Disasters are a frequent happening throughout the United States, but few people adequately consider the potential effect on their pets. Disasters can come in many forms, and may necessitate anything from a brief absence from home to a permanent evacuation. As Hurricane Katrina showed us in 2005, the disarray connected with a sizable catastrophe can have a devastating effect on pets and their owners. Preparedness is essential to getting through difficult scenarios from hurricanes to brutal snowstorms and everything in between. Hence the best thing you can do to protect your pets and your self is to develop a disaster plan to prevent a possible tragedy. Let's look at some disaster survival tips for your pet.
Pick a Pet Foster Parent
Whether it's an impending emergency or a normal annoyance, it's a good idea to pick a pet foster parent to help you take care of your pet in the event you are unable to get home promptly. While this could be something as simple as looking in on on a pet when delayed at work or while on vacation, it might also include rescuing your pet when a tragedy strikes. Therefore when selecting a temporary caregiver there are several criteria you may want to think about. First availability is necessary, so locating someone like a stay-at-home is ideal. Second, area is important, so you should only think about those near your home. Reliability is also essential because you must make sure that your pet will be cared for while giving that individual keys to your residence. Finding a pet foster parent is a good idea to get through any prospective emergencies.
Pack Some Emergency Provisions
Emergencies come in many shapes and sizes, but preparing a pet emergency kit will be helpful no matter what the scenario brings. No matter if you have a dog, cat or exotic pet, your kit must be packed before any situation and contain both essential and non-essential items. Some of the crucial things you ought to include are: pet first aid kit, 7 days of water and food (in simple to open containers), pet identification tags, required drugs, feeding dishes, blanket and litter box supplies. These items are the bare minimum and should be integrated into every disaster kit. Some non-essential items that are strongly recommended include duplicates of medical files, garbage bags, paper towels, liquid dish soap and a permanent magic marker. Although not essential, these supplies provide an extra layer of security. Plainly, having both types of emergency supplies available and ready to go will raise the chances that your pet can get through the event without problems.
Staying at Home During a Disaster
Photos of people evacuating disaster areas usually call to mind the issues surrounding leaving one's home, but staying at home throughout an emergency can also generate problems. Regrettably staying at home often allows pet owners to succumb to a false sense of security, but there are a number of guidelines you can follow to make certain that problems don't arise. The purchase and use of a rescue alert sticker is among the first items any pet owner should pursue. A simple sticker revealing that pets are present at your home will notify emergency workers during a fire or mandatory evacuation. Ensuring that your pet has identity information is important too. Whether it be a simple collar, ear tattoo or microchip, it's advisable to make sure that your pet can be identified in case you become separated. Finally bring your pet inside your home at the first indication of an emergency, because pets can quickly become disoriented and wander away. By applying these steps, your pet should be safer when confronted with an emergency situation around your home.
Evacuation Tips
In a disaster situation evacuation is a worst case scenario, but stress can be reduced with some basic planning. Prior to any disaster, the first place to start is to speak to your vet about emergency readiness for your pet, since they can provide important tips to ensure that you don't omit a critical point. Identifying possible safe havens in case of an evacuation is needed and also a wise decision. This includes the homes of friends and family, as well as area boarding kennels and hotels that welcome pets. Service animals who help people with disabilities are the only pets permitted in Red Cross shelters, so it's important to determine which shelters do and make one of them a shelter of last resort. Whenever possible, have a pet crate accessible to give your animal a comfortable space to go both during transportation and once relocated. You will find that this will limit stress for both you and your pet. No matter what, planning can make unpredicted situations much easier to handle.
Recent events have shown that catastrophes don't take a vacation, so by following these pointers you ought to be able to decrease the impact to both you and your pet.
Pick a Pet Foster Parent
Whether it's an impending emergency or a normal annoyance, it's a good idea to pick a pet foster parent to help you take care of your pet in the event you are unable to get home promptly. While this could be something as simple as looking in on on a pet when delayed at work or while on vacation, it might also include rescuing your pet when a tragedy strikes. Therefore when selecting a temporary caregiver there are several criteria you may want to think about. First availability is necessary, so locating someone like a stay-at-home is ideal. Second, area is important, so you should only think about those near your home. Reliability is also essential because you must make sure that your pet will be cared for while giving that individual keys to your residence. Finding a pet foster parent is a good idea to get through any prospective emergencies.
Pack Some Emergency Provisions
Emergencies come in many shapes and sizes, but preparing a pet emergency kit will be helpful no matter what the scenario brings. No matter if you have a dog, cat or exotic pet, your kit must be packed before any situation and contain both essential and non-essential items. Some of the crucial things you ought to include are: pet first aid kit, 7 days of water and food (in simple to open containers), pet identification tags, required drugs, feeding dishes, blanket and litter box supplies. These items are the bare minimum and should be integrated into every disaster kit. Some non-essential items that are strongly recommended include duplicates of medical files, garbage bags, paper towels, liquid dish soap and a permanent magic marker. Although not essential, these supplies provide an extra layer of security. Plainly, having both types of emergency supplies available and ready to go will raise the chances that your pet can get through the event without problems.
Staying at Home During a Disaster
Photos of people evacuating disaster areas usually call to mind the issues surrounding leaving one's home, but staying at home throughout an emergency can also generate problems. Regrettably staying at home often allows pet owners to succumb to a false sense of security, but there are a number of guidelines you can follow to make certain that problems don't arise. The purchase and use of a rescue alert sticker is among the first items any pet owner should pursue. A simple sticker revealing that pets are present at your home will notify emergency workers during a fire or mandatory evacuation. Ensuring that your pet has identity information is important too. Whether it be a simple collar, ear tattoo or microchip, it's advisable to make sure that your pet can be identified in case you become separated. Finally bring your pet inside your home at the first indication of an emergency, because pets can quickly become disoriented and wander away. By applying these steps, your pet should be safer when confronted with an emergency situation around your home.
Evacuation Tips
In a disaster situation evacuation is a worst case scenario, but stress can be reduced with some basic planning. Prior to any disaster, the first place to start is to speak to your vet about emergency readiness for your pet, since they can provide important tips to ensure that you don't omit a critical point. Identifying possible safe havens in case of an evacuation is needed and also a wise decision. This includes the homes of friends and family, as well as area boarding kennels and hotels that welcome pets. Service animals who help people with disabilities are the only pets permitted in Red Cross shelters, so it's important to determine which shelters do and make one of them a shelter of last resort. Whenever possible, have a pet crate accessible to give your animal a comfortable space to go both during transportation and once relocated. You will find that this will limit stress for both you and your pet. No matter what, planning can make unpredicted situations much easier to handle.
Recent events have shown that catastrophes don't take a vacation, so by following these pointers you ought to be able to decrease the impact to both you and your pet.
About the Author:
Regina T. Roby is a ardent pet owner that has survived countless canine emergencies with her curious Labrador Retriever Paco and hyper Yorkie Bob. Consequently, she's found dog insurance invaluable in reducing big veterinary bills and is an avid supporter of pet insurance for every owner.
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