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Planning for hurricane season? Don't forget your pets

Two dogs look out from a flooded field in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Eta, Monday, Nov. 9, 2020, in Davie, Fla.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
/
AP
Pet owners should have a checklist of pet needs before disasters happen.

Hurricane season has begun, and no doubt you already have your hurricane kit assembled. But vets and animal experts warn not to forget about our pets.

Dr. Lawrence Garcia is the medical director of the at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine. He and his team are called to disaster areas to provide medical care to animals and provide aid to animal shelters. Garcia said that ahead of the storm, you should get together a 鈥済o bag鈥 for your animals.

READ MORE: Hurricanes aren鈥檛 just a coastal problem. How to gauge your risk level

鈥淵ou should have a hard copy of all your medical and vaccination records for your pets,鈥 Garcia said, 鈥測our veterinarian may be impacted by the disaster.鈥

He also said to prepare any prescription medications.

鈥淢ake sure you have at least enough medications for a month,鈥 in the event you may not be able to access a pharmacy for your pet, Garcia said. This is in addition to carrying a 7-day supply of food, water, and other supplies like bedding, leashes, and a crate.

鈥淚t wouldn鈥檛 hurt to have toys either,鈥 Garcia said, 鈥渟ince the animal will be stressed and out of their routine.鈥

Unfortunately, poor planning can leave animals in dangerous situations during or after a storm.

鈥淧robably the biggest danger most pets face,鈥 Garcia said, 鈥渁re the owners not evacuating because they don鈥檛 feel like they can take their pets with them.鈥

If there鈥檚 damage to the structure or flooding in the home, that can put both the owner鈥檚 life and the pet鈥檚 life at risk.

鈥淭he biggest danger any pet can face is not having an evacuation plan in place,鈥 Megan Allan, community outreach manager of said.

The Florida Division of Emergency Management warns to never leave a pet behind, and for where you can go with your pet. According to Garcia, animals left behind may escape and injure themselves or ingest dangerous materials.

鈥淢uch of what we see is animals coming into contact with contaminated waters,鈥 Garcia said, like drinking from puddles contaminated with fuels and other toxins. In some situation, animals may need to escape a structure, but not be able to. Allan said animals may end up trapped in structures instead.

鈥淒efinitely try and take your animal with you first,鈥 Randa Richter of said. 鈥淚 would suggest you test out using a crate or a carrier with your animal ahead of time.鈥

But in the event you must shelter in place, or be forced to leave your animal behind, there are still steps that can be taken.

鈥淟eaving clear signs on windows and doors is really important,鈥 Allan said, 鈥渏ust so that any rescue teams in the area know exactly who is in the home.鈥

It鈥檚 also possible for animals to get separated from their owners in the chaos of a disaster situation.

鈥淵our pet may get spooked and run off,鈥 Garcia said. 鈥淢ake sure your animals are microchipped,鈥 Allan said 鈥渁nd make sure the emergency contact is someone outside of the affected region.鈥

Both Garcia and Allan also said to make sure you have a photo of your animal, ideally with you in it. This will help identify the animal to its owner should your pet end up in a shelter after a storm.

Now is the time to start planning and of essential supplies for your furry friends, before the season ramps up.

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