Animal Owners Urged to Have Emergency Plan for Severe Weather
With spring and the traditional severe weather season still weeks away, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says the United States has already experienced a reported 128 tornadoes in the first two months of 2012. In comparison, the months of January and February combined during the past three years averaged 50 tornadoes.
And the 2012 hurricane season begins in June.
North Carolina State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, along with the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and numerous other organizations, have assembled useful resources to help veterinarians, animal care providers, and animal owners who find themselves in the path of tornadoes, hurricanes, tropical storms, floods, severe winter weather, or other events requiring emergency response or evacuation. As noted by in the AVMA’s emergency planning booklet, “Saving the Whole Family,” emergency preparations should include pets and other animals.
The following links provide useful information for disaster planning.
Companion Animals
American Veterinary Medical Association
Hurricane Preparedness Saving the Whole Family
North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
Protecting your Pets in a Disaster
USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
American Red Cross
Pets and Disaster Safety Checklist
Pet Travel Center.com
NC State CVM – Toni Poston, Class of 2012
Emergency Preparedness and Travel for Pet Bird Owners
NC State CVM – Dr. Greg Lewbart’s Aquarium Tips
Emergency Preparedness for Fish: Dealing with Power Outages for Aquariums and Ponds
Raleigh Aquarium Society and North American Native Fishes Association
If you need to evacuate to a shelter with your pet
If you take pets to a shelter that allows them, you need to have pet supplies, collar with ID, up-to-date vet records, pet carrier, and leash. A picture of the pet is good to have. For identification purposes, it is also recommended that pets be microchipped. If there is no shelter that accepts pets, look for local hotels that allow pets such as those listed at www.petswelcome.com.
NCSU William Rand Kenan, Jr. Library of Veterinary Medicine
Travel-Ready Pet Resource List
Horses
NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (866-506-6222)
- Equine Disaster Response Alliance website
- Horse owner’s disaster preparation brochure – Equine Disaster Response Alliance
- 24 step disaster plan – Canadian Horse Journal, 2005.
NC State Extension Horse Husbandry
Hurricane preparations for horse farms
Farm Animals
Disaster Planning for Farm Animals
