How to Prepare Your Dog for Hurricane Season

Every year millions of Americans and animals come under threat of a hurricane. Every year animals get left behind, get lost and even die because the owners cannot bring them or fail to include their animals in their safety plan. I’m posting this today as Hurricane Idalia comes barreling towards Florida, forecasted to be a life threatening Category 3 by landfall tomorrow and crash through Georgia and South Carolina next. Having a plan with your family and neighbors and preparing ahead of time is the best line of defense.

Pre-season prep:

• Make sure they are up to date with shots and checkups; Have access to their most recent shot records; I recommend keeping them electronically in Google Drive so you can access them from anywhere

• Make sure you have medications stocked

• I also suggest having your pet microchipped, so during season prep make sure your microchip service/account is up to date and in service

Making the plan:

Decide the determining factor if you will evacuate or shelter in place, keeping in mind your pet and their ability to survive the possibilities amongst you handling all other responsibilities. Be decisive early on to evacuate. Make a plan for both options.

If Evacuating: Decide on a meeting place with your family that is pet friendly. I think having a secondary pet friendly place is important because sometimes there are only a few rooms allowed to have animals and they may fill quickly. Be aware of the pet fee, is it per day or per stay? Per day can add up quick. Also, having options in different directions and distances is helpful.

Pack a clear backpack with essentials for each person and include your pets belongings.

Identify who’s responsible for the pet and their belongings. If you have more than one animal, it's best to designate one animal per person.

Pet Essentials include:

• Food and water for at least 3 days; I use metal Contigo water bottles for myself and Tula, she has two, one with some ice and water and one with just ice (usually where there's hurricanes, it's pretty hot) I use a reusable silicone baggie to keep her food

• Travel bowl

• Merrick Treats/a Bully bone

• A blanket that has their scent and their family’s for comfort and to help them know where to lay or be in a new place

• Harness and leash w/ tags

• Potty pads

• Paper towels, pet wipes and garbage bags

Things to be aware of:

• Animals can often be scared of the sound of thunder and may want to run away

• Animals, especially dogs can read the stressed energy of the moment and may seem like they’re being disobedient. Stay calm and be a confident leader. Your dog is looking to you for guidance. Try the ThunderShirt or CBD calming treats

• It's important for your dog to know basic commands like; stay, get in the car, lay down, spot, get some water, quiet. These will come in handy during high stress moments.

• Make sure your animals are somewhat familiar with the car. If this is new, they may be scared to get in, they may pace around, whine or bark and this can all add to the stress of the moment

• Stress can cause digestive upsets ie; diarrhea or throwing up or they may not have a bowel movement for a couple days or want to eat.

If Sheltering in Place: The most important thing here is to make sure you're stocked up on the essentials and protecting your pet.

As soon as you hear the warning for a hurricane in your area, it's best to make a trip or order from the store asap or things may be gone.

Stock up on:

• Food; I keep dry and wet food on hand.

• PLENTY of fresh water for your whole family and pets. Either purchase several gallon jugs and water bottles or I use a Britta pitcher and fill all of my Contigo water bottles with ice and water and fill saved gallon jugs with filtered water.

• Plan for potentially having to potty inside if it's not safe to potty outside for multiple hours. You can use potty pads, grass pads or Dog litter

• Medications if they use any daily.

• Plan to stay cool if the electricity goes out:

  • Pre-prepped frozen treats like peanut butter in a Kong toy

  • Ice

  • Battery operated/rechargable fans

  • A cooling pad

  • A spray bottle with cool water; you can spray their belly, paws and inside their mouth

  • Know where the coolest place is in your house

Lastly, stay calm. Being prepared will help keep the stress down for everyone.

Let me know how you keep your family and pets safe in the comments below.

Stay safe y’all!