May 12th is officially known as National Animal Disaster Preparedness Day. It is a day that pet lovers are encouraged to create an action plan for their pet in the event of a disaster.
Across the country, pet owners often forget to have a plan for earthquakes, floods, and fires, and unfortunately that can put your pet at risk.
Here in Florida, the main threat to our pets is hurricanes.
Hurricane Preparedness for Pet Safety
This Animal Preparedness Day, take the time to come up with a plan of what to do for your pet in the event of a hurricane (or other disaster).
It starts with a supply list. Make sure that you have the following in stock in the event of a natural disaster:
Printed Pet Photo
Food and Water
Leash and Harness
Pet First Aid Kit
Extra Week of Medications
Pet Carrier
All of these should be in some type of airtight container so that they will not get any moisture in the event of rain or flood, and you should put the expiration date of the food and medication so that you can replace when it is close to spoiling.
You are also strongly encouraged to have some type of waterproof sign that is either always on your door or can be easily placed on your door that tells people a pet is present. That way, if rescuers ever come to your aid, they know to try to find your pet.
It helps to also have someone that can take care of your pet at a moment’s notice if you ever need to find them a safe place to stay.
The Humane Society and the CDC both have helpful information on how to make sure your pet stays safe in the event of a natural disaster. It is a good idea to review both articles so that you are ready for any event if disaster strikes.
We don’t like to think about what we would do in the event of a disaster. That is especially true of our pets. It is a good idea to spend some time this Animal Disaster Preparedness Day to make sure you’re ready should disaster strike.
