Report Details

CO Flight #586 Houston - Orlando Dog - English Bulldog / 3 years old July 3, 2007 Male / Name: “Hercules”

Owner/Guardian REDACTED

Narrative Description: Description of the Incident: The dog was traveling from Los Angeles to Orlando with a connecting flight in Houston. He appeared to be fine in Houston, but arrived deceased into Orlando.

Description of the Cause of the Incident: There was no apparent cause for this animal’s death. All procedures had been followed, and the temperatures were very mild as the dog flew on the overnight flight from LAX - IAH. The Houston ground time was short and there was low clouds / drizzle and the ambient temperatures were in the low 70’s at 6:45am.

The customer consented to a necropsy at their own vet, for which Continental paid, and the necropsy results were, “…terminal circulatory collapse/shock associated with Brachycephalic airway syndrome..” It went on to say, “In this patient, there was also diffuse, severe, acute nasal and laryngeal congestion.” The veterinarian concluded that, “Brachycephalic airway syndrome exacerbated by hyperthermia and stress is more likely to have resulted in the death of this dog.”

Description of any corrective action taken: None. The animal’s death was not transit-related