Recent studies have shown a necessity for improvements in current ventilation methods with regards to transport of animals. The reason that these studies have been carried out is largely due to a concern for animal welfare, although there is also financial sense in ensuring your animals’ good health during transport – whether saving veterinary bills or ensuring a good price if you are looking to sell an animal on.
The problems associated with poor ventilation are fairly common sense. We just have to think of the types of problems we might experience on a journey with poor ventilation – these can equally be applied to our animals.
Over-heating and issues created through direct and sustained access to roadside pollutants are two of the main problems experienced by animals on journeys, which can be solved through an effective ventilation system.
Current methods of ventilation in animal trailers such as horse floats are unfortunately not adequate. Research into transport of horses has shown that continuous air exchange is beneficial to an animal’s health, as it will reduce exposure to dust, bacteria and mould – also it can help to prevent overheating. Therefore, you may think that having an animal trailer with open vents will be enough to ensure ventilation is effective.
However, the same research has shown that even though air exchange is increased with windows/vents being open and journey speed increased, the actual level of airflow is only half what is recommended for stabled horses.
Temperatures within the horse float used in the research tests rose above what is recommended as acceptable (30?C) to ensure no heat stress, despite the external temperature never reaching these levels. In addition to this, whichever horse was in the front stall experienced the negative effects of heat more than those in other positions, demonstrating that air flow is not equal between separated stalls, and that standard ventilation methods do not appear to allow for variation of conditions within the animal transport.
A further valid point made by this study is that, while increased air flow through the use of windows, vents, louvers and so on, may reduce the risk of dust and mould spores building up within the trailer, it also has its own associated problems. Dust, straw particles or other objects could be blown through the air, potentially damaging if they enter an animal’s eye.
I have already mentioned the issues associated with roadside pollutants; clearly, open windows and the like are not going to protect animals from these. Dust, pollen, exhaust fumes and so on are free to enter your animal’s air supply through open air vents and it stands to reason that the longer an animal is exposed to such pollution, the higher its risk of suffering side effects such as respiratory problems.
In order to plan as safe a journey as possible for your animal(s), there are many areas to consider, including the journey’s route and duration, the design of the vehicle you will use, temperatures both inside and outside, and any specific physiological requirements of the animals your are transporting.
Clearly it is not possible to control weather conditions or the types/volume of traffic and associated pollutants on the road when you travel. What is within your control, however, is the method of transport you use and its ventilation. You need to ensure that your animals are transported in consistent and comfortable temperatures, with no chance of airborne particles damaging them, and that they are protected as much as possible from traffic and other pollutants.
If your current animal transport does not already deal with the above issues, then it is definitely worth investigating solutions such as a forced ventilation system. It may be a cost you initially but in the long-term it can save you veterinary bills, failed or substandard performance at events, and most importantly will save you from unhappy and unhealthy animals.
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