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Caring For Your Pet During a Natural Disaster
If a disaster is expected in your area, it is important to plan ahead. Since most emergency shelters will not permit pets due to public health reasons, it is best to reserve a room at a hotel or motel which does welcome your four legged friend. Book in advance as they will fill up quickly as people decide to evacuate. Take note of your local animal shelter's number as they could provide assistance regarding pets during a disaster. Pack pet food, bottled water, medications, cat litter/pan, veterinary records, food dishes, and a first aid kit as during a disaster basic necessities are often hard to obtain. Check the identification tags on your pet to make sure they are accurate. Also, attach a tag which lists your evacuation site. Bring a current photo of the pet along in case the two of you get separated. A pet carrier or lease is imperative as it is quite likely the pet will panic at some time in the evacuation process.
Bring all pets inside immediately during a disaster. Keep newspapers for sanitary purposes. Try to feed the pets canned food as opposed to dry so they will consume less water. Animals have great instincts regarding the weather and will often seek isolation if they are afraid. Therefore, bring them inside early to keep them with you. It is best to separate the cats from the dogs even if they are buddies. The anxiety from the emergency may cause them to act abnormally.
If a decision is made to leave after a disaster, keep your pets with you. Pets are highly unlikely to survive by themselves. Due to the physical trauma the disaster has left on the scenery, make sure your pets are on a leash as familiar areas may not look so familiar. The risk of snakes and other dangerous animals being brought into the neighborhood greatly increases with flood waters. Keep close watch of your surroundings. Be careful of power lines which have fallen or been damaged.
The animal's behavior may change after the disaster. Because of the trauma which just occurred, this is quite reasonable. A little extra patience might be needed on behalf of the owner. However, pets are quite resilient often all that's needed is a little time and the return of a normal routine for Fido to bounce back to his normal self. For more information on caring for your pet during a natural disaster visit http://www.sanfranciscoveterinarianclinics.com today.
Joseph Devine
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