Getting Yourself And Your Pet Ready For Storm Season

Here in the Southeast United States it is officially hurricane season.  This begins every year on June 1 and some people take it more seriously than others.  So in order to take the middle of the road with preparation I thought I would mention some things in we can do not only for ourselves but for our pets as well in case we do have a hurricane, or any storm.

Regardless of the storm there should be a few things we should always keep on hand and one of those things is a gallon of water per person per day.  That is normally my rule of thumb so everyone stays hydrated.  When it is hot and there is no air conditioning and people are sweating it is extremely easy to get dehydrated.  You should also keep a gallon of water per day per pet on hand as well for the same reason...hydration.  However, your pet cannot sweat so it is even more important to make sure your pet stays hydrated.  Animals pant to release heat from their bodies.  They also release heat from their paw pads.  If your pet is panting excessively then you might consider hosing him/her down with the garden hose to keep them cool.  Do NOT put wet cloths on their body because that will keep the heat in and that is very, very bad for them.

Of course another thing to keep on hand is non-perishable food.  Not just for yourselves but for your pet as well.  Canned food is good as is dry food.  You will just need to make sure you really keep an eye on the expiration date of these foods and if they are coming close to due then feed your dog or cat the foods and buy more to keep on hand.  There is nothing wrong with rotating this food.  You can also keep your pet's favorite treats the same way.  For dogs, if you use the natural chews then once again keep an eye on any expiration dates they may have.  For cats, the freeze dried treats you will want to make sure you store properly so they do not go bad.

Since I live in the Southeastern United States, I can say with confidence that if there is a hurricane and the eye of that storm has come over your area you can reasonably expect to be at least a week without conveniences depending on the category level of the hurricane.  I personally went through a category 3 hurricane and the eye went over my area and we were without power (and water although we had a well at the time) for a week.  I also work full-time in the public safety arena so I'm familiar with the damage various storms can do as well and how they can affect people's lives.

If your pets are not microchipped I strongly encourage you to get them done in case something happens to them and they get lost.  Vets and shelters will scan found pets and this will allow you to get your pet back.  This is especially important if you have outdoor or indoor/outdoor cats or outdoor dogs. 

Keeping your pets up to date on their vaccines is important as well not just during storm season but all year.  Especially rabies but your vet will have others he/she recommends as well.  These are important for the health of your pet.

Please prepare for the appropriate storm season in your area.  This will save time and energy and worry later on if there is a storm that hits your area.  Not only do you owe it to yourself but you owe it to your pets to prepare them as well.

Be safe and let us know if you have any questions.  Please follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Flipbook.  As always, thanks for reading.

What Do You Do If Your Pet Is Missing?

Accidents happen and sometimes your pet gets away from your home and gets lost.  So what do you do?  Who do you tell?  Well the first thing you can do is print out a picture of him/her on a flyer and post it all over your neighborhood and tell all of your neighbors.  Then what?  Here's some ideas and links:

http://www.missingpet.net/cgi-bin/statepage.pl?NC

http://www.spcawake.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Lost_FoundLOSTpet

http://www.lostmydoggie.com/index.cfm?source=10

Wherever you live, there are shelters that can post flyers and information about your pet and they may even have online information so you can post your pet there as well in case someone finds him/her and looks up lost and found information.

This is also where microchipping your pet is extremely important.  People can take your pet to a local shelter, rescue organization or vet to be scanned and your information will come up as the pet's owner and you can be contacted.  I've personally seen this happen and had some happy endings for some people.

There are quite a few companies out there that deal with microchips and your vet can answer any questions you may have as well as implant the chip itself.  It is not a surgical procedure and takes less than a minute to do.  The chip itself is about the size of a grain of rice and is inserted just under the skin.  It is worth the time you spend to have this done if your pet is ever missing because if someone finds him/her and you haven't had this done and they end up in the shelter they may not make it out because they might be put to sleep.

This is a microchip (on the left)

If you are interested in some companies that will register your chip send me a note or ask your vet.  If you got your pet from a breeder then he/she should have already given you some information about microchipping.

If you find a stray animal please do not assume it's mean or feral because it may be someone's lost pet.  If it's friendly and comes up to you call your vet and see if he/she will come out and scan the pet or if you can take the animal to your vet for scanning to make sure someone isn't missing their family member.

Again, if you would like more information on microchipping companies please contact me or your local vet.

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