Month: September 2018

79 Rescued pets from Florence and Upcoming Test of the Emergency Broadcast System.

As with any disaster, there are amazing stories of heroism and stupidity. Florence is no exception. It does appear that disaster groups have learned some lessons from Katrina and will accept animals What are the lessons learned from Florence?
1. The flood after a hurricane is worse than the high winds. We learned that from Harvey too.
2. People fail to plan for their animals: dogs, cats, exotic pets, horses, livestock, etc. My heart hurt when I saw the photos of dogs in enclosed outdoor runs with the water up to their chests. Or horses penned in areas with standing water. Or wet cats loose in owner’s arms, no carriers.
3. Good Samaritans and pet lovers will step up the plate to help rescue individual pets, and even whole animal shelters. The story about the bus driver that help evacuate the Humane Society of North Myrtle Beach, the Dillon County Animal Shelter, Orangeburg Animal Shelter, and Saint Frances Animal Shelter. Last week, he rescued 53 dogs and 11 cats (in crates), got them to rescue groups outside the flooding, and was going back for more.
https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2018/09/photos-pet-rescues-in-the-wake-of-hurricane-florence/570598/#article
https://people.com/pets/community-save-hurricane-florence-pet-rescue-van/
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/09/14/animals-trapped-shelter/1307149002/

There is a planned test of the National Emergency Broadcast System, and you might receive an important text message on your phones on Wednesday, October 3. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will be conducting tests of the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) which includes the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA). FEMA has performed three previous tests of the EAS, in November 2011, September 2016 and September of 2017. October 3 will be the first test of the WEA. If a cell phone provider participates in WEA, those who have that cell phone provider should receive the test texts. In reference to the WEA test text, www.fema.gov, explains, “Cell towers will broadcast the WEA test for approximately 30 minutes beginning at 2:18 p.m. EDT. During this time, WEA compatible cell phones that are switched on, within range of an active cell tower, and whose wireless provider participates in WEA should be capable of receiving the test message. Some cell phones will not receive the test message, and cell phones should only receive the message once. “The WEA system is used to warn the public about dangerous weather, missing children, and other critical situations through alerts on cell phones. The national test will use the same special tone and vibration as with all WEA messages (i.e. Tornado Warning, AMBER Alert). Users cannot opt out of receiving the WEA test.” It continues, “The WEA test message will have a header that reads “Presidential Alert” and text that says: “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.

78 Disaster Preparation for Pets– Part 2

In Part 1, we discussed planning for disasters while staying at home. But what if you have to leave to stay safe?

Who? Everyone, even pets leave. No one will come to your house in a disaster and take care of Fluffy, or the gerbils, snake & birds. So be ready to transport.

When? Leave as early as possible. I know that is vague, but you have seen the traffic jams when everyone leaves at the same time.

Where? Ideally you have a close relative in a nearby town that is out of the disaster area. Other ideas are booking a room in a pet friendly hotel in a safe city, or a hotel with a nearby pet boarding facility. Campgrounds might be an option for campers or families with RVs. As a last resort, governments will set up “shelters” like Dallas has done for Houston during Hurricane Harvey, or Houston did during Katrina. These facilities may or may not allow pets, and they definitely recommend or require a carrier for each pet. Imagine how scare Fifi would be in a new wire kennel, in a big building, next to dozens of other scared dogs and cats, with you in the next building.

What to pack? This comes straight from FEMA
• Food. At least a three day supply in an airtight, waterproof container.
• Water. At least three days of water specifically for your pets.
• Medicines and medical records.
• Important documents. Registration information, adoption papers and vaccination documents. Talk to your veterinarian about microchipping and enrolling your pet in a recovery database.
• First aid kit. Cotton bandage rolls, bandage tape and scissors; antibiotic ointment; flea and tick prevention; latex gloves, isopropyl alcohol and saline solution. Including a pet first aid reference book is a good idea too.
• Collar or harness with ID tag, rabies tag and a leash.
• Crate or pet carrier. Have a sturdy, safe crate or carrier in case you need to evacuate. The carrier should be large enough for your pet to stand, turn around and lie down.
• Sanitation. Pet litter and litter box if appropriate, newspapers, paper towels, plastic trash bags and household chlorine bleach.
• A picture of you and your pet together. If you become separated, a picture of you and your pet together will help you document ownership and allow others to assist you. Add species, breed, age, sex, color and distinguishing characteristics.
• Familiar items. Familiar items, such as treats, toys and bedding can help reduce stress for your pet.
(I would add calming pheromones to this list, or a Thundershirt if it helps your dog )

If you have made it this far, I challenge you to discuss this with the family, line to 2 or 3 relatives you could “visit” for a while, plan a few different ways to drive to their houses, gather up carriers, vaccine records, food & water for 3-7 days, and practice getting pets in the car. It will be challenging, but way less to practice now than in the event of an actual emergency.

If you can’t find your vaccine records, give us a call to reprint them. Or they aren’t up to date, let’s fix that.

