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United Airlines admits responsibility for dog death
A French bulldog (not pictured) died during a flight from Houston to New York on Monday.
French bulldog died during flight from Houston to New York

United Airlines has admitted “full responsibility” for the death of a French bulldog that was put in an overhead locker.

Speaking to CNN, a spokesperson for the airline called the death of the dog a “tragic accident” and that the flight attendant should never have told the passenger to put the dog in the locker.

"We assume full responsibility for this tragedy and express our deepest condolences to the family and are committed to supporting them," the airline said in a statement. "We are thoroughly investigating what occurred to prevent this from ever happening again."

Reports emerged on Tuesday that the dog died during a flight from Houston to New York’s LaGuardia airport. Eyewitnesses said the dog’s owner was asked by a flight attendant to put the dog in the overhead locker before take-off, and that the owner had reluctantly agreed.

One passenger told The Independent that the dog could be heard barking during takeoff and during some turbulence, before falling silent. The flight attendant has since said that she did not hear or understand the passenger, and “did not knowingly place the dog in the locker”.

United Airlines allows domestic cats, dogs rabbits and household birds - except cockatoos - to travel accompanied inside the aircraft on most internal US flights. Under current rules, pets must be carried in an approved kennel that must fit completely under the seat of the passenger and remain there at all times.

The airline said that, to prevent the problem happening again, it will start to issue bright-coloured bag tags to customers travelling with in-cabin pets.

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Vets to run marathon for World Animal Protection

News Story 1
 Two recently graduated veterinary surgeons will be running the London Marathon in April to raise money for the charity World Animal Protection.

Alex Bartlett and Maeve O'Neill plan to run the race together if they are given the same start times.

Dr O'Neill said: "You're always limited in what you can do to help animals, so it is nice to raise money for a charity that helps animals around the world."

Dr Bartlett added: "I have never run a marathon before and am excited to run my first one for such a good cause!"

Both Dr Bartlett and Dr O'Neill have fundraising pages online. 

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News Shorts
BSAVA releases new Guide to Procedures

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) has published a new edition of its Guide to Procedures for Small Animal Practice.

It has added four new procedures; cystostomy tube placement, endotracheal intubation, point-of-care ultrasound and wet-to-dry dressings.

BSAVA says that it is an essential step-by-step guide to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in practice. The textbook includes new images and illustrations, as well as high-definition videos for use prior to procedures.

Nick Bexfield and Julia Riggs, editors of the new edition, said: "We have built upon the success of the previous editions by responding to the feedback received from the BSAVA readership, and hope this new guide helps to further increase the confidence and accuracy with which these procedures are performed."

Print copies are available in the BSAVA store, with a digital version in the BSAVA library.