Animals in Emergencies -3-
Service animals are generally allowed into public shelters with proper identification, although such an environment can be confusing and stressful for both the animal and the owner. You should find out if your community's emergency plan includes protocols for keeping service animals with their owners throughout an evacuation and what officials will provide for you once at the shelter. For example, some shelters may provide kennels and some may not. You should remember that strange odors and people may distract service animals used to normal routines and trained to respond only to their owner and you should be prepared to handle those extra burdens.
Service animals in a disaster have to be looked at in a different light than a general companion animal. When a person comes into a human shelter, emergency planners and shelter planners have to realize that that is not just their pet. That is an animal that aids them in some way for some kind of disability that they may have. Service animals by law in many states have to be accommodated in a public premise. The same is going to be true in a disaster shelter situation.
If you have a service animals you should always carry proof from your doctor that the animal is needed for medical reasons and what the medical condition entails. This is in addition to the animal's current vaccination record and license. Planning an evacuation kit for animals should include the basics - food, proof of ownership and vaccinations, licenses and medications. Of great benefit is a recent photograph that can also be used for posters or on the internet if animals become separated from you.
You should remember that unlike humans, most animal medications are supplied by individual veterinarians who may be unavailable during an emergency or not able to prescribe across state lines. Have enough medication on hand or keep what your animals may need in your emergency kit.
Many people say it's the animal owner's responsibility to evacuate their pet. And we believe by all means at the American Veterinary Medical Association that when you own an animal you should take the responsibility of preparing an evacuation kit and a first aid kit for your animal.
Emergency medical supplies for pets are similar to those you likely have in your own disaster preparedness bag. Besides bottled water, detergent soap and towels for cleaning, basic medical supplies for animals would include a tube of triple antibiotic ointment, ace bandages, 2" tape, gauze rolls, boric acid ointment, small cosmetic sponges and sterile sprays to clean animals' eyes, surgical scissors, and a splint easily obtained from hiking or sports store. Many animal owners include a deterrent like Tabasco sauce or a commercial spray so an animal won't lick a wound unnecessarily. Liquid bandages can also be helpful for severe cuts until the animal can be treated by a veterinarian. Consult your veterinarian when developing a first aid kit for equine and livestock or for exotic animals. There are also a number of sources on animal care that can be found on the internet or at local libraries.
Having current rabies or license tags on animals can help you reunite with your animals if you become separated because such records are public and can be traced. For small animals a collar tag or tape placed inside the collar can provide information on animal's name, your name, address, and telephone number, an out-of-state telephone number or contact, and the animal's veterinarian name, location, and phone number. These can also be placed on a temporary neckband in emergencies.
When you look at animal identification methods, there's a lot people can do ahead of time to identify their animals in a permanent manner. Collars and tags are good but they can be lost. Probably the best method of identifying companion animals is thru microchips. Little radio frequency identification devices implanted under the skin that allow animal control or animal sheltering personnel to scan that animal and be able to trace that chip number back to an owner.
However, you should be aware that in the chaos following many disasters emergency response personnel and animal-care managers as well as veterinarians may be overwhelmed and unable to systematically check for such records. Thus it is recommended that a visible means of identification be placed on any animal evacuated. Permanent identifiers for larger animals such as horses or livestock include microchips, tattoos, ear tags or notches or branding. Halter tags and neck chains with identification are also used in emergencies. Temporary measures include livestock marking crayons, non-toxic, non-soluble spray paint or magic markers to write on the animal's side or to mark hooves. Keeping these in your disaster supply kit means you can have them readily at hand when preparing your animals or if they lose their ID during transport.
During transport each animal has its own leash, collar or harness. Small animals should have separate collapsible or airline approved carriers with bedding for transport. For extended stays cat carriers should be large enough to hold a small liter pan and non-spill water bowl with room for the animal to lie down comfortably. Dog kennels or crates should be large enough for a non-spill water bowl and to allow the animal to stand up and turn around. All transport carriers should clearly identify the animal, its special needs including medications and common foods, the owner's name, home address and telephone contact as well as similar information of an alternative contact. Writing directly on the kennel or providing information on duct tape on the animal's collar will help identify animals when stickers or placards are lost or destroyed.
Identification, medical records and proof of ownership are equally important for small animals such as hamsters, gerbils, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. Birds should be transported in small secure covered carriers and not allowed out in unfamiliar surroundings. A spray bottle for misting birds in hot weather and a heating pad or lamp to provide warmth in cold weather can help reduce stress at the evacuation site.
Using appropriate carriers helps avoid stress-induced illness. Transporting horses, livestock or large animals such as llamas or emus can be difficult. You can familiarize your animals with traveling in trailers by periodically leading them into the vehicle and providing treats to reward them.
If not enough trailers are available to evacuate all your animals, you should establish a network of contacts consisting of neighbors, local haulers, farmers, producers or other transportation providers to evacuate in a disaster. You should always try to keep your animals separated from other animals whenever possible to avoid spreading diseases. This is important for small animals as well as large ones.
