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Dogs and Altitude

wawrzynskivp

Well Known Member
Does anyone have learned information on exposing our dogs to altitude? How much / how long?

On one extreme of misleading information, there are articles out there that would make hiking with my dog where I live in Tahoe an act of cruelty. The coyotes apparently don't subscribe.
 
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I fly with Pilots n Paws and the people I work with advise 9,000 ft for most dogs. The exception being the short nosed breeds as they have breathing problems at any altitude.
 
OP- I don't know the answer to your question, other than to say that they have no problem at all with 8,000 ft.

I don't know the answer either, but my niece and her husband live in Dillon, CO (9100' MSL) and have three dogs that seem very happy. On a more serious note, maybe the OP could ask someone at one of pet rescue flight organizations, like Pilots and Paws. They have a lot of experience flying dogs around the country.

I had my 15 year old dachshund up to just under 14K crossing mountain passes on a couple long flights that were probably at 10.5 and 11.5 for 2+ hours. She lived past 17. She was already deaf so we didn't have any hearing protection. She slept most of the time on the flights.

The new guy (mixed breed) has also been on a couple flights, and while I don't recall the exact altitude, I generally fly my first leg east from Denver at 9500' or 11,500'. He has mutt muffs for hearing protection, which I would strongly recommend for any dog that isn't already deaf.

I don't see why the regs that apply to humans passengers wouldn't be a reasonable guide for flying with a dog.

Maybe it is a little different since we live at around 5600'
 
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Brachiacephalic

The brachiacephalic dogs (Pug, Frenchie, Bulldog, Boston Terrier,) are particularly sensitive to heat more than altitude. We live at 7,500'. Our Pug, Amelia, has very little trouble even when we drive up to 12K. However, if I take her for a walk above 75 degrees, she will often stop and act like she can't breathe. She loves walking in cold all the way down to 32.
20211003_151117.jpg
 
not only is the cargo hold pressurized but temperature controlled. On our long range aircraft the pets go in bulk cargo. Bulk cargo in our aircraft is also the area that some airlines place crew rest bunks. If there is a fire in the cargo hold and it can not be contained, the owner will meet their pets very soon. Airsick or carsick? same same. I have yet to hear about a dog getting airsick on our airline. deaths? We have more pax "become non responsive" (from natural causes) then pets.
 
Vincent, as your neighbor here in Reno I thought I could offer up my experiences as a more apples to apples comparison... We have a 6 year old Mini Aussie that flies with us often. I prefer to stay below 9k, but of course that's not usually feasible going back and forth over the Sierra. We had him up to 11.5k for about an hour going through SLC last summer and he didn't have any issues. I think it largely depends on your dog and how well they're acclimated to your current elevation. I'm sure if we lived at sea level he would react differently going up that high. I also try to keep my climbs/descents to 500fpm to help with the pressure changes. As others have mentioned, hearing protection is a must!
 
Reminds me of the time my Mom voiced concern in the presence of the OB/GYN about our plan to take our one-day old son from our home in Fallon to our home at the lake (7.5k')

"Ma'am, they do some birthin' up there, too." :)
 
Thanks for the replies to post

Thanks for the conversation, I think I even got some gravy on my tie.

I have indeed talked to a few vets on this and the conservative responses were not encouraging.

Then there are anecdotal tibits about folks who take their dogs on expeditions through the Andes and Himalayas.

I suppose the rub is just a general lack of Canine Aviation Physiologists to bring into the fold.

Acclimatization and really paying attention to our animals is the best path. Our girl runs like mad for longer then we have patience at 9,000.' This is where she lives and plays, and obviously where the other wild critters do the same.

Another exciting aspect where we 'keep the "E" in experimental.'
 
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Does anyone have learned information on exposing our dogs to altitude? How much / how long?

On one extreme of misleading information, there are articles out there that would make hiking with my dog where I live in Tahoe an act of cruelty. The coyotes apparently don't subscribe.

You can always get an O2 system for your dog.. https://www.aerox.com/1a-d-k902-canine-portable-oxygen-system/
I did LAS-RNO-LAS in a 172 with our dog in the back at 12500 and 13500. He just sleep..
 
Just gotta ask

You can always get an O2 system for your dog.. https://www.aerox.com/1a-d-k902-canine-portable-oxygen-system/
I did LAS-RNO-LAS in a 172 with our dog in the back at 12500 and 13500. He just sleep..

Just gotta ask how do you keep it attached to the dog :confused:
My extremely busy (read hyper active) blue healer is not a good rider in the truck so I’d never consider putting him in an airplane, much less installing something like this to his snout, guess it highly dependent upon the individual dogs demeanor. But I noticed that the advertising doesn’t show a dog actually modeling one.
 
My extremely busy (read hyper active) blue healer is not a good rider in the truck so I’d never consider putting him in an airplane, .

Years ago we had an Aussie Cattle dog. Like yours he hated the car - actual threw up in it. He wasn’t wild about the airplane, but tolerated it better than the car.

To the OP: When I was in the army, many years ago, I worked at an altitude chamber where we routinely took people and dogs to 12K-14K for 4-5 days. The focus was more on altitude sickness than hypoxia. Anyway, the subjects were put on treadmills, etc. I thought the dogs generally did better than the people. But, there was one dog fatality. I got to watch the necropsy. The dog was massively infected with heart worms. So for a healthy dog I think the low teens should be fine. But for a dog with health issues….
 
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