Friday, June 24, 2011

Pet Owners Need to Prepare for “Above Normal” Hurricane Season, Keep in Mind Pets’ Emergency Needs, A Guest Blog By Wag'N Enterprises



The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicted an “above-normal” hurricane season this year, and pet owners need to be prepared according to a national pet emergency preparedness company.


“In the midst of a fire, flood, tornado or hurricane, the likelihood that you and your pets will survive the emergency depends largely on emergency planning done today,” said Ines de Pablo, executive director of pet emergency management division at Wag’N Enterprises.

NOAA forecasted the Atlantic Basin’s severe weather activity will exceed the normal seasonal average with 11 named storms, six hurricanes and two major hurricanes – all the more reason to be prepared ahead of time, de Pablo said. 
Although residents in storm-afflicted areas commonly keep personal records handy in case of emergencies –phone numbers, medical records and emergency supplies – it’s easy to forget similar preparation for your pets, de Pablo said.  Pet owners need to have immunization/health records and emergency vet contact information printed and ready should powered electronics be unavailable during and after a storm.  An extra supply of your pet’s food, water and medicine should also be readily available.

De Pablo said it’s also important to understand that post-disaster agencies may be slow to respond, depending on the severity of a weather-related event.

“You are your own first line of defense and your pet’s, too,” she said.  “Pet owners can take steps so that a first responder’s job is easier, should an emergency take place.”

Wag’N Enterprises offers eight important tips for emergency preparedness:

·         Pets should wear a collar with its regular identification, county license, microchip and rabies tag at all times.

·         Pet owners should carry a record of their pet’s medical history, a photo of their pet and emergency contact numbers (veterinarian, local animal control, etc.).  A Wag’N Pet Passport is a good solution to put all information together in one place.  

·         If there’s a storm evacuation, it’s important to know whether or not your pet is allowed in the shelter.  So, it’s important to plan in advance for shelter alternatives that will work for you and your pet.

·         Create a “grab and go” bag for your pet that’s light yet stocked with everything your pet needs during an evacuation.  Wag’N offers a preparedness checklist here for pet owners to reference.


·         Pet owners should keep a list of all their emergency contacts’ (friends, neighbors or family members) contact information, and pre-printed copies of lost pet posters readily available in their grab and go bag.  The Wag’N Rover Respond’R is another valuable tool pet owners should use to keep important information handy in their vehicles as well.

·         Once a pet emergency management plan is made, practice the plan with your family, considering multiple hazard scenarios and giving yourself various time frames to evacuate.

·         Prepare your human and pet first aid skills. Pet owners should take a Pet First Aid Class from a certified Pet Tech® instructor and also have a Pet First Aid Kit.

·         Always keep paper and electronic copies of the following information, preferably in a resealable bag:

1.    Pet’s veterinarian information
2.    Emergency animal hospital
3.    National poison control (800.222.1222)
4.    Paper maps of your neighborhood, town, county as well as regional maps. 
5.    Veterinary and immunization records
6.    Pictures of owner(s) with pet(s) for proof of ownership

For more information, please visit http://www.wagn4u.com or contact Dave Payne at 678.551.0780/dave@fetchingcommunications.com.  Wag'N is active on Twitter and FacebookFacebook.
About Wag’N Pet Safety Gear
Founded in 2007, Wag’N offers pet parents and first responders the necessary gear, supplies and training to effectively mitigate, prepare and respond to emergencies that impact pet health and safety. Executive Director of Pet Emergency Management Division, Ines de Pablo, holds a Master’s Degree in Risk, Crisis & Emergency Management from the prestigious George Washington University in Washington D.C. and has over a decade of extensive field training experience under her belt.  Wag’N Pet Safety Gear is a branded and extensive collection of purposefully designed tools and services giving people and their pets’ peace of mind in case of an emergency.

26 comments:

  1. Aunty Caren,
    I've read that usually it's the pets that can tell if a disaster is going to happen. Like what happened during the 2004 Asian tsunami. The animals were the first to run to higher grounds before the humans even realise what was happening. purrr....meow!

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  2. How frightening! We hope you keep safe.

