Man, what a terrible way to go for a dog

[MrSquished]

Man this sucks.

My folks flew overseas this past Monday with one short layover. Their dog took a similar trip 5 years ago with them no problems at all. I was at the airport helping them get all checked in and helping my mom out with the dog, luggage and with my frail dad with Alzheimers, so I spent time with the doggie.

The dog had been given a pill just before leaving for the airport - a sort of doggie valium - to make the trip more palatable. But the dog was still shaking at the airport. I felt so bad but figured she'd calm down. Well after about 17 hours or so of traveling they got to their destination. Dog just came out of the crate and lay down. Wouldn't really move. A little while later she started breathing funny. Shortly after a vet was called and the dog was put on an IV for being dehydrated and examined. No whimpering and quite calm, but within half a day or so the dog was dead.

I feel so bad for the dog. She must have been suffering and stuck on two goddamn planes in a noisy cargo hold and not understanding any of it. At least she got to spend some hours with my folks before she passed and that must have comforted her a bit.

Doc figured it was some heart or kidney problem that would have manifested itself at some point in the relatively near future, but the stress of the trip exacerbated it. Dog is getting a full autopsy and toxicology report as she was on home quarantine due to incomplete papers by the stateside Vet. So hopefully they find out what the hell the deal was.

But what a shitty bunch of hours to have to suffer. Being a social animal and stuck in a cage in a fucking hold of an airplane while your body starts to shut down. Ugh. On a side note, and maybe the only benefit of Alzheimers, is that dad cried here and there for two days. But by today he has already forgotten once that the dog died, and thought the dog was in boarding back home in America. By the time they come back in nearly a year, he'll probably have forgotten they had a dog at all.

RIP Olive.

TLDR: Folks dog took a long airplane trip with my old parents overseas. Had taken a similar one trip before with dog no problem. Got to destination and dog didn't look good. Vet was called, fluids were given, but the dogs body had already shut down too much and dog passed in less than a day after suffering in transit.

 

[John Connor]

Poor doggie.

BTW- You should omit the word shitty from yout thread title before an admin jumps on your sack.

 

[shortylickens]

thats good to know. If I ever fly with a dog, stick an IV in before loading his crate.


OR, take a boat and just live life normally.

 

[MrSquished]

Poor doggie.

BTW- You should omit the word shitty from yout thread title before an admin jumps on your sack.

Edit: NM. Found the thread title edit drop box

 

[John Connor]

I got my thread title edited with the word crap too! LMAO!

"What a %^#@! way to die."

 

[Capt Caveman]

The poor dog was stuck in the crate for the full 17 hour trip? Even during the layover? When not leave the dog at home and have someone watch her?

 

[MrSquished]

yeah my dog is never flying after this. he is too big to fly in the cabin. so unless i win the lottery and can charter a plane so he can roam with the humans, he is going into boarding.

 

[MrSquished]

The poor dog was stuck in the crate for the full 17 hour trip? Even during the layover? When not leave the dog at home and have someone watch her?

during the layover from what I understand the dog is out of the plane, and staff may do some rudimentary things for them. but yeah, unless they let the dog out briefly, it's in the crate. they give dogs a pill to help them cope. but that's it.

they are gone for 9 months, depending on my dad's illness may be longer. boarding was a bit over 5 grand for 9 months, plus they thought the dog would be happier with her humans for such a long time. plus she makes my pops really happy, and he is quite ill.

dogs are crated a lot in boarding. she's been boarded before for periods of 2 and 3 months and been fine. this was just a lot longer.

 

[ronbo613]

A human couldn't sit in a first class airline seat for seventeen hours straight.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Why do people feel the need to torture their pets by taking them on trips like this. Unless you're moving there permanently, leave your pets at home... or don't have pets at all.

 

[OverVolt]

Why do people feel the need to torture their pets by taking them on trips like this. Unless you're moving there permanently, leave your pets at home... or don't have pets at all.

Edit: I can tell it got to you so you have my sympathy. Sorry you had such a shitty start to your trip man.

 

[MrSquished]

Why do people feel the need to torture their pets by taking them on trips like this. Unless you're moving there permanently, leave your pets at home... or don't have pets at all.

in this case it was

a)duration of the trip being nearly 1 year and possibly more
b)dog was given a perfect bill of health during yearly physical this summer, and all years prior.
c)nothing to do with not being able to care for the dog, illnesses and all
d)dog was boarded on shorter trips of 2-3 months prior vs flying
e)dog successfully took the same trip 5 years prior. and back.
f)at least half a million airline trips taken a year and 50 dogs or less have perished per year
g)while a stressful trip for dogs regardless of death statistics, it's just the only way to get pets there. they have discomfort for 17 hours and have way more comfort for many months vs boarding is the logic

I wouldn't understand flying a dog in cargo for a short term trip. But for very long-term trips it is a finer line to cross.

