Or perhaps, the question should be. at what temperatures should they go? Recently, a major US airline (Delta) placed an embargo on the shipments of all dogs at airport temperatures below 20 degrees fahrenheit. This is an example of an airline rule that is not dictated by government or industry regulations, although it has been supported by officials, with veterinary consultation, at the International Air Transport Association (IATA) possibly in conjunction with the American Humane Association. No waivers are permitted for animals appropriately acclimatized to cold weather, and the only exception is for Anchorage, Alaska where heated cargo or ramp facilities are available.

This latest embargo reopens an age old debate for mushers and sled dog veterinarians, the safe transit of animals to and from events during the winter months. Sled dogs, as well as other animals spending significant amounts of time outdoors, are generally well adapted to withstand significantly colder than 20 degrees farenheit. In fact, below 20 degrees is normal winter weather for many major airports throughout the midwest. New England. Canada, and Alaska. Physiologically, properly conditioned dogs are well adapted to withstand transient exposure to the elements during transfer, loading, and unloading.

In addition, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has regulations regarding proper shipping containers for the transport of any animals by air This includes provisions for adequate bedding during transportation On March 4. 1998. the USDA published a statement in the Federal Register stating that ÙWe believe that the current temperature requirements regarding specific minimum temperature levels, in conjunction with the current Animal Welfare Act (AWA) regulations that pertain to temperature in general resulting from this final rule, are sufficient to protect dogs and cats in the circumstances covered by the proposal from adverse exposure to cold temperatures The outside temperature is irrelevant if efforts are made to keep the animals sufficiently heated or cooled to ensure their well being while in the cargo hold of the airplane on the tarmac and while the animals are being transported to or from the airplane or terminal facility. Concerns by the airlines involve unavoidable delays such as those resulting from the need for planes to stop to de-ice during inclement weather Under such circumstances, dogs could be left in inclement temperatures for longer than normal periods of time

Current Federal regulation under the AWA applies to all airlines, and limits the cold weather exposure of dogs and cats to no more than 4 hours at temperatures below 45 degrees farenheit under any circumstance, and no more than 45 minutes below 45 degrees unless the animal is certified acclimated to corresponding conditions The new wording stipulates that "An animal may never be subjected to any combination of temperature, humidity, and time that is detrimental to the animal's health or well being, taking into consideration such factors as the animal's age, species, breed, overall health status, and acclimation." Clearly, the federal regulations have the same goal as the ISDVMA, veterinarians, and mushers as a whole in looking out for the safety of the animal. The major difference is agreement upon the limits seen as safe for heavily cold adapted breeds such as working sled dogs A distinction must certainly be made in the eyes of the law between standards for the safety of the dogs as opposed to establishing guidelines regarding their welfare.

Major studies examining the suitability of various climate conditions for sled dog travel remain limited. In fact, beagles remain the mainstay of such research hardly representative of an average working sled dog. In addition, shivering (often a normal metabolic response) has been seen as an indication of unfavorable conditions for dogs undergoing air travel.

Interestingly enough, funding is available which would greatly aid in the completion of research to establish appropriate guidelines for sled dog travel USDA APHiS fines regulated business found to be violating the law, and returns all or part of the money to the business to be used to achieve compliance. An example was a recent $25,000 fine paid by one airline for violations in handling dogs and cats This money can be allocated into research to promote the safe transportation of pets, and will be administered by the Airline Transportation Association of America (ATA) - see information at the end of the article.

Other tangential issues present themselves when the discussion of sled dog travel is raised Besides the obvious issues of appropriate temperature for winter travel, little has been done to address several other factors which heavily impact the animals during transport. Some of these issues include:

- What is an adequate container for transport? Dogs are by nature denning animals, and feel safe and comfortable in small, confined spaces with which they are familiar. Would the stress of travel be less in such a container than one that meets the current guidelines ˜ including a kennel in which the dog is able to maintain an erect posture? Using the scientific definition of erect (see references), regulations requiring a dog to be able to maintain an erect posture actually stipulates that the dog be able to stand on 2 legs and clear the roof of the carrier! Obviously, some of the guidelines as written must be interpreted quite loosely to be practical. Additionally, psychological distress has been shown to greatly affect the development of physiological stress responses. Therefore, the idea of a bigger carrier is not always better.

