Pet Health Care Gazette

Following the horrible sights and the loss of life surrounding hurricane Katrina, law-makers are moving to create legislation that would provide assistance to pet owners in times of disaster.

As we all remember, many people affected by the hurricanes and resulting disasters in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi were forced to make the heart-breaking decision of whether to evacuate themselves and leave their family pets and, in some cases, even their service animals behind, or risk their own lives to stay behind with those pets. Federal disaster relief organizations did not allow their rescue vehicles to be boarded by pets and Red Cross evacuee centers barred all animals, except service animals, from their midst due to public health and safety concerns. The Humane Society of the United States estimates that as many as 50,000 pets and other animals were abandoned after hurricane Katrina struck.

Recently, the House passed the PETS bill, which requires state and local officials to account for pet owners, household pets, and service animals in their disaster preparedness plans. A similar bill sponsored in the Senate would allow financial aid to create emergency shelters for pet owners and require that essential assistance be provided to pet owners and their pets after a disaster of major proportions. Several states are also making provisions to care for pets and livestock during natural disasters and other emergencies. These states include Hawaii, Louisiana, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Florida, California, New Jersey and New York.

What can you do, as a pet owner, to prepare for an emergency. You should arrange for a safe place to take your pets, before an emergency occurs. You should also put together an emergency kit, including your pet’s medical records, medications, food, bottled water, a can opener, food dishes and water bowls, leashes and collars, and any other supplies your pet might need. You’ll find information about preparing for a disaster at the American Red Cross site (www.redcross.org/services/disaster/beprepared/animalsafety.html).

(Reference: Journal Of The American Veterinary Medical Association, August 1, 2006, Vol. 229, No. 3)

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 22nd, 2006 at 10:24 pm and is filed under Dog Health-General Information, Cat Health-General Information, General Pet Care Information. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.