Pet travel risks

Short-nosed dogs such as English bulldogs and pugs are more at risk of dying during air flights, research published yesterday reveals.

They account for roughly half the pure-bred dog deaths on US airlines in the past five years, according to the US Transportation Department.

Overall, at least 122 dog deaths have been reported since May 2005, when US airlines were required to start disclosing them, the department says. The dogs died while being shipped as cargo.

English bulldogs accounted for 25 of the deaths, the single highest number among the 108 pure-breds on the list. Pugs were next, with 11 deaths; followed by golden retrievers and Labradors, with seven deaths each; French bulldogs, with six; and American Staffordshire terriers, four. Boxers, cockapoos, Pekingese and Pomeranians each accounted for two deaths.

Owners should consult with veterinarians before putting their dogs on planes, the department said. It believes the deaths represent a tiny percentage of the pets shipped on airlines. The department said mixed breeds accounted for four airline deaths and a dozen dogs who died were of unknown breed.

Short-nosed breeds - known as 'brachycephalic' in the dog world - have a skull formation that affects their airways, said Dan Bandy of Shawnee, Okla., chairman of the Bulldog Club of America's health committee.

"The way all dogs cool themselves is basically through respiration, either just panting or the action of breathing in or out, is a method of heat exchange for them," Mr Bandy said.

"A dog that has a long snout or a long muzzle has more surface area within its nasal cavity for that heat exchange to take place. So breeds like Labradors or collies or those types of dogs with the long muzzles have a more efficient cooling system."

Brachycephalic breeds tend to be heat-intolerant in general, Mr Bandy said. They pretty much have the same amount of tissue and structures within their skulls as long-nosed dogs, but it is compressed, and that can contribute to encroachment on their airways, he said.