Pet travel reports go live

HOLLY LAKE RANCH, TEXAS - 7/12/05 - The Department of Transportation's (DOT) first Animal Incident Report was published in the July issue of DOT's Air Travel Consumer Report at http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov.

The Independent Pet and Animal Transportation Association International (IPATA) issued a statement commending DOT on its inclusion of data on loss, injury or death.

"We have found that many incidents occur not because of anything the airline did or failed to do, but because the pet owner has not acted responsibly," IPATA President Gale Young says in a prepared statement. "For example, he may not have chosen a safe kennel/crate for his pet or the most ideal flight or routing, or he may have tranquilized his pet against the advice of the airlines and the American Veterinary Medical Association. And of course, the pet owner may be unaware that his animal has a pre-existing medical condition that put the pet at high risk."

Dr. Walter Woolf, Tampa, Fla., veterinarian with many years of experience in the pet travel industry, offers these guidelines for travel savvy pet owners:

- Take time to prepare the pet for air travel with pre-flight conditioning to its kennel/crate.

- Make sure the pet's flight kennel provides ample room for the animal to stand, turn around and lie down comfortably.

- At all costs, avoid tranquilizers and sedatives, as these potent drugs can have adverse effects on pets at flight altitudes.

- Reduce a pet's solid-food intake four to six hours prior to the flight.

- Avoid onboard dehydration by encouraging pre-flight water consumption.