Natural disasters are a normal occurrence across the United States, but not enough people sufficiently consider the prospective effect on their pets. Crisis situations come in many forms, and could necessitate anything from a quick absence from your home to a permanent evacuation. As Hurricane Katrina taught us in 2005, the disorder connected with a major catastrophe can have a terrible effect on pets and their owners. Preparedness is vital to getting through difficult scenarios from hurricanes to brutal snowstorms and all things in between. Therefore, the best thing you can do to safeguard your pets and your self is to create a disaster plan to prevent a prospective tragedy. Let's look at some emergency survival tips for your pet.
Nominate a Pet Foster Parent
No matter if it's an impending emergency or a regular hassle, it's wise to find a pet foster parent to help you care for your pet in case you are unable to get home promptly. While this may be something as basic as looking in on on a pet when delayed at work or during your vacation, it may also include recovering your pet whenever a tragedy strikes. For that reason when choosing a temporary caregiver there are specific criteria you might want to think about. First availability is important, so finding someone like a stay-at-home mother or father is ideal. Second, vicinity is important, so you need to only consider those close to your home. Dependability is also essential because you must make sure that your pet will be looked after while giving that person access to your home. Finding a pet foster parent is sensible to get through any potential emergencies.
Pack Some Emergency Provisions
Disasters come in many shapes and sizes, but making a pet emergency kit will be valuable no matter what the situation brings. Whether you've got a cat, dog or exotic pet, your kit should be packed before any situation and contain both essential and non-essential items. Among the crucial items you should include are: pet first aid kit, seven days of water and food (in simple to open containers), pet I.D. tags, necessary medicines, feeding dishes, blanket and litter box supplies. These items are the bare minimum and should be included in every disaster kit. Some non-essential items that are strongly recommended include duplicates of medical records, garbage bags, paper towels, liquid dish soap and a permanent magic marker. While not absolutely necessary, these materials provide an extra layer of protection. Obviously, having both types of emergency supplies on hand and ready to go will raise the likelihood that your pet will get through the incident without complication.
When Staying at Home in an Emergency
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.
Nominate a Pet Foster Parent
No matter if it's an impending emergency or a regular hassle, it's wise to find a pet foster parent to help you care for your pet in case you are unable to get home promptly. While this may be something as basic as looking in on on a pet when delayed at work or during your vacation, it may also include recovering your pet whenever a tragedy strikes. For that reason when choosing a temporary caregiver there are specific criteria you might want to think about. First availability is important, so finding someone like a stay-at-home mother or father is ideal. Second, vicinity is important, so you need to only consider those close to your home. Dependability is also essential because you must make sure that your pet will be looked after while giving that person access to your home. Finding a pet foster parent is sensible to get through any potential emergencies.
Pack Some Emergency Provisions
Disasters come in many shapes and sizes, but making a pet emergency kit will be valuable no matter what the situation brings. Whether you've got a cat, dog or exotic pet, your kit should be packed before any situation and contain both essential and non-essential items. Among the crucial items you should include are: pet first aid kit, seven days of water and food (in simple to open containers), pet I.D. tags, necessary medicines, feeding dishes, blanket and litter box supplies. These items are the bare minimum and should be included in every disaster kit. Some non-essential items that are strongly recommended include duplicates of medical records, garbage bags, paper towels, liquid dish soap and a permanent magic marker. While not absolutely necessary, these materials provide an extra layer of protection. Obviously, having both types of emergency supplies on hand and ready to go will raise the likelihood that your pet will get through the incident without complication.
When Staying at Home in an Emergency
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 passionate dog owner that has lived through countless canine emergencies with her curious Labrador Retriever Paco and energetic Yorkie Bob. Consequently, she's found dog insurance invaluable in limiting big veterinary bills and is an avid proponent of pet insurance for every owner.
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