Animal shelters are set up so that species tend to stay with their own species. So dogs will stay in a dog area, cats will hopefully be in a cat area, exotics in an exotic area. You want to try to minimize the co-mingling of species because anything you can do to decrease the amount of stress for the animal is what you want to do.
Sometimes veterinarians and commercial kennels can provide safe lodging during or after extreme events. Other housing, such as racetracks, fairgrounds, extension service facilities, or even veterinary colleges may be available for your larger animals. If you think you might need their resources, you should get in touch with them prior to an event so you will have a better chance to use them in a major emergency.
After flooding, manure and waste lagoons can overflow, potentially contaminating ground and surface waters. Emergency officials, owners, and farm managers may have to work closely with environmental and health departments to avoid this impact. After floods animals that have stood in contaminated water may be at increased risk for skin infections or toxin induced diseases.
Animals which have been in floodwaters can also suffer hypothermia, sometimes irreversibly. Cuts from debris also make your animals more susceptible to tetanus infection. Decontamination with detergent soap and water may be necessary for all animals exposed to hazardous chemicals or contaminated floodwaters. If you have a reptile or other animal that needs to keep essential bacteria on it's skin, only water should be used. Because decontamination is often very stressful on animals, it's generally performed by trained emergency response or veterinary personnel who will likely tranquilize the animals and who are wearing the appropriate level of personal protective equipment to protect both the animals and the person decontaminating them. They also know the regulations regarding proper disposal of the cleansing solution because it is often considered hazardous waste.
You should not attempt to decontaminate animals yourself unless you are very sure the contaminate will not harm you or you can wear appropriate protective clothing and breathing apparatus that you have been trained to use and maintain.
Returning home may place additional stresses on your animals. You should check all fences and buildings to make sure they are intact and structurally sound. If temporary paddocks are used, ensure animals are properly confined with adequate supplies of food and water.
When bringing your animals back into a disaster affected area, they're going to be disoriented. They're going to be confused because landmarks are going to have changed, the smells are going to change, the area's going to be changed. So it's important to not push the animal back into normalcy too fast. So introduce food slowly, let the animal rest a lot, help those animals acclimate back to their situation and become comfortable in the area that's been affected by the disaster.
You should also survey for wild animals, rats, or poisonous snakes that may have taken up residence in your animal's quarters during the evacuation. Unfamiliar scents can also confuse animals.
If possible, initially release animals into enclosed areas. Household pets should be kept indoors until you can supervise them outside to prevent them from encountering wildlife or debris. Flooding or hazardous releases can leave harmful substances on forage materials, paddocks or contaminate food or water supplies. Any food or bedding materials that have been contaminated or which show evidence of being damaged should be discarded.
Contaminated debris in areas normally used by animals can be harmful if eaten or provide venues for cuts or bruises. It is critical that you check all areas for potential hazards before allowing animals to roam freely. You should also know how to obtain alternative food and water supplies for your animals as normal sources may be contaminated or disrupted during a disaster. You should not allow your pets to drink water from toilets or faucets if emergency officials recommend boiling all drinking water. If water sources are contaminated, that means boiling water for your pet's consumptions as well.
Animals may have a very difficult time adjusting to life after a disaster has struck. Again, because they're creatures of habit and they're creatures of familiarity, so when things have changed and the smells have changed and the sights have changed, that's going to stress an animal out. And so it's going to take a while for the animal to feel comfortable and safe in an area again.
Many states are now setting up programs for credentialing animal-care workers to assist with animals in disasters. Some areas have excellent resources like livestock oriented search and rescue teams, horse search and rescue teams. In various states we have SARTS - State Animal Response Teams or CARTS which are county based animal response teams.
You can find out more about these teams through your state emergency management agency. In the future it is unlikely volunteers will be able to work with or help rescue animals unless they have taken the training.
I think its important to establish a system so that when we have an incident of national significance such as Hurricane Katrina and a lot of people who want to come in and help, that we can somehow pre-identify those people that are truly qualified to do some of the specific tasks that are needed.
If animals left behind are lost or unaccounted for, you should physically check animal control and animal shelters daily, post lost animal notices and alert veterinarians and neighbors of lost animals. Trained and certified disaster animal response teams may be able to assist in getting animals to safety after major disasters or in caring for lost animals.
The ability to go in and help people at probably some of the most chaotic instances in their life, the ability to go out in the field and find an animal and reunite it with its owner is probably one of the most fulfilling experiences I think that anybody in the animal welfare world or even in the first responder world could possibly have.
Animals deserve our attention in good times and bad. Be prepared- have a plan - involve your veterinarian if animals will require special care and know how to protect your animals in and after an emergency. Your care is critical to our animal's health and well being. Don't wait until it's too late to help them - or yourself.
