Are you ready for hurricane season? Part of being prepared includes compiling a Pet Emergency Supply Kit, to help your pet in case storms disrupt the normal routine.
Think about pet safety before hurricane season hits:
Make a Plan
The first thing you should be doing is to make a plan in the event a storm hits and forces you to find shelter elsewhere. Where would you go? How will you get there? Buddy-up with pet-friendly friends to find places to gather and stay until the weather clears. Don’t rely on hotels; many will not allow your four-legged family members to stay.
Practice Makes Perfect
It doesn’t hurt to practice what it would be like to ‘bug-out’ during a storm. Choose a route and plan on a back-up way to get where you are going in case the storms close roads or cause traffic delays. Time yourself- and your family- to figure out how long it will take you to gather what you need and get on the road.
Prepare Your Kit
If you have pets, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) suggests preparing a pet emergency kit for hurricane season. Some of the things that they strongly urge owners to pack include:
- Food and water for at least two weeks
- Litter box and litter; puppy pads or poop bags
- Two weeks worth of medications
- Medical records, vaccination history, last date of rabies shot, prescriptions, and medical record for rabies and other diseases, and copies of any prescriptions
- Leash, collar, tags, harness
- Kennel, cage, or carrier
- Microchip number
- Contact information for relatives or family members
Gather these things together ahead of time, if possible, and keep in a locale where it is easy and quick to grab in case you hit the road ahead of a hurricane. Make a kit for your vehicle during hurricane season or keep by your front-door the rest of the year. Periodically update and refurbish items from the kit to keep them fresh, like food or medicine.
Know Before You Go
Driving around aimlessly during a storm isn’t safe; know where you are headed and where you will be welcomed during hurricane season. Don’t risk your pet’s safety by having to leave them behind because you failed to plan ahead and know where to go. If your hotel or shelter does not allow pets, contact the local Humane Society to find pet-friendly storm shelters or emergency evacuation sites for your pets nearby.
Be Wary of Illness
Storms are a time when diseases are more prevalent and exposure is more common. These illnesses put your pet at risk; be wary of crowds of pets or people, and be cautious of wildlife during inclement weather conditions or crises.
Be ready for whatever hurricane season brings- and make sure your pet is, too. Need emergency pet care? Visit CVETS, a brand new, state of the art Emergency Vet and Surgery center in Columbia, SC.
