How To Keep Your Pets Safe During a Hurricane

Here are Six (6) tips to help you care for your pet during the storm season

1. Plan a safe place for your pets. Most emergency shelters cannot accept pets and animal shelters and boarding kennels have limited space. Pick out the best kennel in your area and check your pets in for a few days to become familiar with their surroundings and the staff.

2. If you have waited too long to get space in your pets local kennel, try to make arrangements with a out of town, out of the path of the storm friend or relative for your pet, but DO NOT LEAVE THEM AT HOME. After Hurricane Andrew, thousands of pet dogs and cats were left dead, dying, starving, disoriented, diseased, dehydrated, with no place to go and had to be euthanized.

3. Your pets vet information and current vaccination records will be required so they will be on record, you will be a customer, and will most likely receive preferential treatment when you have an emergency or an impending storm is on the way.

4. Check your insurance policy. Many insurance policies had a provision that covered most or all of the boarding expenses for families after Hurricane Andrew. If your does not, you may want to consider adding or taking out this coverage.

5. Get a pet carrier for each of your pets and have it ready in an accessible area.

6. Create a “pet preparedness kit/pet survival kit”
It should contain photos of your pets, identification tags and collar, bottles of water, extra food, extra blankets, a soft muzzle, collar, leashes, veterinary records, cat litter/pan, can opener, food dishes, (enough to last for at the minimum, a week) a first-aid kit and a three week’s supply of any special medication and dosage instructions. It may be hard to get a refill from our Vet after a storm.

For further hurricane information visit:

http://www.NHC.NOAA.gov This is the National Hurricane Center. Mark this as a Favorite.

http://www.weather.com This site is the weather website.