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  3. I don't know if my previous comment went through or not - but, as usual friend, this is a great post.

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  4. Thanks for the reminder. Living in Florida, I need to remind HH to get ready. She has the boys to think about this year, not just herself.

    Have a great day.

    pawhugs, Max

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  5. Prevention is better than cure!!! They are the great tips of keeping our pets safe, however, the humans must make sure they themselves are safe as well so they are capable of helping their pets.

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  6. What a wonderful and important post! With the crazy weather that has been going on this year, you can never be too prepared!

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  7. That really is great info for a scary time of year!

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  8. The pet emergency shelter station we visited at Whisker Walk also suggested having a picture of you and your pet together as a means of proving ownership.

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  9. Great post. I have access to pet safety and other information and should contact you about guest posting.

    linorstorecom.blogspot.com

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  10. @Cat-from-Sydney, I have heard (and witnessed) that myself. Both of my cats and my dog acted weird before strange weather hit. I hear horses have the same ability! xoxo

    @Linda B. You can contact Dave (above), all of his contact info is in the blog. I am sure he would love the opportunity of doing a guest blog for you. I also emailed him and suggested that he stop by and read the comments that are being left, so hopefully he will and he just might contact you as well!

    @Bailey I think that photo idea is a great one! We don't think of these things and we obviously should!

    @Brian so true!

    @Jen, Amen to that!

    @Priscilla as always you made another good point! Thank you! I agree!

    @Max, living in Florida absolutely! Actually anywhere. We get tornadoes here. We always think it "can't happen to us" but with the crazy weather that has been happening all over, anything could occur! xoxo

    @Mario thanks so much!! I can't take credit for it since I didn't write it but I think the information is hugely important. Thanks so much! xoxo

    @Au and Target, we ALL should keep safe! ((((hugs))))

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  11. That is some really great information! Some of those things we have, and others are some I've never heard of or thought about. Hurricanes aren't an issue for us here, but tornadoes are and we try to be prepared for those with our dogs. You just never know!

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  12. We don't get hurricanes, but we do get earthquakes and fires. I think no matter where you live, there is a disaster that humans need to prepare for!

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  13. Disaster preparedness is so important. You just never know when you might need to have all of your ducks in a row and need to evacuate quickly.

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  14. We surely do need a break from all this horrendous weather! Thanks for posting excellent and timely information.

    Pat
    www.critteralley.blogspot.com

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  15. Great post! Our mom really likes Wag'n 4U's emergency kits. Hopefully sooner as opposed to later she'll get one for us or make something up. You never know when something can happen.

    Pip, Smidgen, Minnie, and Hollie

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  16. It's scary stuff to think about, but so important! Thanks for posting!

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  17. This is great advice for any emergency.

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  18. The Human used to be all prepared (specially after the '89 quake) but now she's all lazy. I need to remind her to put her earthquake kit back together. She also thinks people should have a good wad of cash in a kit, too, cause it's likely no ATMs will be working.

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  19. Valuable info. Be prepared. It's also good to have photos etc. on hand in case a pet going missing in any circumstance. Did you mention micro-chipping?

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  20. Thank you for the great information. We have to be prepared for emergency.

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  21. What a great and very important post!! It was unbelievably distressing the see and hear of the many pets left behind after hurricane katrina (and other known nature catastrophies for that matter). We're having quite bad storms here at the moment and I'm quite concerned about flying objects on behalf of the cats. I try to fasten objects but we get lots of debris flying down from the hills. Natures force is so unpredictable.

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  22. Thanks to all who left comments, I am sure "Wag N" appreciates them!

    @Cat Wisdom 101, they mentioned micro chipping in the first bullet point...

    @Gods Little People, I hope that your storms have subsided and that all the little ones are ok!!!

    Thanks again all, I have been super busy this weekend as in not home, lol...so if I don't respond to you individually, that is why! xoxoxo

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  23. that's very important information for any kind of emergency situation where you might need to leave your home quickly. And cats don't travel light with their food and litter box etc. So we all need to think ahead and be ready.

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  24. We live in south Florida, and we have been really lucky the last two hurricane seasons, so it can be easy to get complacent!

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