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DISASTER PREPAREDNESS FOR PETS AND
LIVESTOCK
Contact us at 831-373-2631 if you have
questions or need assistance with emergency pet or livestock evacuations
during disasters.
The
SPCA for Monterey County offers Disaster Preparedness information (below)
and
Disaster Preparedness kit
checklists online (in both English and
Spanish). We also offer free Disaster Preparedness presentations to the community.
Please
contact us
for more information.
 Disaster
Preparedness For Pets and Livestock
Pet ownership requires
a great deal of knowledge, time, patience and love. Many animal owners
may not always consider the need to plan for their pets in the event of
a disaster. A little planning and awareness before a disaster occurs
can prevent tragedies afterwards.
The Monterey County Office of Emergency Services (OES)
recommends that people should be prepared for disasters by taking the
necessary steps to care for themselves for a minimum of 72 hours (but
preferably at least seven days) after a disaster occurs. This includes
planning for no electricity or phone communications, as well as the
possibility that services such as police, fire and ambulance will be
extremely limited. This recommendation should also extend to all pets
and livestock. If you are given an order to evacuate, please
take your pets and livestock with you. Any situation that is
dangerous for you is also dangerous for your animals.
The following
recommendations are based on the experiences of The SPCA for Monterey
County while assisting animal owners in fire, flood and earthquake
situations. Animal owners can take a few simple measures to prepare for
disasters:
1.
Always
have canned pet food and any needed livestock feed on hand. In the case
of disaster preparedness, it is recommended that pet owners maintain on
hand a minimum of one week’s supply of pet food. For livestock, one to
two weeks of feed is recommended. While this may seem excessive,
consider that roads may be impassable, and even if your supplier has
feed available, they may not be able to get feed delivered to you.
2.
Water poses another
challenge as pets and livestock require clean, fresh water every day.
Consider that this may quickly become a serious problem if you rely on a
well and have no electricity.
Keeping a generator on
hand may help but consider too that a water system may be destroyed or
contaminated in the event of an earthquake or flood. Have on hand
numerous 5 gallon plastic jugs (such as the type used for water coolers
- available at most larger hardware stores) filled with water and stored
in an accessible area. Carry individual bottles of water (for you
and your
pets) in the trunk of your
car at all times.
Generally plan on 40 to 60 ml/kg/day, or about 1 oz of water per pound
of body weight each day. Note that water requirements can vary widely
depending on the weather and your pet’s activity level, age, and medical
conditions (i.e. diabetic animals will have increased requirements for
water). Your veterinarian should be able to provide specific
recommendations for your pet(s).
If you currently rely solely on small automatic waterers,
remember to have a large tub on hand to offer emergency water to your
livestock. Identify alternate sources of water (i.e. neighbors) as
well as a method to transport all needed water.
3.
As with
your personal disaster preparedness kit, remember to include some items
for your pets and livestock.
The following is a list if items that probably will be needed in the
event of a disaster:
-
Basic first aid items
for injury (The SPCA can provide a list of recommended items. Pet
first aid kits are also available for purchase through the American
Red Cross).
-
Any needed
medications.
-
Halters and lead
ropes for livestock; leashes and collars for pets; pet carriers and
spare I.D. tags for dogs and cats.
-
“Evacsacs” or pillow
cases for cats or small pets such as rabbits.
-
Pet food and water
bowls, manual can openers and plastic pet food can lids.
-
Copies of current
vaccination certificates, licensing, and microchip information as well
as information on how to contact your veterinarian
and local animal shelter in the event of an emergency.
-
Include some recent,
full-body, color photos of your pets and photos of your pets with you
in the picture in the event they are lost or separated from you.
Please refer to The SPCA’s free
Disaster Preparedness
Checklist for Cats and Dogs for more information and details.
4. Provide and practice disaster training for your animals. This
will be very valuable in the event of a fire, flood or earthquake.
Horses should be comfortable loading in to trailers. Dogs should have
basic obedience training and be able to listen to you and respond to
commands in an emergency. Cats and small animals should be comfortable
being placed in, and traveling in, pet carriers.
5. Keep a current
list of local hotels and motels that will accommodate pets. This
information is now available as a part of our
Pet Friendly
Listings. This list will come in handy
during extended power outages, as well as disasters situations
Planning ahead for
disasters can save lives and make a very stressful situation less
severe. Please call The SPCA if you would like to schedule a disaster
preparedness presentation.
Para
leer ésta información en español, presione aquí
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