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National Pet Preparedness Month: Creating an emergency plan for you, your pets

June is National Pet Preparedness Month, and Tom Dock of Noah’s Animal Hospital joined us today to help make sure you’re prepared to take the whole family in the event of an evacuation or emergency situation. Here’s more from him:

1. Indianapolis was the very first city in the U.S. to have connected the local first responders (IFD and EMS services), the local animal care services (INDYCares) and a veterinary team in order to help pets who experience separation from their families during house fires or vehicular accidents. VERY PROUD of this!

2. June is Pet Preparedness Month when we are reminded that when evacuations need to happen, your need to have a plan for your pets as well.  A very quick and easy first step is to make sure that you have current pictures of your furry family as well as copies of your rabies certificates and medical records.  Your veterinarian and staff are happy to help you with this task! You can even take a “selfie” of you and your pet together!!

3. Remember that not all shelters will accept pets, so knowing this ahead of time is helpful.  If you need to leave your home due to a housefire or other issue confined to just your home, look for pet friendly hotels at petswelcome.com or bringfido.com.

4. A lot can change around your pet’s world during a natural disaster or a situation like a house-fire.  Pets may not recognize the area and may try to run off for a variety of reasons. Micro-chipping is always a good idea, but consider doing this BEFORE it’s needed during an evacuation.  Your veterinary team can do this for you at ANY time. 

5. The Federal Emergency Management Administration has a video that can help walk you through the steps needed to make sure you and your pets are prepared!

For more from Tom visit, NoahsHospitals.com/in-the-news.