When You Make Your Disaster Preparedness Plans,
Don’t Forget About Your Pets!
During a severe natural disaster, one of the groups most vulnerable to injury and death are our family pets. Even those who think ahead and prepare for emergency with a survival pack may neglect to make plans to care for their pet if they are compelled to evacuate. And even if evacuation isn’t necessary, pets can experience severe stress and anxiety in the face of extreme weather conditions.
A survey revealed that of New Orleans residents who didn’t evacuate before Hurricane Katrina made landfall, 44% chose to stay because they didn’t want to abandon their pets. And of those who did evacuate, they left behind an estimated 70,000 animals — only 15,000 of which were rescued after the hurricane hit. Of those rescued, even fewer were ever reunited with their owners — just 20%.
What arrangements can you make now and in the event of a disaster so that you can keep your pet with you? And how can you best ensure your pet is healthy and happy during the stress of disaster?
Evacuating With a Pet
If you evacuate and leave your pet, chances are not in your favor for you to see your pet again. While in some cases there may be no choice but for people to evacuate without their pet, with some foresight and planning such a scenario might well be avoided.
Here are some simple steps you can take:
1. Make sure you take your pet into account when building your survival pack/72-hour kit. At a minimum, your pet will need food and water, and you will need to make arrangements for sanitation. For dogs and cats, canned food is the best choice to include in your pack. The high water content of the food will help keep your pet from getting dehydrated. Pack enough food to last at least 3 days, and include your pet’s water needs when you decide how much water you’ll need to pack for your family for that 3-day period.
For sanitation, pack some newspapers in a waterproof bag and if you have a cat, get a cheap aluminum roaster pan to use as a light-weight portable cat box. Newspapers can be laid out on the floor if weather conditions prevent you from letting your dog outside to go to the bathroom. And shredded newspaper can be a kitty litter substitute if you decide not to pack extra cat litter.
Make sure you have a pet carrier for each pet, collars and leashes, and pack a copy of your pet’s vaccination record and several pictures of your pet (some of them with you and other family members).
2. Red Cross shelters won’t house pets, so other arrangements need to be made. Ahead of time, find a place to go where you can go with your pet in the event of an emergency. If you can’t find a place that will allow you to come with your pet (such as the home of friends and family), as soon as you consider making plans to evacuate ahead of a disaster, call kennels and veterinary clinics in outlaying areas to reserve a space for your pet (your pet will need to be up to date on vaccinations).
3. If after you make these efforts you still find that you have to evacuate without your pet, there are a few things you can do to maximize your pet’s chances of surviving, and being rescued and reunited with you. All pets should be brought indoors (never tied up outside) and should be free to roam through the house. Leave out ample food and water (enough for a week or more) for your pet. Prop open the bathroom door, secure the toilet seat up, and remove the lid from the toilet tank so your pet can drink from the toilet if need be. Make a large sign indicating that there is a pet in your house, along with your name and cell phone number so rescuers can contact you after the fact. Place the sign outside where it will be visible. Pictures of your pet in your survival pack will make reuniting with your pet more likely.
Small precautions taken now can mean the difference between saving your pet and never seeing it again.
You CAN be proactive now!
Pet First-Aid
Whether you are home with your pet during a disaster or are able to evacuate with it, you will feel much more empowered if you are able to take care of many of your pet’s injuries, as well as stresses, with the essential oils in your Essential Oil Survival Kit.
Here are some of the most common issues that pets face during natural disaster and how you can help –
- For pet stress and anxiety common during severe weather systems and disaster, the same essential oils that will help you feel calm will help your pet as well. Peace & Calming and Valor are perfect for helping soothe your pet’s anxieties. For dogs and larger animals including livestock, apply a drop or two to the paws or tips of the ears (use less for smaller dogs). For cats, birds, or other smaller animals apply the essential oil to your hands and slowly approach your pet with outstretched hands. Lavender and vetiver may also be used.
- Cleanse open wounds, prevent infection, and help speed healing by applying Lavender or Purification on site. Use less and dilute in olive oil for smaller wounds and smaller animals, including cats.
- Closed wounds including broken bones and contusions can be helped with PanAway. Dilute 50/50 in olive oil for dogs and larger animals. For smaller animals, dilute more.
- Pain in animals (as well as humans) can be soothed with PanAway, vetiver, and frankincense oils. The smaller the animal, the more the essential oil should be diluted before application.
Last but not least, our Animal Scents ointment is a powerful all-purpose salve with all-natural ingredients. By itself it can be effective at soothing skin conditions and helping wounds to heal. It can be used in conjunction with the essential oils above to seal the oils in and enhance healing.
Plan ahead and be empowered! Your pet will thank you!!
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Testimonials –
“Peace & Calming oil is our life saver. I used it on our 100 pound German Shepherd during 9 hour road trip form FL to AL. He slept through the whole trip. Once we ran out of it. What a mistake! We will never travel without it! I just put one drop on each paw 30 minutes prior to departure.”
- Angelica J., AL
“Sissy, my kitten was neutered on Tuesday. . . . The day after Sissy’s surgery I applied a 40:1 ratio of 40 drops extra virgin olive oil to 1 drop frankincense, directly on top of her incision, being careful not to apply pressure. Holding on to her and petting her for approximately 10 seconds I mushed the Animal Scents ointment so it was soft on my finger. I softly applied the Animal Scents Ointment directly over the incision on top of the frankincense and let her go. The ointment didn’t stay on her long, because she almost immediately went to the other side of the room and licked it off.
I performed this routine morning and night for 5 days. By the 5th day, Sissy was used to the routine and didn’t fight me anymore and she quit licking the ointment off too. This helped her pain tremendously. I knew this because shortly after I applied the ointment she started playing. Before the application she wasn’t walking too good and she was crying.”
- Nyla D., MI
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Radio Show — Pets and Disaster Preparedness
Did you miss it?
Click here to listen online.
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Julie Behling-Hovdal is a reflexologist/holistic healer and founder of Essential Survival where she teaches people how to prepare for the #1 cause of death in the event of an economic collapse — lack of access to medicines. In 2005 Julie was able to get off 4 prescription drugs and heal from a 6-year stint of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and fibromyalgia with products from Young Living Essential Oils. Get a free copy of her report “Fast Track Survival Medicines” at http://essentialsurvival.org/fast-track-survival-medicines/.
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We are here to serve you. If you have any questions about the value of our products in helping you be prepared to take care of your health, please contact us.
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Statements made about the essential oils that come in the Essential Oil Survival Kit and other products offered by Essential Survival have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Anyone suffering from disease or injury should consult with a physician.
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