Disaster Preparedness and Your Dog

No one plans to have a disaster strike them. However, disasters do strike people every year. If you are a dog owner, you have to prepare for a disaster not only for you, but for your dog. Currently, the authorities recommend you have enough food, water, and medicine to care for yourself and your dependents for three days. In addition to doing that, there are some extra things you need to do to help your dog through a disaster.

Know your dog’s habits and where he can be found during the day. Small dogs may hide in closets or under beds. Big dogs may hide where they usually sleep. Knowing where that is and what time they do each part of their routine is crucial to finding them when time is of the essence.
Make sure your pet is wearing a collar and tag with at least your name and phone number. Dogs can become terrified in a disaster and get away from you. Make sure whoever finds the dog can find you to return him. It is also good to have your dog microchipped, even if he wears a collar and tag. Collars come off, but if the dog is scanned, the microchip will get him home.
Keep a crate that the dog is familiar with to take with you if you have to evacuate. Shelters now must allow dogs into the shelter, but only if the dog is in a crate. In addition, the crates are put in a corner of the shelter away from where people are sleeping and eating. Get an airline approved crate to put your dog into in an emergency.
Keep your dog’s food, medicines, and supplies together where they can quickly be grabbed when you must evacuate. The goal is to have seven days of food and thirty days of medicine with you when you evacuate, but that is not always practical. Keep as much food and medicine as you can manage with your dog’s supplies so you can grab everything at once when you have to.
Make sure emergency personnel know your dog is there. The American Kennel Club sells window clings that alert emergency personnel that there is a dog inside. If they do not know to search for a dog, your pet may be trapped in your home and die there. The emergency personnel will try to reunite you if they know the dog is in the house they are searching.
After fleeing an emergency situation such as a fire or tornado, you should have your dog checked out by a veterinarian. This is so if the dog inhaled too much smoke, was tossed around by the tornado, or was otherwise injured, he can get immediate help. You may not realize how badly hurt your dog is because of your shock over what happened, but a veterinarian may see a problem needing immediate treatment.

Watching the news, it seems as if disaster is all around us. The odds of being involved in a disaster are really quite low, but being prepared just in case is a good idea for all of us.