Hurricane Preparedness……Don’t Forget Your Pets!!

Hurricane season is here and if you've heard the same reports I have it should shape up to be an interesting season...and by interesting I mean incredibly busy.

Residents along the Texas Gulf Coast and here in The Crossroads have become pros at hurricane preparedness and trust me, after going through Ike in 2008 and spending a week without power, you can never be TOO prepared.

What some people don't think about though is their pets. What happens to them when a hurricane hits? Some people don't realize it can be just as stressful on pets than their humans and in high stress times, animals tend to drink much more water than humans so keep that in mind when stocking up on water.....Fido has a bit of cotton mouth.

Keep a first aid kit of over the counter pet meds in case they come in contact with something brought out by the storm such as snakes or fire ants or scrapes from debris...also, fresh water helps here too so remember that.

Food is another very important thing to keep on hand for your pet. If there is wide damage or power outage, who knows when the store will be open again so plan ahead and keep plenty of food on hand in case of such an emergency.

Finally, and this disturbs me the most, there are some people who are adamant about keeping their pet as strictly an outside pet even during severe weather. Leaving your dog or cat outside during a hurricane or any other severe weather doesn't make sense and, in my opinion, is just cruel. If you are worried about your outside pet making a mess of the inside of your home, my advice would be to invest in a pet carrier/cage to house your outside pet in until the storm passes and inspect your fence line in the yard to make sure no holes exist before letting your pet back outside. Also, keep an eye out for other animals that may have gotten lose during the storm as they tend to wander from yard to yard looking for food and water. And speaking of animals, have your pet microchipped from your vet in case they get away during the storm then can be tracked.

So remember when stocking up for hurricane season, a couple of extra steps is all it takes to make sure your furry family members are taken care of. Be safe!