NC State College of Veterinary Medicine Offers Disaster Planning Resources for Animal Safety

Hurricane Sandy has the attention of residents and travelers in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern sections of United States and forecasters are predicting that the merging of Sandy with two other weather fronts will result in a storm of historic size and duration.

Disaster planning that ensures the health and safety of animals–pets, horses, farm animals–is the responsibility of every owner. North Carolina State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, along with the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and numerous other organizations, have assembled useful resources to help veterinarians, animal care providers, and animal owners who find themselves in the path of this week’s severe weather that may require emergency response or evacuation.

As noted by in the AVMA’s emergency planning booklet, “Saving the Whole Family,” emergency preparations should include pets and other animals.

If you take pets to a shelter that allows them, you need to have pet supplies, collar with ID, up-to-date vet records, pet carrier, and leash. A picture of the pet is good to have. For identification purposes, it is also recommended that pets be micro-chipped. If there is no shelter that accepts pets, look for local hotels that allow pets such as those listed at www.petswelcome.com.

Travel-Ready Pet Resource List from NC State William Rand Kenan, Jr. Library of Veterinary Medicine.

The following links provide useful information for disaster planning.