If faced with sudden disaster,
would you be prepared to help your entire family – including pets – prevent
dangerous situations?
Here are some tips to
help you better prepare your pet for severe weather:
·
Identifying shelter.
For public health reasons, many emergency shelters cannot accept pets. Find out which motels and hotels in
the area you plan to evacuate to allow pets well in advance of needing them. There are also a number
of guides that list hotels/motels that permit pets and could serve as a
starting point. Include your local animal shelter's number in your list of
emergency numbers. They might be able to provide information concerning pets
during a disaster.
·
Take pet food, bottled
water, medications, veterinary records, cat litter/pan, manual can opener, food
dishes, first aid kit and other supplies with you in case they're not available
later. Before you find yourself in an emergency situation, consider packing a
"pet survival" kit which could be easily deployed if disaster hits.
·
Make sure
identification tags are up-to-date and securely fastened to your pet's collar.
If possible, attach the address and/or phone number of your evacuation site. If
your pet gets lost, his tag is his ticket home.
·
Make sure you have a
current photo of your pet for identification purposes.
·
Make sure you have a
secure pet carrier, leash or harness for your pet so that if he panics, he
can't escape.
