With hurricane season approaching you can never be too prepared! Make sure your family disaster plan includes your pets as well. With heavy rain, powerful winds and possible thunder it’s easy to spook your pet and cause high anxiety. And should you need to evacuate it’s easy for your dog to get lost in all the chaos going around them. Here are a few tips you can use to prepare to evacuate your pets with you safely and efficiently.
- Know which evacuation shelters in your area accept animals.
- Find out which hotels in non-evacuation zones welcome pets, or find a friend or relative in a non-evacuation zone who will house you and your pet.
- Keep all of your pet’s vaccination records and microchip information in a ziplock bag or other waterproof casing.
- Meal prep for your pet, you should have 3 days up to a weeks worth of food rationed in sandwich bags.
Have a crate or carrier ready that is easy to travel with, that your pet will be comfortable in.
- Get a cooler and ice packs ready to keep any refrigerated medications cold, and keep a week’s worth of any needed medications ready.
- Clean up supplies if needed (poop baggies, pee mats, etc.)
- Have a first aid kit ready, in case of injury or needing your pet to calm down from all the anxiety use dog-friendly medications like Benadryl, Neosporin, and Melatonin so long as the dosage is correct.
- To store all of these items in one place it would be best to purchase a plastic bin from your local Walmart or Target and store or simply use an old waterproof suitcase that you may have.
- Follow this link for more information.
In case you are out of town contact a family member or friend to pick up your beloved pets. Give specific instructions on where to find everything they would need to ensure a fast and safe way to evacuate.
