Text Box: Disasters are diverse and devastating to everyone involved, including animals. Situations like fire, floods, wind and earthquakes can leave pets helpless. Planning can save the lives of beloved companion animals and livestock. Ask dependable friends or relatives who live away from an at-risk area, if you and your animal(s) can stay with them during an emergency. Keep their phone numbers with other important contacts in your purse or wallet. Develop an evacuation plan which includes your animals. Review and update it regularly. Learn which shelters and motels take companion animals and/or have a designated inland evacuation place. Practice and update your plan. Survey boarding kennels to determine specific locations. Find out who stays on the premises with the animals in the event of an emergency and what provisions have been made should the kennel occupants have to evacuate. Check with veterinary clinics to determine which have boarding facilities. Check their evacuation provisions. Stay tuned to your local news media for disaster coverage and the safest evacuation routes. Be prepared to evacuate when advised by local authorities. Have all supplies, kits, transportation and evacuation locations prepared now. Waiting until an evacuation is ordered to start planning will delay your safe evacuation and possibly expose you to traffic tie-ups and other risks. Stock an animal emergency supply kit to take with you. All belongings should be marked with identification. Take First Aid and CPR courses and keep the manuals handy. The same basic principles apply to animals. Supply appropriate housing, food and water. Text Box: Prepare Before Disaster Strikes Text Box: Pet Emergency Supply List Update all vaccinations and include records, ownership papers and current photo of each pet. Water bowls and bottled water in plastic bottles for three to five days per animal. Food bowls and food for three to five days per animal and a manual can opener. Dry foods are recommended. Disinfectant and cleanser to handle animal waste properly. Cat litter, disposable litter pans and plastic bags. Proper size pet carrier for each animal that allows them to stand and turn around. Towels and blankets, toys, brushes and combs. Leashes and collars with current license, identification and rabies tags attached securely. ˝ dozen gauze bandage squares and a roll of 2 inch wide gauze. Bandages, adhesive tape and scissors. Antiseptic (hydrogen peroxide or tame iodine such as Betadine) and antibiotic ointment. Saline solution or eye wash and eye ointment. An ice pack. Tweezers and needle nose pliers (to remove splinters, ticks, porcupine quills, etc.) Disposable razor (to clean around open wound). Syrup of ipecac (to induce vomiting). Any regular medications.

Pocket Pets / Birds / Reptiles

Keep these animals confined to small carriers and make sure food and water is available.  Reptiles can be transported in a pillow case.  Take a water bowl large enough for soaking and a heating pad.  Try to keep the animals at a comfortable temperature.

Barnyard - Large Animals

Have a list of emergency contacts and/or neighbors and a disaster plan posted in an accessible place for those that use your facilities.  The animals you plan to transport out of the disaster area should be familiar with entering and exiting the trailer.  Have the trailer stocked prior to the emergency.  Most disasters give some advance warning.

Your disaster supply checklist for horse/large animals should include:

Most herbivorous animals will eat 1-2% of their body weight in some form of “roughage”.  Roughage is hay or hay-like products (pellets, cubes, hay, etc.).  Horses, as well as cattle, can drink anywhere from 5-15 gallons of water a day depending on the temperature, stress, workload and disaster.

Large Animal Food /

Water Requirements

 

·          Lime and bleach/disinfectant

·          Plastic trash barrel with lid

·          Tarpaulins

·          Water buckets

·          First aid items

·          Betadine or Nolvasan solutions

·          Antibiotic ointment

·          Gauze squares and bandages

·          Ichthammol ointment (feet)

·          Tranquilizer injections (optional)

·          Eye Ointment

·          Fire resistant, non-nylon leads and halters

·          Knife, scissors, wire cutters

·          Duct tape

·          Livestock markers or paint

·          Leg wraps