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New European regulations established in 2015 require all European Union member countries to screen pet dogs and cats prior to boarding a flight, however two airports in Austria are raising eyebrows as a result of their decision to go a step beyond, requiring pets be sent through an x-ray machine.
According to The Local, much like a piece of luggage, Austria's Klagenfurt and Graz Airports require passengers with pets to send their four-legged friends through the x-ray scanner. An Austrian law allows the airports to make the decision independently.
Unsurprisingly, the controversial requirement has been met with plenty of criticism from concerned pet owners.
In the meantime, spokesman for the Interior Ministry, Karl-Heinz Grundböck said that a "veterinary safety study" is currently being conducted and the belief is that "there is no problem at all as regards to a negative impact on pets' health."
Traveling pet owners are certainly familiar with having their pets screened by security officials and walked through a metal detector, but a journey through the x-ray machine undoubtedly toes the line between necessary and extraneous.
In addition to potential negative health impacts on pets, especially those owned by frequent travelers, it's hard to imagine that the x-ray scanner would turn up anything more than an animal's skeleton.
Fortunately, the head-scratching procedure appears to be exclusive to these two airports. And for frequent pet-owning travelers in the U.S. rest assured that the TSA has your back on this issue.
"Your animal will NEVER be placed through an X-ray machine," states the agency's website. "However, you may be asked to remove your animal from its carrier so that the carrier can be placed on the X-Ray machine."
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