“No animal left behind.” That phrase should ring in your ears whenever you contemplate the need to evacuate your home due to or during an impending disaster – whether natural or manmade. The “unexpected” can happen to anyone – at anytime. Fires, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, train derailments resulting in toxic spills, and factory or pipeline explosions, can all precipitate mandatory evacuation.

By thinking about what you would need to do, and planning ahead, you will be able to mitigate problems and provide protection and care for your entire family – including your pets. Organizing and gathering your supplies ahead of time means you won’t be caught without what you need in an emergency.

Never leave your animals behind thinking “they will be fine” until you return. You have no way of knowing when you will be able to get back to them. It could be days or weeks. Even a few hours of leaving them in harm’s way could put their lives at risk. Local authorities will not allow you back once they have ordered evacuation from an area.

Remember that many emergency shelters will not allow animals inside. However, some will let you bring them in if contained in carriers. Some animal shelters and veterinary clinics will allow temporary housing during times of emergency. Also, many motels and hotels will temporarily suspend normal policies and allow animals during disasters. But if worse comes to worse, your animals are better off with you even if they must stay in the car, than left behind with no one to look after them.

Some tips for being prepared in the event of a disaster:

• Have a backup plan in case you are not at home when evacuation is necessary. Have an agreement with a neighbor or friend who would have ready access to your animals, and discuss necessary plans of action ahead of time. Make sure they know where your evacuation kit and other needed items are stored, and if at all possible, try to get them acquainted with your animals ahead of time. Write out a detailed list of your animals’ names, behavior, needs, etc. and make several copies. Establish a meeting place outside of the likely evacuated area. Exchange phone, cell, pager numbers, etc.
• Keep on hand a list of emergency phone numbers such as veterinarian, animal shelters, and other useful numbers such as weather reports, sheriff’s dept., highway patrol, etc.
• Assemble a basic supply kit for your animals. It should include sufficient supplies for at least 72 hours for each animal. The kit should include: current ID and photos of you with your animals; a way to keep the animals confined or controlled; food and water, and the dishes to hold them; leashes, halters, etc.; sanitation items; shot records; pet first aid kit and medications; toys & familiar bedding.
• Put collars with names & contact numbers on your animals if at all possible. If they get separated from you, it may make all the difference in reuniting them with you. Multiple copies of photos for handing out would also be very helpful if you are separated from your pets.
• Blankets, warm clothing, and rain-gear for yourself are important if you must stay in your car or have no building to shelter in. Also useful is a portable radio and plenty of fresh batteries.
• Keep your pre-packed kit in a handy place and be sure everyone in the family knows where it is. (Be sure to rotate foods and meds so they don’t get old).
• Be alert to possible disasters and emergencies by keeping up with news and weather reports. Consider buying a scanner – especially if you live in rural areas prone to regular problems such as wildfires, etc.
• Decide ahead of time where you will go with your animals when you need to evacuate your home, and make sure it is out of the way of the disaster area.
• Do not wait until the last possible minute to leave. As soon as danger seems like it is coming your way, as soon as the authorities recommend leaving the area – then take your animals and emergency kits and get going. Staying put too long will, at the very least, subject you to traffic jams on the highways, and it will give you fewer options about where you can stay once you get where you are going. Sometimes, your route will be cut off sooner than expected – leaving you without escape.

These simple preparations could save your animals’ lives. Even if your home is destroyed, at least you won’t have the added heartbreak of losing your beloved pets. Every year hundreds of pets die or are lost needlessly because they have been left to fend for themselves. Don’t let this happen to your own four-legged friends.

For more information and help on this subject, as well as current status of disaster areas, see the Noah’s Wish web site at http://www.noahs-wish.org/ . This website also has an extensive list of instructions for specific animals ranging from amphibians to horses to turtles, etc.

The Noah’s Wish organization also provides emergency assistance in major disasters.

