Relationship between kennel size and stress in greyhounds transported short distances by air

Abstract

Greyhounds are usually transported by air between Ireland and England in wooden kennels similar in size to greyhound racing starting traps. These kennels have been criticised in the belief that their small size leads to unnecessary stress. The present study compared plasma ACTH, cortisol, lactate and non-esterified fatty acid concentrations in 12 greyhounds transported either in the existing wooden kennels or in wider perspex kennels, which were stowed either in the belly hold or in the main cargo hold of jet freighter aircraft. Increased kennel size did not appear to result in decreased stress responses but there was a significantly greater stress response in the dogs kept in the belly hold of the aircraft. Individual variation between dogs was the most significant feature of the study.

Opinion of the Scientific Panel on Animal Health and Welfare (AHAW) on a request from the Commission related to the welfare of animals during transport

“…Habituation helps in the management of potentially stressful events in animals and habituating dogs and cats to transport conditions may be useful (Leadon and Mullins, 1991). IATA (2002) recommends that dogs and cats are habituated to the container that will be used for air transport well in advance of the journey.…”

“…The dimensions of the door of this section may prevent the use of containers taller than 86.5 cm (for example in Boeing 737 aircraft) which is less than the height of some dogs (Leadon and Mullins, 1991). It is not clear whether this may cause stress in the animals.…”

“…Transport may be stressful for dogs and cats (MacArthur, 1987a;Leadon and Mullins, 1991). However, there is much less information available on the effects of transport conditions on the welfare of dogs and cats than on many other domestic species, particularly farm animals.…”

Brief review of scientific studies of the welfare implications of transporting primates

“…Primarily the work that has been done on the transport of animals relates to farm species, although there has also been work done on rats (Gartner et al 1980, Tuli et al 1995, Aguila et al 1988, Olubadewo et al 1994, on horses (Leadon 1990) and on greyhounds (Leadon & Mullins 1991). The Accepted 22 April 1997 species difference in the response of animals to transport stress has been demonstrated by Knowles et al (1995) and Rowsell (1992) lists the significant stressors for animals in transit.…”

Physiological Responses of Dogs to Different Housing Systems

“…Dog's adrenocortical activity is involved in response to social dynamics, hierarchical order and behavioural style [9], after loading, unloading and transport stress [6,22,29]. Significant changes in cortisol concentrations have been observed in a wide variety of coping strategies, through cortisol secretory patterns [2,3,12,38] and corticoid:creatinine ratio [40].…”