Moving or transporting your pet is not less than a nightmarish experience for both you and your fondle. This kind of shipping process demands plenty of requisitions. It needs lots of preparations and advanced travel planning before executing the same. From travel agencies or flight booking to reaching the final destination there are so many to consider for making a transfer process successful and safe.
But among all other complicated requirements, the pet owners often overlook the proper verification system of the pet while traveling or transporting it through any vehicle, flight or as cargo. This kind of ignorance may cause tremendous loss to any pet owner. Therefore, it is really important to take good care of your pet’s health and ventilation system during transportation domestically and internationally.
According to some statistical analysis, in the USA more than 2 to 3 pets died due to choking or suffocation every week during transportation. These unpleasant affairs happen because of the ignorance of the pet owners, though it is not intended. Pet owners often keep too many things like pet toys, packed dog foods etc inside the pet crates to distract them from travel hazards. In the results, the pet’s head accidentally stuck inside such treat bags that are easy to head in but impossible to remove for pets themselves.
Moreover, pets may swallow their chew toys unintentionally, that can cause choking and breathing problems also. They can also get suffocated by weighty rugs inside the crate. So, to avoid these unfair incidents, you must be more careful while transferring your pet.
In this article we will particularly focus on the suffocation awareness for your pet during transportation:
- The very first thing is to select a perfect travel crate that is IATA affiliated. The crate should be wide enough and should not be shorter than your pet’s height. It will be better if the crate is well ventilated from four sides and contains multiple exits. The walls of the carrier can be either made of fabric or hard plastic. Any kind of suffocating element should be eliminated from the crate.
- Take your pet to your licensed vet before heading to transport your pet. Along with the health check up and vaccination also verify that if there is any kind breathing issue that your pet is suffering unknown to you and act accordingly.
- Never transport your brachycephalic breed pets like boxers, bull dogs, Pekingese dogs or Himalayan cats as cargo. Snubbed nose animals may face breathing difficulties in the high altitude, which may increase the risk of airline transportation.
- Try not to transport your fur baby in the overloaded cargo holds, as the narrow air circulation can generate more heat in the cargo and cause suffocation to your pet.
- Do not leave your pet alone inside the locked car in the parking lot, even not with the car’s AC on. Because, if somehow the engine stops, the atmosphere inside the car would become more heated and your pet might be suffocated because of inadequate oxygen.
- Always check for the airlines that would allow you to take the pet inside the cabin as an emotional support animal. To avail this facility you may require an authenticated letter from an accredited veterinarian. This will help you to look after your pet in case of any emergency.
- Don’t tranquilize your pet while transporting. Because euthanization makes your pet completely unconscious which may be fatal for it.
- Always inform one the flight captain or flight attendant about your pet’s transportation in the cargo holds. So that they can take some extra precautions. Ask them to keep in touch with you in the emergency situation.In case your pet is a big size animal like a horse, you will have to take extra care to find a suitable transportation company for him. You can search online at https://www.shiply.com/us/pet-transport/horse-transportation to find best matches for your horse transportation needs.
How to deal with pet suffocation
Though this kind of traumatic event is really not expected to happen to your canine companion, if any how the things go wrong you should handle the situation calmly. Because if you look stressed, your pet would also become restless. If you ever find your pet unresponsive during travel because of the above mentioned reason, immediately remove the pet from its crate and take it to the open air. Feel it’s pulse and watch if it is breathing normally or not. If it has been detected of slow or absent breathing or low pulse rate, CPR should be started immediately. Try this process at least for ten minutes and if there is no response take your pet to the nearest vet clinic as soon as possible.
