Puppies, ears and flying.

Moxie

Moxie

Pre-Flight
Gone West
Joined
Feb 22, 2005
Messages
76
Man I sure would like a cigarette. ...

.... oh,
so anyway, I'm flying to MN this weekend to visit my highly loved girlfriend who just found out on Monday that her BC has spread to her brain, (two tumors... don't know if I can fly and cry at the same time, we'll find out) and I would like to take my less than 3.5 pound just shy of 5 month old puppy Zero along.... who is on medication for an upper respiratory infection and I'm worried of hurting her ears.

Should I board Zero instead or do you think she'll do okay? I KNOW she'd cheer Jane's heart so would really like to take her, but not at the expense of her health. It'll probably be less than a two hour flight and I could aim to fly at lower altitudes if that would help her.

Thanks,
Moxie "wandering off to go eat another chocolate biscotti or sumthin', wishes she had ice cream in the fridge"
 
What does the vet say? Specifically, how would changes in ambient pressure or air temps affect your dog? What about the meds, if any? You might think about taking a dog handler on the flight. You may have to educate the vet a bit about what is involved in making your flight.
 
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I'm flying to MN this weekend to visit my highly loved girlfriend who just found out on Monday that her BC has spread to her brain, (two tumors... don't know if I can fly and cry at the same time, we'll find out) and I would like to take my less than 3.5 pound just shy of 5 month old puppy Zero along.... who is on medication for an upper respiratory infection and I'm worried of hurting her ears.
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Bummer. The key to puppies, like children, is to keep the rate of descent to 500 fpm or less. Puppies get eustacean tube problems, too. And, keep the Gs positive. You want this pup to be a happy flier later in life...
 
bbchien said:
Bummer. The key to puppies, like children, is to keep the rate of descent to 500 fpm or less. Puppies get eustacean tube problems, too. And, keep the Gs positive. You want this pup to be a happy flier later in life...
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Yah think I can take her if I'm gentle with my flying Bruce?
 
Richard said:
What does the vet say? Specifically, how would changes in ambient pressure or air temps affect your dog? What about the meds, if any? You might think about taking a dog handler on the flight. You may have to educate the vet a bit about what is involved in making your flight.
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You know, maybe I will talk to my vet. Now that I think about it, he's a sailplane pilot so would actually understand what I'm talking about.
 
Moxie said:
You know, maybe I will talk to my vet. Now that I think about it, he's a sailplane pilot so would actually understand what I'm talking about.
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I'd trust the vet on this, but IMHO as long as the dog isn't congested (blocked eustacean tubes) I think he'd be fine. And there's some medical risk boarding him in a kennel. Do you have a carrier? I think it would be unwise to do this solo without one.
 
Really sorry to hear about your friend Moxie. So terribly sad, that business.

It is possible to cry and fly. I went to the funeral for an old friend in November. Took a CFI along, at the insistence of my wife (co-pilot also). It was a very melancholy trip, flying, but for a sad purpose.

Jim G
 
Hot chocolate works wonders for nicotine fits
As for the crying, well, being a man and all, and military to boot, the union requires that I stipulate that there is absolutely no crying in aviation;) Now, just between you and me, I'd probably take off, set the auto pilot and cry my eyes out until it was time to land, at which time I'd make a public statement to the effect that there's no crying in aviation:eek:

Oh..almost forgot, give the puppy something to chew on so it will swallow..might help.

Pete
 
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If Zero is on meds for a URI, I would wait on taking her flying until the infection clears, just to be sure the E-tubes won't clog -- same as I'd do for myself. While the rest of the situation is lousy, and I'm sure Jane would be cheered by Zero's healthy presence, I wouldn't chance flying with her at this time. And as y'all know, I've had some memorable experiences flying with half a dozen different dogs over nearly 30 years -- some worth repeating, others worth avoiding a repeat.
 
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