ramp agent noticed that one of the two puppies in a kennel was not moving. Both dogs were transported to a veterinarian who stated "death of the male dog is presumed to be associated with hemorrhagic diarrhea and medical complications that commonly occur as a result of such a condition. Stress, as a result of travel, may have contributed to the condition. The cause of the diarrhea remains undetermined." The female dog was kept at the veterinary clinic for two days and determined to be fit for travel.

Discussion

The Hawaiian Airlines injury seems to be another case where more acclimatization to the kennel might have helped. The owners advised that it was the first time the dog had traveled and was not use to being in a kennel. The actual report though has much less information than many of the reports from other airlines, something I'd like to see improved.

The SkyWest death is another incident where it looks like the stress of traveling was a factor, but might not be the entire cause. The veterinary report does not list what the actual cause of the initial problem was.