As a rule of thumb, dogs with heart conditions should not travel by air, experts in Taoyuan said.
As most dogs are transported as checked baggage, separated from their owners for the duration of a flight, turbulence and other unexpected situations could make a dog too anxious, said Taiwan Pawprint K9 Rescue secretary-general Lo Ya-ling (羅雅齡), who has helped more than 2,000 dogs travel by airplane.
Dogs — even healthy ones without chronic conditions — should undergo a health evaluation one month before air travel, Millet Animal Hospital director Huang Ssu-hao (黃思豪) said, adding that some airlines require owners to present a health certificate.
The evaluation should include a basic blood test and chest X-ray, which is crucial because a majority of incidents that occur mid-flight are related to heart or lung function, he said.
While air travel is riskier for dogs with heart disease, there is no way to quantitatively assess which dogs with heart disease can travel by airplane, he added.
Even dogs whose conditions are under control and that are taking medication regularly could experience acute heart failure under normal circumstances, let alone on an airplane, where the situation is less predictable, Huang said.
Dogs who are on heart medication should avoid air travel, he said.
If it cannot be avoided, as in the case of dogs that are traveling abroad for heart surgery, owners should consult their pets’ veterinarians, as well as personally evaluate the risk, he added.
Instead of giving their dogs anti-anxiety medication for flights, the effectiveness of which varies from one dog to another, owners could leave some of their own clothing inside their pets’ crates to make them feel more secure, Huang said.
Owners should begin preparations for traveling with a dog early, as the process of obtaining the necessary documents — including a permit from the local animal inspection agency and a health certificate — as well as vaccination and microchipping, could take at least six months, he said.
One week before travel, owners are required to report to the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine with their pets to submit their documents and fill out an application form for exporting animals and/or animal products, he added.
Once owners have booked their flights and completed the necessary procedures, they should confirm with the airline whether they would be able to bring their pet, as there is a limit to the number of pets that can travel on each flight, Lo said.
In addition to the animal’s physical condition, owners should not underestimate the importance of the carrier in which their dogs will be traveling, Lo said.
Most in-flight incidents involving dogs occur because their carriers are not strong enough, allowing them to escape when they are scared, she said.
Taiwan’s two largest airlines recommend using a solid, hard-plastic carrier that meets the standards of the International Air Transport Association, Lo said.
All four sides of the carrier need to be secured by straps and there can only be one door, she said.
The bottom of the crate needs to be lined with a material that absorbs water in case the dog needs to urinate, she added.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by