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Hurricane Petpardness
Be Pet Prepared!
Let talk about Emergency kits and how they can be essential in helping your furry little friend during high stress situations.
Natural disasters and storms often happen with little notice in advance. Safety is the number one concern when a hurricane is on the way. These tips will help you be prepared, so you can rest assured that you’ve got this in the bag!
The first thing to have on hand is going to be food. You’ll want to make sure you have enough food to last a week, and store in a waterproof container.
If you must evacuate, having a stock of food is imperative to your pet’s health. It may sound extreme, but if you must switch your pet’s food at the last minute this could cause a stomach upset leading to diarrhea. Diarrhea can lead to dehydration. Keeping your pet healthy and hydrated will ensure that you can focus on getting your family to safety.
Which brings me to the second tip.
Water!
Keeping your pet and yourself hydrated is so important! If a storm occurs, you’ll want your pet to have a clean healthy source of water to drink from. You’ll want to make sure your family and furry friends have enough water on hand for a week.
We know that some of your fur babies are on important medication that are essential to their quality of life. Making sure they have enough to get them through an emergency is critical. Although medications are typically ordered a month at a time, keep a count on how many you have at home. Requesting a refill early will save you time and stress later.
Stress is a huge factor during hurricanes. If your pet suffers from anxiety, please reach out to your vet! Whether it’s storm, social, or car anxiety we have several solutions to help ease their minds and bodies during difficult times. The mental health of your pet is just as important to us as their physical health. A simple conversation with your vet regarding their mental state could make all the difference in the world to them.
The next item for your emergency kit is an easy one! Keep a leash, collar and/or harness on hand. Make sure that your pets’ ID tags, and rabies tags are up to date. Leashes will ensure that you don’t get separated from your pet. Keep a cat carrier available to you in an easy to reach location. We want to do everything we can to make sure your family stays together and safe!
Unfortunately, separation may occur. When hurricane Harvey hit, a lot of families were separated from their pets. Microchipping your pet will help identify your pet so they can be returned to you. If you have relocated since your pet was microchipped, you’ll need to update your information with the microchip company. Things can be hectic, and we understand that sometimes the name of the company or paperwork can get misplaced. Simply bring your pet into our office, we can scan your pet for their chip, and easily identify which company it belongs to! Once we gather that information for you, we can present you with contact information so you can update.
Your pets microchip information is good to have up to date, but so are their vaccinations. If you have to travel places may require proof that they are up to date. Paperwork is another thing to keep on hand and you may not have time to grab it last minute. You can keep a record in a plastic bag in your emergency kit, or you can have My Family Vet email it to you. My Family Vet also has an app! Our app is free and will connect you to your pets records online. Its quick, and an easy way to pull up their records on short notice!
If you are needing help locating a lost pet or finding a foster for one, one of the rescues we work with may be able to help! Call our front desk and ask for a copy of the list. We will be happy to send it over to you.
These organizations are awesome when it comes to helping furry friends in need. They are a great resource to use but it is important to remember that leaving a pet behind should never be an option. If it’s not safe for you, it isn’t safe for your pet either. You’ll need to have a plan in place on where you can take your pets during such an event.
Finding a pet friendly hotel can be stressful! So, we’ve taken the hard work and made it a little easier for you! Click the link here to be taken to a page that lists pet friendly hotels in your area!
While evacuating and traveling to family, friends, or a hotel you may not be able to stop by a store. If you have a cat, keeping disposable trays or even disposable cake pans can work as a litter box! Litter can be heavy and not easy to travel with. Shredding newspaper or tissue can work as an alternative. For easy clean up, make sure to keep trash bags, or even grocery bags to double as a trash bag.
An emergency pet kit is a good thing to always have ready, especially since you never know when you will need it. Keep it located in an easy to reach place and let all family members know its location. Remember to rotate the medications and food that you have set aside in your emergency bag! Keeping everything up to date will make all the difference to your four-legged family members!
We hope and pray that nothing as terrible as hurricane Harvey hits us again. Although if a natural disaster strikes, we know these tips and tricks will help us be prepared for anything that comes our way!
Thank you for reading,
God Bless