Disaster Preparedness for Pets-Care Business Professionals


Disaster Preparedness for Pets-Care Business Professionals
Disaster Preparedness for Pets-Care Business Professionals
Whether you live in a rural township that is prone to flooding, hurricanes or snowstorms, or you live in a metropolitan area that is prone to the above or may one day be a target of a man-made disaster, having a plan to help your clients and their house pets is invaluable. Remember, you'll want a plan that encompasses all the types of animals you care for - including livestock!

Disaster Preparedness for Pets-Care Business Professionals

If you're ready to create your own pet-disaster-preparedness plan - use these resources to create a plan custom-fitted for you and your clients:

  1. The Humane Society of the United States has a myriad of resources, including brochures and a Disaster Center that can educate you on the best ways to prepare for a disaster.
  2. Your local Emergency Response Team can assist you in locating animal-friendly shelters in case of evacuation. They will also be able to provide you with any and all requirements necessary to house animals in such a shelter. (In most cases house pets will need to be crated and will need to bring copies of their immunization records).

Spend some time researching and then create a plan that will work for you and your clients' house pets. Items to include in your plan: 

  1. Maps for your sitters delineating which house pets they are responsible for in case of an emergency;
  2. A waiver from your clients granting your company permission to transport their house pets to the closest animal friendly shelter in case of evacuation;
  3. A waiver from your clients who do NOT want you to transport their house pets in cases of disaster - letting you know that you are to leave their house pets in place;
  4. Reminders for your clients to keep their house pets' vet records taped in or near their crate. Additionally, each pet should have up to 2 weeks of food in air- tight containers and easily accessible water containers so that you can find everything when you need to move swiftly;
  5. An understanding with each client where they can be found if an evacuation takes place and cell phones are not operational. Many families have an agreed upon meeting place - make sure you know the 'meeting place' for each family you work with so you are able to find them when the roads become passable.

Disaster Preparedness for Pets-Care Business Professionals
Disaster Preparedness for Pets-Care Business Professionals
A disaster preparedness plan is certainly something you hope you never have to use, but something that you must have to be a responsible pet-care business provider. Your clients will be grateful that you've gone the extra mile to ensure the safety and well-being of their house pets.

Use your plan as a marketing tool. Once you've assembled your plan, why not write an article for the local paper about effective disaster preparedness for house pets? How about offering a free tip- sheet on disaster-preparedness for pets for every potential new client who subscribes to your e-zine? Or, simply post your disaster preparedness tips on your website and offer it as a free article on the web - make sure you include a great resources box that gets folks to head to your website! Finally, you can expand your disaster preparedness research to create an offer a free seminar on the topic - either in conjunction with your local shelter, police and fire department or the local school.

Holiday Pet Travel - Bring Your Pet With You


Holiday Pet Travel - Bring Your Pet With You
Holiday Pet Travel - Bring Your Pet With You

The holidays are one of the peak seasons for travel, and it is the perfect time to take your house pets along with you. Whether you are off on a ski vacation, visiting family or perhaps enjoying the magical feeling of a Swiss village at Christmas time, having your best friend along will make the trip more enjoyable.

Be sure to consider pet identification before you leave. Pet ID tags with your CELL PHONE number are great since there will not be anyone at home to answer the phone. You should consider the added safety of a pet microchip. If your pet is separated from you, a shelter or a veterinarian can read the chip, and they can then track you down through the database of the company who manufactured the microchip. If you are going to be spending a couple of weeks in one place, consider buying a second Pet ID tag with the contact information on where you will be staying.

Holiday Pet Travel - Bring Your Pet With You


Holiday Pet Travel - Bring Your Pet With You
Holiday Pet Travel - Bring Your Pet With You
Pet crates are a great way to keep your pet safe when traveling in the car. Unless a pet is confined or harnessed, its behavior can cause great distraction to the driver of the vehicle. As much as we all like our smaller pet in our lap, it is detrimental to the safety of the pet, the driver, and the passengers riding in the car. A collision, even at a slow speed, can seriously injure an unrestrained pet. The safety of your pet is your responsibility. Be sure and buckle them in (just as you do for yourself) or confine them in a crate.

If it is very warm or very cold, do not leave your pet in the car alone. Be prepared by having a supply of water, food and water/food bowls in the car. You may not find the brand of pet food they are used to where you are going.

If your pet is larger than about 15 pounds, and you are traveling by air, then you will need a pet crate that is compliant with the International Airline Transport Association (IATA) regulations. If you will be staying in a hotel, then the pet crate is the proper place to leave your pet while you go out to dinner. Make sure that the pet crate is large enough so that your pet can stand up and turn around. Be sure to leave an adequate supply of food and water to last for the period that you will be away. It is also a good idea to place an absorbent pet pad in the bottom of the crate that will keep your pet dry in case of accidents.

