Hurricane Season And Pet Safety | Hurricane Safety Plan

2021 is predicted to be a fairly active hurricane season with quite a few major storms expected to shake the country to the core. One way that you can be the best pet parent possible is to make sure that you are prepared for a natural disaster, and hurricane season is the ideal time to show that you are ready for everything that Mother Nature has to throw at us.

Here are our top tips for keeping your pet safe this hurricane season.

Make a hurricane safety plan

The simplest and best thing that you can do is to make a hurricane safety plan that outlines what you intend to do if a hurricane hits your town. This can refer to where you will store your supplies and where you will go if you need to evacuate. Your pet needs food, water, and somewhere to sleep just like the human members of your family, so make sure that your hurricane safety plan includes provisions for your animals.

Get your pet’s emergency kit ready

Your pet’s emergency kit should contain everything that they need to keep them safe and healthy during a hurricane or other natural disaster. A properly-stocked pet emergency kit should include:

Enough water for a week
Non-perishable food
Food and water dishes
Proof their medical records and vaccinations
A two-week supply of prescription medication
ID tags (in addition to them being microchipped)
Pet carrier/leash x 2 (so that you have a spare)
Cat litter and litterbox or dog poop bags
Their favorite blanket and toy
A stocked pet first aid kit

Make sure your pet is microchipped and up to date

Microchipping is the most reliable and effective way of permanently securing your personal information to your animal if they become lost or stolen. The painless process involves a small microchip containing a unique reference number being inserted under your pet’s skin by way of injection. When your pet is recovered, the microchip can be scanned using an RFID scanner, and the microchip provider is contacted so that you can be told your pet has been found.

Ahead of hurricane season, we strongly advise any owners who don’t have their pets already microchipped to schedule this to be done as soon as possible. If your pet is already microchipped, make sure that the details the chip provider has for you are up to date.

Place a pet emergency sticker on your front door

These stickers include the number and types of pets that you have, along with their names. This will enable local rescue personnel to quickly see what animals you have so that they can hopefully be rescued should they and/or you become trapped in your home. You can get a similar sticker in card form that you can place in your wallet.

Download the free FEMA app

This app is free to download and provides people with emergency safety tips, the locations of nearby shelters, and alerts from the National Weather Service so that you can be prepared if a storm heads your way.

Choose someone to care for your pets if you can’t

If something happens to you and you find yourself unable to look after your animals, it’s important to have designated someone else to do it on your behalf. This could be a family member, friend, or colleague that you have spoken to in advance. Make sure you include them in your emergency plan and keep their contact details with you.

Ensure your pet is up to date on their vaccinations

Many shelters and other emergency holding provisions will not allow animals if they have not been vaccinated. Make sure that your pet is up to date and that you have proof of this with your pet’s emergency kit.

For more top tips on preparing for hurricane season, call Border Animal Hospital in Weslaco, TX at (956) 968-3858 to speak to our friendly veterinary team today.