If a flood or fire were to strike, would you be ready to properly take care of your pets? May 8th is National Animal Disaster Preparedness Day, so here are some resources to help you assess your readiness:
The ASPCA lists 5 steps to preparing for your pet's safety:
- Get a Rescue Alert Sticker
- Arrange a Safe Haven
- Emergency Supplies and Traveling Kits
- Choose “Designated Caregivers”
- Evacuation Preparation
FEMA also has a separate Pets page on its ready.gov site, where you can download a Pets Preparedness Kit; a Pet Owner's brochure; and view a preparedness video.
Our favorite online veterinary site, Drs. Foster & Smith, has a wealth of information for pet safety and preparedness, for dogs, cats, birds, ferrets, and more. The advantage here is that if there's something you think you might need, you can usually find it here - and Cygnus and Chaco asked us to remind you to pick up a few toys while you're at it.
Other [pet-specific] resources available include:
- American Veterinary Medicine Assn.
- American Red Cross
- NOAA Hurricane Preparedness Page
- PetSitters.org Emergency Planning Guide for Pet Owners
- and, if you happen to be concerned about the coming rapture, Eternal Earth-Bound Pets, USA
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