Vet School 101 Hurricanes and pet safety: Top five at-home storm tips after one wet and wild night

August 19th, 2008  

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I went to the pasture to get my dog before Alicia, but she had already holed up somewhere and the winds were picking up enough that they muffled my yelling for her. I had to leave when some things became airborne, and found her about 2-3 days after the hurricane (I couldn't go look for her the first day due to the roads being impassable). She seemed a little hungry and thirsty, but otherwise she was fine.

I moved, so no more living at the rented pasture. She stayed with me in the new house most times, except when I took her in the backyard to potty and play; she liked being in the house most times. Especially during thunderstorms. She'd run and jump into the tub, and lay down as flat as she could whimpering. She did NOT want me to pick her up and hold her on the couch, but once I got into the tub with her, and she liked that. I found she liked being covered in the tub if I had to go to work. She wouldn't eat in the tub either, even if the storm lasted a long time.

Years later, when she had passed, I had 2 dogs and 2 cats inside with me during Allison, which flooded my house. They ALL followed me around the house while I was picking stuff up off the floor. I finally put the big dog on the couch (they weren't allowed any other time), and she seemed grateful to be out of the flood waters. But the other dog, that was a mama's boy, wouldn't stay on the couch with her, and still followed me around, which made it hard to pick things up.

My cats also tried to follow me, as best the could by jumping from place to place. But they couldn't do that from room to room. I finally distracted them by feeding them, but learned the hard way to make sure candles are far away from cats. Luckily I was right next to where they were eating when I smelled burning hair, and turned to see my male cat's tale on fire! I snatched him up very quickly, and drug his tail through the flood water (above my ankles), and he was mad I interrupted his feeding. Whew, that scared me, but I was glad I moved fast enough that he didn't feel the beginning flames. SO WATCH OUT WHERE YOU PUT YOUR CANDLES!

This site came through my feed reader yesterday. I liked the part about desensitizing your animals to scary sounds on the 3rd page: http://www.cyberpet.com/cyberdog/articles/general/...

Shreela August 19th, 2008 11:27:00 AM

I'm glad you didn't get hit too hard!
The only other thing I would add is to be sure to have ID on all your pets (if possible - where would you put an ID tag on a guinea pig? LOL). But on cats and dogs for sure, and halters with ID plates for horses. Microchips are important too, but an ID tag with numbers where you could be reached IN A DISASTER SITUATION are the best. That means something in addition to your home number, because your home may no longer exist. Cell phone number, and numbers of relatives or friends who will know where you're located are the most important.
I'll second the importance of crates - even for large dogs a crate will keep the dog secure where you want him to be. Have a sturdy leash - NOT the retractable kind, they're too long and can break - ready in case you need to get a large dog out of the house.

Barb August 19th, 2008 01:20:00 PM

Also - have your crates accessible at all times. With a hurricane you do have some warning. But what about a house fire? Will you have time to scramble to the attic/basement to get the crates if there is a dire emergency? Probably not - so plan for the worst and hope for the best.

Dr. K - Glad you made through in one piece.

2CatMom August 19th, 2008 03:34:00 PM

We live on the other side of the state but had quite the wind and rain for the last 24 hours too. Since we've been through this before, we're very organized. We have four cats, three are litter brothers almost a year old and this was their first storm. After we put up the panels around the lanai and put a sandbox there for them, they decided that they wanted to stay out there and not come into the house. They were really secure and seemed to enjoy being in the dark. We moved a couple more rugs for them to lay on and more dry food and they had a camp out. Of course, we had the carriers ready in case there was a real problem. All the kitties have their tags and shots so I'm never very worried about having to evacuate.

Glad that Fay didn't become a category one hurricane!

Mary Beth August 19th, 2008 03:42:00 PM

After Katrina, emergency preparedness made the rounds of the parrot communities I follow, and I created my own Emergency Evacuation Kit. I store it and my bird's sturdy airline approved carrier both underneath her cage, so they're easily accessible. I wrote up the following list of everything in my kit in case it's useful for someone else. Much of it is likely relevant for other pets besides birds.
http://zandperl.pbwiki.com/Emergency-Kit

zandperl August 19th, 2008 05:43:00 PM

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