Hurricane Season Preparedness
The summer months are known to be when natural disasters hit here in Florida. Are you prepared for a hurricane or tornado for not just yourself, but also your pet.
Printable Disaster Supply Kit Checklist
Preparation Tips:
Plan in advance if you live in an evacuation area (Manatee county residents check here).
Write down your plan or create a checklist. Share this information with a friend / family member or have a back up plan that includes a friend / family member outside of an evacuation zone.
Remember to take your pet with you when you evacuate.
Know your evacuation route (Manatee county residents check route here).
Make sure you have proper identification and up-to-date immunization + rabies vaccination records for your pet (copied and placed in a protective sleeve to avoid water damage is advised).
Make sure you have a collar and leash for keeping your pet under control.
Keep a separate carrier for each pet that they can sit and turn around in, the carrier should also be labeled with identification (taping the aforementioned identification in a protective sleeve to the crate keeps everything in one place).
Pack supplies for your pet including vet records, a two week supply of food and water, medications with instructions, bowls (consider these collapsible types), toy and blanket, cat litter/pan, plastic bags, collar/leash, disinfectants for pet washes, and a current photo of your pet (printed, not on your phone).
if you must use a kennel, make sure it is not in an evacuation zone (River Landings Animal Clinic is not in an evacuation zone). A kennel option is only possible if you have proof of vaccinations. If possible, reserve a spot in advance.
After a storm or relocation:
Walk pets on a leash until they become re-oriented with their new home and surroundings. Often familiar places and landmarks may be altered from the weather and pets could easily become lost or confused.
Reptiles may be out and about brought in by flood water and debris. Be aware of the threat they are to you and your pet.
Bring along a picture of your pet for identification.
After a disaster, animals may have a shift in behavior such as aggression or defensiveness. Monitor any changes.
{click here to view or print PDF}
Dog Treats Recipe: Pumpkin Ice Cream
Preparing your pet for the holiday weekend festivities.
From The Desk of Dr. Fox: Foie gras
There are things you see online and on Facebook and other social media about pets every day that make you laugh and smile. And then there are those other stories. The ones that challenge you to think, question a belief or just simply watch and see something that is profoundly disturbing. Or downright sickening.
Humans use animals in a lot of different ways - some productive and sustainable like dairy cows or plow horses, some for recreation like horseback riding, some for companionship like dogs and cats and of course some for food, fabric and other products that require the sacrifice of an animal's life. Some people choose to be vegetarians because of this, or only eat fish or certain types of meat. I always am cognizant when I eat meat that an animal somewhere gave the ultimate sacrifice for that meal.
There are some things that humans have done with, or more accurately to, animals that are abhorrent; probably too many to list truth be told, and sometimes it helps to just focus on one in order not to be overwhelmed by a tidal wave of information. Maybe not a lot of people reading this enjoy or have ever eaten Foie gras which is defined on Wikipedia as;
A luxury food product made of the liver of a duck or goose that has been specially fattened. By French law, foie gras is defined as the liver of a duck or goose fattened by force-feeding corn with a feeding tube, a process also known as gavage.
That doesn't sound awful but when you do something to an animal that causes it's liver to increase to 10 times the normal size it's not pretty. The video circulating is disturbing to say the least. It's hard to watch, harder to imagine who could do that job and the hardest question of all is - Is any food possibly worth this amount of pain and suffering to an animal? For a so-called delicacy, not something essential to our daily lives?
Mahatma Gandhi said “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” Judging by the fact that these types of practices continue we have quite a ways to go.
The video in reference to this write up can be found here. Viewer discretion advised: related content may be disturbing to some individuals.