Contact them at:
P.O. Box 997 Placerville, CA 95667
Business Number: (530) 622-9313
Emergency Pagers: 877-575-0128 or 800-746-9390

If ever there is an opportunity to confirm the validity of Murphy’s Law, it is when a new pet is brought into a home. When an animal – be it a gerbil, a cat, a dog, or whatever – is introduced to a new environment, it will want to become familiar with its surroundings as soon as possible. It is normal and necessary for the animal to investigate everything. There are however, potential hazards in all households that the curious creatures must be protected against. Puppies, kittens, and other small animals are most at risk, but precautions should be taken to insure the safety of even adult cats and dogs.

Pet-proofing a home is much like child-proofing one. Begin by trying to put yourself in your pet’s place. Look around the premises while keeping in mind the animal’s desire to discover and check out all the nooks, crannies, and every object in the house. Keep Murphy’s Law in mind; whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. If the animal can climb, be sure you look up as well as around and down.

The list of possible problems includes, but is not limited to:

• Plastic bags of all kinds – especially those which have contained food; these often attract and then suffocate animals, as can containers where little heads might get stuck.
• Any utensil, string, or container which has food, or even the smell of food on it, is an attraction.
• Cords of every variety; electrical ones can deliver a lethal shock, and all (telephone, drapery, Venetian blinds, appliance, etc.) can strangle an animal.
• Open commodes, mop buckets, bathtubs, swimming and wading pools; many pets drown or are poisoned by chemicals used in the water.
• Any object smaller than the animal’s mouth; paperclips, thumbtacks, rubber bands, needles and thread, buttons, staples, erasers, jewelry, marbles, fish-hooks, etc. to name just a few of these items.
• Heavy objects on the edges of counters, shelves, or tables which can fall or be pulled down by a cord.
• Fireplaces, lighted candles, humidifiers, space hearers, barbecue grills, open ovens, and stovetops; all are trouble spots.
• Open doors on washers, dryers, cabinets, and even refrigerators; all are particularly inviting to cats.
• Unscreened windows and balconies; many pets fall from these and die each year.
  Electrical outlets, running appliances, fans motorized tools, and automatic garage doors.
• Poorly made toys which can be torn into pieces, have small parts that come off, or elastic string which breaks off.
• Potential poisons from a variety of sources that abound in a typical house and yard.

With a little common sense and imagination, the problem areas can be identified and corrected. Taking this small amount of trouble ahead of time can prevent a ton of trouble and grief for you and your pet in the future.

Did you know that approximately 25% of all animals entering shelters each year are purebreds? If you are looking for a dog or cat, and you have your heart set on a specific breed of animal, there are rescue groups all over the country set up just to find homes for adoptable cats and dogs of specific breeds. Many of them come complete with pedigree papers. The same is true for horses and other large animals.

Please consider adopting one of these animals instead of contributing to the pet over-population by buying an animal from a breeder or a pet shop. Just contact one of the groups or ask at your local animal shelter. Not only will you be saving a life, but you will save money as well. Below are website links which take you to lists for specific breeds.

*Cat breed rescue groups list – http://www.netcat.org/rescue.html

*Dog breed rescue groups list – http://www.thepoop.com/search_rescue.asp

*Horse breed rescue groups list – http://www.netpets.com/horses/horsresc/horsgrp.html

Did you know that if you live in Texas and your dog stays outside or goes outside that he has a 100% chance of getting heartworms? In our climate, where it never gets cold enough to kill off all the mosquitoes, your dogs are at high-risk. In Texas, heartworms are not something your dog *may* get; heartworms are something your dog *will* get – it’s only a matter of time. And heartworms, if left untreated, will kill your beloved dog. Treatment is expensive: $400-600, so preventing heartworms is much less costly in the long run, not to mention healthy for your pet!

That is why it is essential to give your dog Heartworm preventative each and every month. It is not optional! Before starting your dog on a preventative program, you must have her tested for heartworms. Your vet will write out a prescription for Heartworm preventative which you can then have filled at your vet’s office or at low-cost on-line pet supply catalogs like www.kvvet.com . Use the stickers that come with the heartworm preventative and put them on your calendar, so your dog receives the medicine the same day every month. Now you can relax, knowing your dog is protected.