I have a free red AAHA collapsible water /food dish like in the picture for the first 5 readers who contact me. You must come by to pick it up.

https://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/resources/disaster-prep-pet-emergency-checklist.pdf
https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/general-pet-care/disaster-preparedness

http://files.dvm360.com/alfresco_images/DVM360//2018/08/07/657c1bfc-fe2f-4458-998b-ba01d4197a65/veterinary-disasterprep-handout-rev1.pdf

77 Disaster Preparedness for Pets- Part 1

As I watch the news this week with Hurricane Florence bearing down on the East Coast, I am reminded that September is National Disaster Preparedness Month. And that means planning with pets in mind. It actually started last week, and the theme is Disasters Happen. Prepare now. Learn how.

The first step is to imagine some likely disasters. Up here in North Texas, I think tornadoes, ice storms, power failures, localized flooding, and possible wildfires. There are many similarities to prepare, even though the causes may be different.

The next step is to figure out if you would shelter in place or leave. If you shelter in place, determine which room of your home would be safest. For tornadoes, ideally pick a room with no external windows, on the ground floor, maybe even a bathtub. I recommend having a leash for every dog and a carrier for each cat. If the power goes out, and the sirens wail, and everyone is freaking out, the last thing you want is your pets all loose and stressed out. This might be a great time to purchase some calming pheromone sprays for pets: Feliway for cat and Adaptil for dogs. These are available OTC at pet stores and Amazon. Some pets might want a favorite blanket or toy, just like children.

Some other items to keep in your shelter room are a charged up phone, flashlight, and a battery powered radio. It is a pretty helpless feeling to be hunkered down in a bathroom, in the dark, listening to the sirens, and you have no clue what is going on. Many cities have a Red Alert system, which will call you if there is a local emergency, but you have to subscribe ahead of time. In Lewisville, they call it Citizen Alert.  In a tornado, the cell towers might go down. Keep a battery powered radio handy, and know some local channels. And there are many apps for phones that can get weather and Dallas News, but not necessarily Lewisville news.

Some basic preparations are to make sure your pet’s vaccinations are up to date, you have at least a week or two of important medications, and that they are microchipped. This is not the time to run out of allergy pills, heart medications, or specialty diets. I see quite a few stray dogs and cats after big wind storms here when fences blow down. A tag on a collar or a microchip really helps reconnect Fido and owner.

What if you have to leave? Sometimes it just isn’t safe to stay home. Would you know what to pack? Where to go? When to leave? I am sure there are many people in the Carolinas or Californians near wildfires asking themselves that same question now.

Next week’s blog will be on “Go” bags and preplanning for a bug out.
For more information: https://www.ready.gov/animals

74 The Allergic Cat

Last week I wrote about ragweed, pollen, and allergies, especially in dogs. Cat can develop pollen or food allergies too, but it seems less frequent than dogs. This week, I have seen some indoor and outdoor cats with allergic symptoms. I think I see less feline allergy because most of my cats are indoor only (even though pollen does get into our houses.)

The symptoms of cats with allergies to pollen or food include itchiness, especially the face and ears, licking feet more, generalized tiny bumps, and raised red skin plaques. Some have other signs like sneezing, coughing, wheezing (asthma), and occasional vomiting and diarrhea (especially secondary to hairballs).

Cats can develop asthma just like people, which is a constriction of the tiny airways in the chest. It can be mild to severe. I probably never see the mild ones, but when cats are open mouth breathing and wheezing from an asthma attack, it is an emergency. And of course it isn’t healthy to smoke around cats, especially asthmatic ones.

Cats can also be allergic to flea bites, but we seldom see the actual fleas on cats because most cats are such great groomers. I do see more fleas on chubby patients because it is harder for them to groom themselves. So just because you don’t SEE fleas on Fluffy doesn’t mean she isn’t getting a single flea a day that bites her, which she quickly lick off. Revolution is a great topical product for cats that kills fleas, ear mites & many intestinal parasites.

Cat do occasional have food allergies. The symptoms are often skin related, not just gastrointestinal. They aren’t born with food allergies, but develop slowly over time, even when the food isn’t changed. I usually suspect food allergies if my patient doesn’t respond to steroids.

The treatment for cats is similar to dogs, with a few minor differences. Ideally we try to avoid the trigger, like keep them inside more. We try to remove pollens by bathing them or at least wiping them down with damp washcloths (“lick the cat”). We could try to give them liquid Benadryl, but most owners find that challenging. Apoquel isn’t approved for cats so I usually go straight to steroids, conveniently available in a long term injection. Fortunately, cats don’t have many side effects to an occasional steroid injection, unlike humans and dogs, so it is much safer.

Feline allergies are really a thing, and I don’t mean people that are allergic to cat dander (that’s a different article.) If your cat is grooming more, getting sores, or having respiratory signs, a vet can help. Come see us!

http://www.pethealthnetwork.com/cat-health/cat-diseases-conditions-a-z/what-bothering-your-cat-it-could-be-feline-allergies
https://www.catster.com/cat-health-care/cat-health-care-tips-seasonal-allergies