Be Prepared To Be Prepared (Part 2)

As pet emergency management expert Ines de Pablo pointed out to me in a recent interview, a crisis or emergency can happen anywhere at any time. While humans have many options available to them, companion animals rely solely on their pet parents to include them in emergency plans and to ensure their health and safety. According to de Pablo, the first step in being prepared is to have a plan, to put it in writing, and to rehearse that plan. The plan should include two options: Evacuation and Shelter-in-Place.

If evacuation is called for, you should keep in mind many shelters set up for people do not allow pets. Abandoning your pet should never be an option, so you need to identify "safe areas" where you can go with your pet. You should identify areas to the north, south and west of your home where you can go and stay. Locate pet-friendly hotels, hospitals, friends/relatives, veterinarians in those areas. Use a paper map (don't rely on GPS or electronic gadgets that may not be accessible or working during and emergency).

In an evacuation situation, you should have a 72-hour plan, a 24-hour plan and a plan for as little as 15 minutes. De Pablo emphasizes: Don't make rash decisions. In the case of evacuation, you need to have a "Go Bag" assembled and readily accessible. Your Go Bag, used in both evacuation and shelter-in-place situations, could be a backpack or duffel bag, or similar, and should at minimum contain these items:

• your safe areas map
• a large knife
• duct tape
• fire starter
• copies of all important essential documents
• vet records
• proof of insurance
• leash or harness and collar
• pet ID tags
• muzzle (dog)
• flashlight and batteries
• leather gloves
• photo of your pet
• emergency phone numbers
• first aid kit
• poop bags
• personal floatation device (PFD) for your pet if in a flood zone area

The second scenario is a situation that requires you to shelter-in-place. This could be a tornado, snowstorm or terrorist attack. Depending on the particular crisis, you would use your basement or higher level shelter. You will need to store these items:

• food and water for 3 days for everyone in your household including pet food, cat litter in a bucket with lid (makes an excellent toilet according to de Pablo)
• trash bags
• fire suppression system
• camping equipment (portable cook stove, dishes, utensils, sleeping bags, etc.)
• fire starter
• powdered milk
• some form of entertainment (pet toys, books, etc.)
• flashlight
• batteries

Don't forget that all important Go Bag! Considerations for food supply should include dehydrated food (people and pet), which is the easiest to store and use in such a situation.

Basic preparedness should include having your pet microchipped, with the chip number written down along with the company the chip is registered to. It also includes knowing basic pet first aid. I took the American Red Cross pet first aid class years ago and found it very helpful, and the manual is an excellent reference guide to keep on hand. De Pablo also offers pet first aid classes, CPR training and first responder courses.

Lastly, de Pablo highly recommends placing a first responder pet rescue alert sticker on the outside of your dwelling (windows and doors), and practicing fire drills with your dog. I found that concept fascinating, but couldn't imagine how to run such a drill with Flip and Tiki. She explained: press the button on your smoke detector to test it with just a very brief audible blast (it is extremely loud so make sure your ears are protected), then yell "Fire!" and lure your dog outside (regular door or dog door) with a treat. Praise him/her once outside. Repeat this several times. They will not like the loud noise of the alarm, but you can distract them with the treat. After doing that for several sessions, run the drill by shouting "Fire!" without the smoke detector, and rewarding with a treat. Eventually, your dog will get the hang of it.

Additional resources for emergency preparedness: Federal Emergency Management Agency, Ready.gov, DisasterAssistance.gov, the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act.