 

[Capt Caveman]

in this case it was

a)duration of the trip being nearly 1 year and possibly more
b)dog was given a perfect bill of health during yearly physical this summer, and all years prior.
c)nothing to do with not being able to care for the dog, illnesses and all
d)dog was boarded on shorter trips of 2-3 months prior vs flying
e)dog successfully took the same trip 5 years prior. and back.
f)at least half a million airline trips taken a year and 50 dogs or less have perished per year
g)while a stressful trip for dogs regardless of death statistics, it's just the only way to get pets there. they have discomfort for 17 hours and have way more comfort for many months vs boarding is the logic

I wouldn't understand flying a dog in cargo for a short term trip. But for very long-term trips it is a finer line to cross.

And how many of these half-million dog flights are 17 hours? And how many are in the cargo hold compared to being a pet carrier in cabin? You sit in a crate and hold it for 17 hours. Any dog would have peed/pooped all over itself. And we all know how dry the air is on an airplane, the dog went 17 hours without water! Your parents should be charged with animal cruelty. I can't believe the airline wasn't smarter than your parents to not allow it. When I moved crossed country, I drove b/c I didn't want my dogs to deal with a six hour flight especially being placed in a cargo hold that can go from extreme heat to cold.

Did you parents take the dog to the vets for a check up before the flight? I bet not. You say it could be a heart or kidney issue and that the dog flew five years ago, so I'm guessing the dog was a senior now. Don't you have dogs? You should have taken the dog. It's pathetic that you're trying to defend your parents now for this when you actually created this thread to state what a horrible death Olive had. Disgusting

 

[flexy]

What monsterous flight was this, SEVENTEEN HOURS?

When we moved to Spain, and this was only a very short 2.5hrs flight, we did some research about pets in the cargo hold, and I remember I didn't read good things about it and we couldn't even stand the idea of our cats in the cargo hold. A nightmare idea, really.

So we looked up what carriers even ALLOWED pets (not many did actually), AirBerlin was the only one. So we bought an additional seat and had three cat carriers with us, under our seats in the cabin.

Edit: While 17 hours sounds absolutely awful it's still odd that the dog died. Why did he/she shake at the airport, before the dog was even on the plane?

Anyway, sorry for this, I know how it sucks when something happens to pets ;(

 

[MrSquished]

And how many of these half-million dog flights are 17 hours? And how many are in the cargo hold compared to being a pet carrier in cabin? You sit in a crate and hold it for 17 hours. Any dog would have peed/pooped all over itself. And we all know how dry the air is on an airplane, the dog went 17 hours without water! Your parents should be charged with animal cruelty. I can't believe the airline wasn't smarter than your parents to not allow it. When I moved crossed country, I drove b/c I didn't want my dogs to deal with a six hour flight especially being placed in a cargo hold that can go from extreme heat to cold.

Did you parents take the dog to the vets for a check up before the flight? I bet not. You say it could be a heart or kidney issue and that the dog flew five years ago, so I'm guessing the dog was a senior now. Don't you have dogs? You should have taken the dog. It's pathetic that you're trying to defend your parents now for this when you actually created this thread to state what a horrible death Olive had. Disgusting

Yes the dog was taken to the vet within a few weeks prior to the trip for a checkup and to get her papers in order as well. She also had a yearly checkup this summer like every summer. The dog was very well cared for.

The trip was 17 hours total. That includes getting to the airport, airport time and layover. She was walked just before being checked in at Newark, the departure airport. The flights were 8 hours to Vienna. Layover. Change planes. Staff should walk the dog. Then 3 hours to Larnaca. Then travel time from the airport to the final destination.

My dog can easily sleep 8 hours without going to the bathroom.

 

[MrSquished]

What monsterous flight was this, SEVENTEEN HOURS?

When we moved to Spain, and this was only a very short 2.5hrs flight, we did some research about pets in the cargo hold, and I remember I didn't read good things about it and we couldn't even stand the idea of our cats in the cargo hold. A nightmare idea, really.

So we looked up what carriers even ALLOWED pets (not many did actually), AirBerlin was the only one. So we bought an additional seat and had three cat carriers with us, under our seats in the cabin.

