Natural disasters and pets

[dturm]

With the floods in the south and west and fires multiple places, I wonder what natural disasters you may have gone through with your pets.

What brought this on was a story on the anniversary of Hurricane Andrew. I actually treated a dog that was affected by Andrew. The sister of a good client was stationed at Homestead AFB in Florida and her housing was totally destroyed. She came up north to live with her sister and the dog had GI issues either due to stress or bad water after the hurricane.

Another pet I treated was following Mount Pinatubo eruption in the Philippines. Another military family relocated back home after the volcano erupted. This dog had a severe conjunctivitis due to volcanic ash and the eye irritation.

Fortunately, we have had minimal disruptions. Power outage for about 36 hrs after a near miss tornado in the middle of the summer heat and a couple of hail storms.

This also should serve as a reminder to have a “go bag” for your pets that includes medicines and first aid supplies among other essential items you might need.

[Wanderlost]

We have go bags at all times, since we live in a wildfire prone area. The largest go bag is the cat's stuff. He's a real home body, and having to bug out will stress him, so everything he loves (except the house itself) will go.

[valhalla360]

Having an RV is a great natural disaster plan all by itself.

If there is a threat of hurricane/flood/forest fire/etc..., top up the fuel and fresh water tanks. Now you can drive out of the affected area or worst case shelter for a few days in place. Your pets are largely covered by default.

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

Decades ago, my bro and sis-in-laws' house was wiped off the foundation by an unwarned tornado. My SIL related some of the things she had to deal with immediately after the storm passed, like broken gas lines; and she was grateful that she had left shoes in the basement so she didn't have to walk through debris barefoot. But that got me thinking - I wouldn't have had leashes nearby to contain two surely-freaked-out dogs; nor water or food....

[BCSnob]

We have been fortunate so far; we've not been directly impacted by natural disasters. I have read about others and acquaintances who have had to deal with evacuation of pets and livestock out of the way of wild fires. I cannot imagine how we would evacuate (and where to take) our sheep in the event of a wildfire. We would be able to evacuate us and our dogs and barn cats (those we could catch) using our cargo van and TT.