-Assessment of Stress During Handling and Transport, T. Grandin, J. Anim. Sci, 1997. 75:249-257)

- What guidelines are used to determine whether a dog is "acclimated" in order to issue the certificate of acclimatization required by the airlines? The AVMA would prefer that veterinarians not be responsible for knowing if a clients' dog is able to withstand particular temperatures. The proposed alternative wording states that the animal can tolerate temperatures within its individual thermoneutral zone. This opens the question of whether thermoneutrality is equivalent to comfort. Currently, no cases of dogs dying from cold exposure during airline transport exist, although extreme heat has beer more of a problem. How does a veterinarian determine the thermoneutral zone for an individual animal ˜ such as an indoor only Yorkie as opposed to a moderately active pit bull versus a working sled dog or greyhound?

- A very major issue is that of the tranquilization of dogs for travel. Many veterinarians routinely prescribe such medications as Acepromazine for dogs undergoing airline travel. Amongst the side effects well noted with acepromazine use is an interference with thermoregulation. In addition, hypotension caused by central mechanisms, alpha-adrenergic actions, and bradycardia can result in cardiovascular collapse. Therefore, it would appear contra-indicated to permit dogs under the influence of such medication to travel, since the need for thermoregulation is intrinsic to safe travel under extreme cold or hot conditions. This issue is one of critical importance to the ISDVMA, in that a fairly consistent recommendation regarding sedation should be made to sled dog owners requiring air travel for their dogs. Should the use of tranquilizers be prohibited, or should a requirement exist that the use be declared prior to shipment?

- Current recommendations consider temperature and humidity ˜ but little has been done to address shelter from the wind during loading and unloading, in addition to other environmental factors which may play a role in the comfort of the animals. Traditionally, however, this has been of minimal concern.

- In cargo compartments with low ventilation, the C02 produced by animal metabolism could conceivably reach critical levels over an extended period of time. Class D compartments typically found on narrow body jets are sometimes called unventilated or nonventilated compartments. However, ventilation does occur as a result of cargo door and compartment leakage. Although ventilation is not controlled directly by the flight crew it results from pressurization of the fuselage and pressure differences that exist at altitudes above 4,000 meters. Calculations based on well understood physiological principles can be done to determine the number of dogs safely transported given the duration of the flight. Several studies designed to approach a practical working approach to tolerance and requirements for environmental conditions are. Permissive hypercapnia in acute respiratory failure, JAVMA 1994. 272. and Thermal convergence fails to predict heat tolerance limits, ASEM 1992 v63 no 109

- The feeding and watering of dogs during periods of stress have their own inherent risks, including increased body temperature and gastric torsion.

Obviously, much work is left to be done regarding the establishment of consistent, acceptable guidelines for the transportation of animals in winter weather. Many avenues are available for the ISDVMA to provide expert opinions based both on medical training and practical experience with sled dogs. IATA holds regular live animal board meetings, and are always willing to consider appropriately supplied scientific information and testimony. Any veterinarian (or veterinary student) interested in conducting a research project on this subject may well find help from several of the northern based airlines.

Several ISDVMA members have expressed interest in creating a universally used set of guidelines for animal air travel, but in order to obtain maximum effectiveness, the ISDVMA as a whole must be willing to discuss and endorse the recommendations which will hold important ramifications for many of the races every season. Should sufficient interest among the membership exist, a future issue may contain a discussion by a physiologist regarding the biological stresses placed on the animal body during air transport, in addition to more information about the response of the system to changes in carbon dioxide during air travel.

Contact persons for anyone interested in pursuing this matter include:

Joseph Chan, contact person for the Live Animal Board at IATA 514-390-6761

Frank J. Black, Director of Cargo, Services for ATA, 202-626-4130

(contact for research information)- Arthur Tennyson, VMD AVMA Assistant Executive Vice President 847-925-8070

Sandra Kudrak, DVM 692 Johnson, Mill Road, Orrington, ME 04474 207-825-3016. If I don't hear from you, I can't publish your opinion!! ! ! !!!

Tim White 218-387-2712

Arleigh Reynolds, DVM New York State College of Veterinary Medicine 607-253-3060

For additional reading:

Plasma cortosol levels in experimental heatstroke in dogs, Assia et al, International Journal of Biometeorology, 1989 33: 85-88.

Effect of posture and locomotion on energy expenditure, M. Abitbol, American Joutnal of Physical Anthropology, 1988 77: 191-199.

Thermal convergence fails to predict heat tolerance limits, S. A. Nunneley et al, Aviation Space and Environmental Medicine, Vol 63 #10 p. 886

Effect of C02 on the metabolic and ventilatory responses to ambient temperature in conscious adult and newborn rats, Journal of Physiology, 1996 491.1 p.261-269.

Permissive hypercapnia in acute respiratory failure, JAVMA 1994; 272

Assessment of Stress During Handling and Transport, T. Grandin, J. Anim. Sci. 1997 75:249-257