Earthquakes. Hurricanes. Tornadoes. Floods. Fires.
Some natural disasters can be anticipated. Others can’t, but we can prepare for them – and our emergency plans should include our pets. In the wake of large disasters in recent years, even federal, state and local emergency managers have realized the importance of providing information for pet owners and including the welfare of animals in their own plans.
Probably one thing that many pet owners don’t think about with those plans are the dangers that pets are susceptible to in the hours and days immediately following the destruction from a disaster.
Search-and-rescue handlers realize that our working dogs will be exposed to many hazards that pets in normal circumstances will never encounter. Our training is structured to introduce our canines to many of the situations that they might encounter going into a disaster area or on a search and to make our own plans to keep them as safe as we can under rugged and dangerous circumstances.
What happens when you and your pet find yourselves smack dab in the middle of a disaster after the winds calm, the rains abate, the smoke clears or the ground stops shaking?
Pictures from debris strewn on floors from the tremors of the 5.8 quake on Aug. 23 in Virginia, images from the tornado that destroyed homes and businesses in Joplin, Mo., and of people carrying out water-logged household items in the wake of the historic floods earlier this year illustrate some of the dangers that your pet could encounter: broken glasses and dishes, chemicals spilled and mixed together on the floor or seeping into the ground, rubble, rebar, broken doors and windows, contaminated water.
Our pets can be even more susceptible to the hazards found in the aftermath of a disaster than we are. Dogs’ and cats’ paws can get cut from shards of glass and other broken items. Their paws can absorb chemicals that can be harmful to them. They might try to eat food that has mixed with toxic substances. They, too, can contract diseases in contaminated waters. If there is no water at all to drink, dehydration becomes an issue for them as well as yourself. Heat, cold, exposure to elements they aren’t use to can be life-threatening.
All are possibilities you should consider when adding the care of pets into an emergency plan.
In addition to their physical well-being, we need to remember their emotional well-being.
Animals can be uniquely intuitive. In cases of earthquakes and storms, you pets might even sense them approaching. Lots of pet owners deal with dogs and cats that are fearful of storms. Earthquakes are less frequent, but animals can sense them before they can be felt by us. Your pet might demonstrate odd behavior before and or after a disaster. Keepers at the National Zoo reported odd behavior in many animals in the minutes before and during the quake. And afterward, many animals were “off” their feed.
Our pets are also in tune with our moods, and they can be affected by our own stress and anxiety. They might become destructive as dogs often do when suffering from separation anxiety from their owners. Cats might hide under a bed or in rubble for a couple of days before coming out. In the days after a disaster, it might be a good idea to plan to crate your pet, a decision that can be part of your emergency planning.
In the midst of an emergency, reassurance that things will be OK goes a long way to help people cope. Patience with animals that are stressed – and watching out for hazards that our pets can encounter – are ways that we can help them survive a disaster. Our companion animals can be a great source of comfort to us in troubled times. Let’s remember to be a comfort to them as well and do our best to protect them from harm.
Sources: Zoo Animals Go Wild Ahead of Quake, NBC