Edit: While 17 hours sounds absolutely awful it's still odd that the dog died. Why did he/she shake at the airport, before the dog was even on the plane?

Anyway, sorry for this, I know how it sucks when something happens to pets ;(

Yes they had to find an airline that took the dog, not everyone does. Austrian Air did.

The flight wasn't 17 hours, the entire trip time was about that. This includes travel to and from the airports, waiting at the airports as well as flying time. This includes an extra 1-2 hours at the destination airport because the dogs papers weren't done correctly by the Vet during her pre-flight checkup. They wouldn't have taken the dog on a 17 hour flight.

It was two flights. The first was an 8 hour flight from NJ to Vienna. 2 hour layover. The second flight was 3 hours from Vienna to Cyprus. Total flight time 11 hours split up.

I don't know why she was shaking prior to boarding the first flight. She was drugged up. I suspect it was due to the bumpy 1 hour car ride there and being out of her element. I don't think she was getting ill yet though just from that.

 

[Wuzup101]

That sucks to hear man - I'm sorry for your family's loss. My pup has flow with me 4 times in the cabin when he was a little guy (sub 10 lbs). now full grown at a whopping 19 lbs, he is too large (too tall) to fit comfortably in the carrier. I wouldn't chance him in the cargo hold of a plane unless I was moving to a foreign country and had no other option.

With that being said, when there is a layover, isn't the cargo staff supposed to briefly walk / water your dog?

I really hate that airlines don't let larger dogs in cabin unless they are service animals. I can see vetting them (canine good citizen or proof of temperament or something like that), or requiring a muzzle, etc... but I would happily purchase an extra seat for my dog, and sit in the middle so he could have a window and not bother anyone, so he could fly with me if/when necessary. We just took at 17 hour car ride (thanks to 5 extra hours of traffic) and he didn't make a peep (obviously we let him out for potty / play breaks) He sat in his seat without issue the whole time. I'm fairly confident that he'd be less annoying than the majority of young children on a flight.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I'm not going to pass judgement on whether it was / wasn't a good idea. I'm sorry for your loss though.

I have to wonder about the "pill" that the airline gave the dog. Was it administered by a vet? Or just a cargo worker? There may be some liability there.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Sorry to hear, that sucks. I don't get why they can't just let dogs on the actual plane or have specific flights that allow it. With all the stories of lost luggage I personally would have a lot of trouble with the idea of not having line of sight with my pet if on a plane. Not to mention the whole idea of being in a dark cargo compartment.

 

[MrSquished]

I'm not going to pass judgement on whether it was / wasn't a good idea. I'm sorry for your loss though.

I have to wonder about the "pill" that the airline gave the dog. Was it administered by a vet? Or just a cargo worker? There may be some liability there.

Thanks.

And yeah the calming pill was given to my mom by the vet to administer just before leaving for the airport.

 

[msi1337]

RIP doggie!

 

[MrSquished]

The preliminary autopsy report shows the dog had a tumor on her spleen that ruptured due to a combination of the calming medication and the flights. Sigh.

 

[Ns1]

The preliminary autopsy report shows the dog had a tumor on her spleen that ruptured due to a combination of the calming medication and the flights. Sigh.

That is unfortunate

 

[rh71]

The preliminary autopsy report shows the dog had a tumor on her spleen that ruptured due to a combination of the calming medication and the flights. Sigh.

I had an idea it was in part due to the medicine it was given... why else shake before the trip?

Not sure if it's the same because it was a tumor, but I ruptured my spleen from blunt trauma and it was a gnarly feeling in the gut. First I sweated uncontrollably and couldn't stand up straight. I drove home while bleeding internally (not knowing) and fainted - somehow managed to put it in park in the center of a small side road before blacking out completely. I eventually pissed myself which happened to wake me up (divine intervention?) and I tried to go sleep it off but couldn't because it was a nagging pain in the abdomen. Campus nurse said anything related to the abdomen area I need to get checked out. Friend drove me to the hospital where I blacked out again before going into surgery.

I can't imagine suffering for 17+ hours like that. I had a bad stomach ache once on a similarly long flight to HK and that was torture. The altitude change SUCKS. Flying is for the birds if you ask me.

 

[Painman]

If only we had the same compassion towards suffering humans; but we don't.

Because pets are simply moral patients; not agents.

Nothing that ever happens to a pet, is the pet's fault.

Applying the same sort of moral patiency towards other humans is (rightfully) bigotry, outside of disasters, etc.

Humans are NEVER moral patients. And that's what's fundamentally wrong with Political Correctness.