Pet Owners Grieve After Dog Dies From Plane Journey

Emma and Sean O’Farrell have a cautionary tale for all pet owners looking to travel with their pets after their devastating experience.

The couple was moving from Toronto to the UK and were going to take their Bernese mountain dog, Scarlett, who was 8 years old at the time.

Because of her size, the couple had to book her flight through a third-party service that specializes in pet transportation. They chose Worldwide Animal Travel and told the company about Scarlett’s medication needs as well as her arthritis. The couple also took Scarlett to a veterinarian beforehand to make sure she could make the trip. 

After the 7 hour flight, Scarlett was approved to enter the country by a vet who only said that she looked a bit unsteady on her feet. Later, her owners were told that Scarlett could not walk. Scarlett’s condition only worsened with her growing more lethargic and losing alertness, eventually, she began to cry in pain. Two weeks after the flight, a veterinarian recommended that Scarlett be put down.

Emma O’Farrell, who was still in Toronto the whole time, said, “I don’t think I ever believed when we put her in the back of the car going to the airport that I would never, ever see her again. I still find it hard to believe.”

The O’Farrells do not believe that Worldwide Animal Travel was necessarily negligent, but they do not feel that the company cared about their loss. Emma O’Farrell said, “There wasn’t a lot of sympathy, to be honest. I can return an item to a store and receive better service and understanding.”

They want this to be a warning to other pet owners looking to travel with their pets. This is a rare occurrence, but it is a devastating one nonetheless.

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