Study finds most dogs arrive at teaching hospital unrestrained
Bottom line
Most dogs brought to a veterinary teaching hospital weren’t restrained during car travel, according to a prospective survey study published in the American Journal of Veterinary Research. The study, conducted from May 28 to August 2, 2024, asked pet parents presenting dogs for emergency, sick, or wellness visits about how their dogs traveled to the hospital and what, if any, restraint was used. The finding adds current clinical data to a long-standing concern in companion animal transport: while restraint is standard advice in human passenger safety, use appears to remain uncommon for dogs even when they’re being transported for veterinary care. (research.vetmed.ufl.edu)
Why it matters: For veterinary teams, the study points to a practical client-education gap with implications for both animal welfare and human safety. AVMA travel guidance advises against dogs riding in a driver’s lap or in an airbag-equipped front seat, and notes that harnesses, tethers, and other accessories are available to secure pets during car travel. At the same time, crash-testing work from the Center for Pet Safety has found poor crashworthiness in several canine automotive restraints, underscoring that “restrained” doesn’t always mean “protected” and that product selection matters. (ebusiness.avma.org)
What to watch: Whether the authors’ findings lead clinics, teaching hospitals, or professional groups to more actively counsel pet parents on evidence-based vehicle restraint options and travel safety. (research.vetmed.ufl.edu)
A new American Journal of Veterinary Research study found that most dogs transported to a veterinary teaching hospital were unrestrained during vehicular travel, highlighting a familiar but still under-measured safety gap in companion animal care. The work comes from Connor Steinolfson, Adesola Odunayo, and Zenithson Ng, and focuses on how pet parents actually bring dogs to a hospital setting, not just what safety guidance recommends. (research.vetmed.ufl.edu)
The issue has been on veterinary researchers’ radar for some time. A University of Florida intramural research summary tied to Odunayo described the project’s rationale directly: dogs and cats are often involved in vehicular accidents, restraint use in veterinary patients is poorly documented, and the team expected restraint use to be uncommon among animals visiting a veterinary facility. That background matters because it shows this wasn’t just a consumer safety question, but a welfare and injury-prevention question rooted in real hospital caseloads. (research.vetmed.ufl.edu)
The published AJVR study used a prospective, survey-based design and collected responses from pet parents bringing dogs for emergency, sick, or wellness visits between May 28 and August 2, 2024. Based on the abstracted source information, the investigators evaluated both the frequency and type of vehicular restraint use and looked for factors associated with whether restraint was used. Even without the full article text available here, the topline conclusion is clear: unrestrained travel was the norm among dogs arriving at the teaching hospital. (research.vetmed.ufl.edu)
That finding lines up with older consumer survey data suggesting the problem is widespread beyond referral settings. A AAA/Kurgo fact sheet reported that 84% of respondents who take dogs on car trips do not use a restraint, with common reasons including believing the dog is calm, never having considered restraint, or only taking short trips. In other words, the behavior documented in the hospital study appears consistent with broader travel habits, not an isolated pattern among one hospital’s clients. (cdn.ymaws.com)
Guidance from organized veterinary medicine supports restraint, but the product landscape is complicated. AVMA travel materials say dogs should not ride in the driver’s lap or in the front passenger seat if an airbag is present, and note that harnesses, tethers, and other accessories can be used to secure pets during car travel. However, crash-testing by the Center for Pet Safety found poor overall crashworthiness in several large-dog automotive restraints it evaluated, with some products failing in ways that could allow projectile injury or severe trauma. That tension is important for clinicians: recommending restraint is straightforward, but recommending effective restraint requires more nuance. (ebusiness.avma.org)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, this study is a reminder that transportation safety is part of preventive care, emergency preparedness, and client communication. Unrestrained dogs can be injured in crashes, interfere with drivers, or arrive at the clinic already stressed and harder to handle safely. The data also create an opening for practices to move beyond generic advice and offer more specific counseling: back-seat placement, avoidance of front airbags, acclimation to harnesses or carriers, and discussion of crash-tested options when available. (ebusiness.avma.org)
There’s also a workflow angle for hospitals and general practices. If unrestrained transport is common even among clients actively seeking veterinary care, travel history and transport method may be worth asking about more routinely, especially in emergency, behavior, or mobility-limited patients. Over time, studies like this could help shape discharge instructions, puppy and kitten education, and wellness visit conversations in the same way clinics now routinely address parasite prevention, obesity, and fear-free handling. This is an inference based on the study’s findings and current AVMA guidance, rather than a stated recommendation from the authors. (research.vetmed.ufl.edu)
What to watch: Next steps will likely include closer attention to which dogs are most likely to travel unrestrained, whether counseling changes pet parent behavior, and whether future research can better connect specific restraint types with injury outcomes and stress during transport. (research.vetmed.ufl.edu)