Buy your crate well in advance of your trip so that the pet can get used to it before you travel. Pet crates come in two pieces, a top and a bottom. For a few days leave the top off the crate and put treats and a favorite toy in just the bottom portion. After seeing that your pet is comfortable, assemble the crate and leave the door open. Invite them in with praise and treats.

Flying with your pet is easy these days. Almost all airlines accept house pets on board the aircraft. Very small house pets can often travel in the cabin of the aircraft with you in an airline compliant pet carrier. Larger house pets will travel as checked baggage in a special section of the cargo hold where the temperature and pressure is the same as in the cabin. Be sure to alert the captain of the aircraft that you have a pet in cargo as he will take extra care to keep the temperature and pressure at the proper levels. You will need a health certificate stating that your pet is healthy enough to fly. Be sure to make reservations early as the airlines only allow a limited number of pets per flight. Stay away from medical tranquilizers for your pet and instead give them an all natural product that makes them less anxious such as a product called Happy Traveler.

You will need lodging on the way. A great majority of pet friendly hotels, motels and bed & breakfasts that accept house pets but they do not always accept all types and sizes. It is important to make your reservations in advance and ask about their pet policy. Under no circumstances should you leave your pet in the car overnight.

When traveling, keep your pet on their normal schedule by feeding them and taking them for their "walk" as close to the regular time as possible. Be sure to pack a supply of plastic bags to take along on those walks. If you are traveling with a cat, there are portable kitty litter trays available. Realize that your pet is out of their normal surroundings, so be sure and keep them on a leash and watch them closely. Reassure them should they show signs of nervousness or anxiety.

Be considerate of other people. Although there are many pet lovers in this world, there are some that do not feel comfortable around house pets. Respect others by restraining your pet when necessary.

So whether your destination is Grandma's house, a mountain cabin or a ski resort in Switzerland your pet can accompany you with the proper planning. International destinations require special veterinary certificates, however when traveling to most countries, there will be no quarantine of your pet.

House Pet - Three Tips Before You Buy A New Pet


If you intend to adopt new house pets, then pull up a chair and buckle down because you may want to read this article. In the next few minutes, we're going to look at three possible elements that worthy of consideration before you are buying or adopting a house pet. First, we're going to explore a variety of house pets that you can possibly keep. Next, we're going to discuss about which type of house pets that are appropriate to your house environment. Finally, we're going to finish up by talking about how to feed your pet and introduce you to few types of pet food which are available on your local pet store.

House Pet - Three Tips Before You Buy A New Pet

House Pet - Three Tips Before You Buy A New Pet
House Pet - Three Tips Before You Buy A New Pet
First, let's start with knowing a variety of house pets that you can keep. Cats and dogs are without a doubt the most popular house pets of all. These two animals can live among human peacefully and easily adapt to our environment. Many families even consider them worthy of a family member and treat them like they treat their own children. Other animals that also popular are fishes and birds. People like to keep fishes inside an aquarium and some keep them outdoor in a fishpond. Birds are almost always kept in a cage. There are also an exotic pet, an exotic pet is a rare or unusual animal pet, kept as a pet which is not commonly thought of as a pet. Some examples of an exotic pet are ferrets, domestic rats, and iguanas.

Next, let's talk about an appropriate place to live for this pet together with you. If you live in a house with a backyard then it is possible that you are able to keep any type of house pets you want like cats or dogs. It also gives you an opportunity to construct a fishpond right at your backyard. However, if you live in an apartment or a flat then that would be impossible. You can keep dogs or cats there but if you want to maintain a fish then you must get an aquarium. Any animals that live in cages such as birds or any kind of exotic house pets are popular for people that live in an apartment. If somehow you are an animal lover and want to keep them all as a pet, I suggest you move to a bigger house. Be careful though, the time and maintenance cost might be very high.
House Pet - Three Tips Before You Buy A New Pet
House Pet - Three Tips Before You Buy A New Pet
Finally, let's talk about the pet food that is appropriate to your pet. There are a variety of foods that can be given to your pet. You can identify them by their name such as cat food, dog food, fish food, etc. They can also be easily found and sold at your local pet stores and supermarket. There is a type of feeding called "raw feeding". It is the practice of feeding domestic dogs and cats a diet primarily of uncooked meat and bones. When buying a pet food just make sure that the pet food you are going to buy is regulated by the FDA, USDA and FTC. Food safety is important because unregulated food can transmit disease to your pet.

These are the three critical elements you need to consider before you are going to get a new pet. Choose your pet carefully according to your liking, make sure that in your current house you have an appropriate place to live for them, and know beforehand what type of food that you want to feed them.