Disaster preparation for your pet | Dr. Justine Lee, DACVECC, DABT, Board-certified Veterinary Specialist

Posted by justinelee in Animal Safety, Blog, Pet Health

With the recent California mud slides and fires, along with the devastating hurricanes within the past few years, it’s important that you know how to disaster plan for you and your four-legged family (and two-legged also!). Most pet owners, shelters, and government facilities are not prepared for disaster management when it comes to pets. Thankfully, new changes have made it easier for you to take your pet with you during a disaster.

There are some key steps at home that you can take to be prepared in case of an emergency that may help re-connect you with your pet after the disaster – or more importantly – save your pet’s life!

Simple tips include:
• Pre-programming your cell phone and/or GPS with emergency contact information
• Preparing a First Aid Kit for your pet
• Keeping up to date on preventative health care

Pre-programing your cell phone
Make sure to pre-program both your cell phone and/or your GPS with the phone number and directions, respectively, of the following:
• Your veterinarian
• The closest emergency veterinarian
• The local humane society/animal control
• An animal poison control (e.g., ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435)
• The nearest veterinary specialty clinic (in case of emergency referral)

This will allow you immediate access to life-saving help in case of emergency. Those few minutes that you save hunting for the information may save your pet’s life!

Preparing a pet first aid kit
All pet owners should have a pet first aid kit at home. A traditional human first aid kit will work just fine, but keep in mind that you’ll need a few extra items to make it “pet-friendly.” Take the time to create a pet-friendly kit in a bright-colored backpack (so you can rapidly identify it and find it!).
The additional pet items to add to a first aid kit include:

• A leash with a few plastic poop bags
• A picture of your pet with contact information (yours, a family members, and your veterinarian’s phone number), a copy of vaccine history, and a copy of your pet’s medical records. Keep these in a sealed waterproof plastic bag.
• A few pop-top cans of your pet’s favorite canned food (If you can’t find these, you can use canned food, but make sure to pack a can opener too.)
• A new, unopened bag of dog treats or cat treats
• A few unopened bottles of water
• A blanket
• Plastic or stainless steel water bowls
• A few extra days worth of your pet’s medication in a well-labeled prescription vial
• A fresh, unexpired bottle of hydrogen peroxide (in the event that you need to induce vomiting in your dog)
• A small bottle of liquid dish soap (e.g., Dawn) so you can safely wash off dangerous chemicals or poisons off the fur
• A pair of non-latex gloves
• A can of chicken broth or canned tuna (in water) in case you need something tasty (this is often used to safely dilute a chemical out of a pet’s mouth by washing it down)
• A quart-sized plastic bag with kitty litter in case you find yourself on the road
• A way of restraining your cat (e.g., cardboard cat carrier, backpack, pillow case for worst case scenario)

While it’s unlikely you’ll need all of these items, it’s better to be prepared in case of emergency.

Keeping up to date on preventative health care
Staying up-to-date on preventative care is key to make sure your pet is healthy and well protected. This is particularly important during a disaster. Why? During Hurricane Katrina, a lot of dogs and cats ended up being exposed to heartworm disease, flea and tick infestation, and other infections (like kennel cough, parvovirus, influenza, upper respiratory infections, etc.) due to the stressful situation and temporary shelter situation (where they are exposed to hundreds of dogs and cats that may be spreading an infection).
As a result, it’s really important to make sure your pet is up to date on their vaccines, and currently on heartworm and flea and tick medication.
Lastly, focus on identification. Collars and tags can accidentally be torn or ripped off, and microchipping is a must! Even indoor pets should be microchipped and wear a collar/tag. By taking these steps, you can help ensure that you’ll be re-united with your pet during a disaster. This was instrumental during Hurricane Katrina, and helped united hundreds to thousands of pet owners with their pets.

Nobody expects an emergency or a disaster to occur. Being that our pets are our four-legged family members, take the time to prefer in case of emergency. You won’t regret it during a true emergency situation. #ad